Thought I'd let you know of a possible pitfall if you are thinking of buying a new boat. My boat is 10 months old and I went to see the dealer (Logan River Marine) about some corrosion spots. I was told that this does not fall under waranty as they don't cover paint work. Not bad for a 32K rig. See photo's below.
Peter
Sorry will try again with photo's
Peter
Photo's
photo 2
photo 3
I think thats why pretty much all pro fishers have unpainted ally boats. Not about the insurance - but because I don't think painting aluminium (especially for salt water work) is a viable option especially over the long term.
Peter it looks like your boat would have been better served by having the holes drilled before the hull was painted
Tony
Tony,
I agree, I thought surely when the trimmers and the boat builder drilled the holes that they would of treated them some how.
It's all a bit disappointing for such a new boat. If a car had the same problem it would be different. But I guess the boat is in a salt enviroment.
Peter
Hi Peter
Had a 5.6m tinny prior to my current boat and from what I can see in your photos I am reminded of electolysis as a possible thing to look at in your boat.
It may be worth while having a look at the way the electrical circuits are set up in your boat. If there is current running around the place it doesn't take long for the bubbly sort of effect that your photos seem to be showing.
There are sure to be some wiser heads on the site who may be able to add more info but if it was my boat I reckon I would be taking it to a Marine Electrician. It was worthwhile, even on my current boat and it is FRP.
I think you need to identify the cause before you spend time and $ redoing the bubbles etc.
Good luck with it
Cheers
Chimo
What could go wrong.......................
Chimo,
That makes sence, I need to fix the problem, and am after all idea's. If I disconnect the battery after every use, do you think that might help?
The bubbles are on more points than I showed in the photo's.
I'm at a bit of a loss on the exact action I should take?
Peter
Have you checked the small print on the Warranty to ensure they are not just "trying one on". Mate in Sydney had a similar problem and the dealers HAD to fix it under warranty. Might be worthwhile checking with Consumer Affairs or somebody.
On a related note - I am about to sand back similar spots in my boat. What do I prime with before the top coat ??
couldn't you take it up with bluefin yourself? wouldn't they do the painting? You may need to fix the date on the camera alsoif you were wanting to use them as evidence of the damage
Peter
If you disconnect the battery after use it will help but you would / may still have current running around the place in the boat when ever you use it and that is not good either.
Who did the wiring and installation of the electrics in the boat?
If it wasn't you and it was the manudfacturer or the retailer then perhaps as was suggested above a call to Consumer Affairs may not go astray.
If you know that neither you nor some other "non skilled" person has never changed anything from what what was supplied to you and warranted to be satisfactory and safe for the purpose you purchased the boat then there is a case to made for a reasonable expectation that it should perform as described in the sales promotion.
The manufacturer and the retailer has a duty of care to supply goods that do perform as promoted.
Did they tell you it was going to corrode and bubble very quickly and that this was normal?
To be fair if it were me, (and you have not done major electrical work with a new boat) I would probably talk to the retailer / manfacturer after having a Marine Elec check it but not change things and advise them that you want the thing fixed by the Elec at their cost and if not you would be forced to go to Consumer Affairs with the Marine Elec report.
I would be very surprised if they didn't act IF you have a report from a registered Marine Elec.
Its not nice but I wouldn't do anything to fix the bubbles other that disconnect the battery and clean the spots with soapy fresh water to reduce the salt around the areas after use. That probably applies to the whole boat and is why I still try and use a truck wash type soap after use to get the salt levels down.
It will be interesting, for us, and a bit more relevant for you, to see how this unfolds. There are probably lots of tinnys of all shapes and sizes with similar problems. It's the ones with no spots / bubbles that I'd be interested in.
This may be worth a thread to have some input from owners with older intact tinnys and affected tinnys with photos of the electric instalation at the battery, at the switch gear and any fuse box / bus bar etc .
Maybe some breeds / retailers are doing things that work better than others?
Cheers
Chimo GOM
What could go wrong.......................
Az
Not wrong about the date on the camera, was a mates camera, I have all the records of sale if I need any evidance of damage. I'll get him to take them again but.
Peter
Chimo,
The boat is completley standard, all work was conducted by the dealer. Can you recommend a Marine electrician?
Thanks
Peter
Az
I could take it up with Blue Fin but is it fair on them? If I have no joy I will contact Blue Fin about the bungs.
Blue Fin didn't do the bowcover studs, so they probably wouldn't take the responsibility for that part of the boat. However, the bowcover and bimini was part of the package.
Peter
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