There's NO way I would pull a boat out of my yard without a transom saver on it. Roads around the house are great but that's not where I fish. The crappiest roads seem to lead to the best fishing.
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Trouble with my Weldbilt
- Thread starter mbweimar
- Start date
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Have been to the factory, have seen how they work. I'm not surprised.
At one time I think they were building another brand out of the same plant.
Those boats are cheaper then anyone else's for many reasons, starting with mass productions. Hurry up, get it sent out the door so we can build 18 more today. They build a "run" of the same model, hundreds of them before switching to another size or model. This speeds up the manufacturing process by the process of repetition, but also opens up the possibility of missing a defect in the "hurry up" mode. Speaking from experience on that!
IIRC a lot of weldbilts are "commercial" rated boats. That doesn't mean that they're designed for commercial use. That only means that they're RATED (by using the USCG's regulations) for commercial. The only reason they do this is because the commercial rating allows the builder to cut a few corners, which saves the end user some money. One example, no flotation.
Yes I looked at them when I was boat shopping. Their 1548 was about $1700 at the time. The ribs were about 5" tall. I wanted a floor. So that put the floor 5" or so above the bottom of the boat, which then loses boat space, moves the CG upward a little, which will affect stability a little bit. Also, some of the boats I had looked at (on the dealer lot) were obviously thrown together budget minded boats. That is what turned me away. Waco is the same way. But they are cheap. Kind of like buying chinese vs American. One is cheap the other not so much. I ended up buying a War Eagle but I swayed that diretion from the very beginning since those are what I was already familiar with. Took about 2 months for them to build my boat but I'm absolutely tickled with it. 548LDV plane jane no frills but a floor and low deck. Boat by itself was $3900 not counting the trailer. But there has not been a single problem with it in almost 4 years I've had it. I'm so used to having to work on a boat before or after a trip that it's odd to me NOT to have to do anything but hook on and go. Still getting used to that.
That said, I sure hope they take good care of you. The people that run the factory out there are pretty good folks. I just feel like they're showing the signs of growing pains, in other words, higher demand than they can turn out.
At one time I think they were building another brand out of the same plant.
Those boats are cheaper then anyone else's for many reasons, starting with mass productions. Hurry up, get it sent out the door so we can build 18 more today. They build a "run" of the same model, hundreds of them before switching to another size or model. This speeds up the manufacturing process by the process of repetition, but also opens up the possibility of missing a defect in the "hurry up" mode. Speaking from experience on that!
IIRC a lot of weldbilts are "commercial" rated boats. That doesn't mean that they're designed for commercial use. That only means that they're RATED (by using the USCG's regulations) for commercial. The only reason they do this is because the commercial rating allows the builder to cut a few corners, which saves the end user some money. One example, no flotation.
Yes I looked at them when I was boat shopping. Their 1548 was about $1700 at the time. The ribs were about 5" tall. I wanted a floor. So that put the floor 5" or so above the bottom of the boat, which then loses boat space, moves the CG upward a little, which will affect stability a little bit. Also, some of the boats I had looked at (on the dealer lot) were obviously thrown together budget minded boats. That is what turned me away. Waco is the same way. But they are cheap. Kind of like buying chinese vs American. One is cheap the other not so much. I ended up buying a War Eagle but I swayed that diretion from the very beginning since those are what I was already familiar with. Took about 2 months for them to build my boat but I'm absolutely tickled with it. 548LDV plane jane no frills but a floor and low deck. Boat by itself was $3900 not counting the trailer. But there has not been a single problem with it in almost 4 years I've had it. I'm so used to having to work on a boat before or after a trip that it's odd to me NOT to have to do anything but hook on and go. Still getting used to that.
That said, I sure hope they take good care of you. The people that run the factory out there are pretty good folks. I just feel like they're showing the signs of growing pains, in other words, higher demand than they can turn out.
mbweimar
Well-known member
If anyone is interested, I'll be selling the boat when I get it put back together. It WILL be fixed right before I sell it. Gonna repaint it, rewire it, and possibly put a new floor in it.
hipster dufus
Well-known member
hows the battle going?
mbweimar
Well-known member
Still haven't heard anything. I would think the dealer would know in advance when they get a truck, and say "hey we got a feller 800 miles away who needs to come get a boat from us, maybe we should let him know." But I guess that's not how these people work.
mbweimar
Well-known member
Update:
Got a call from the dealer yesterday. The boat is back in Alabama and sitting on her trailer. Andy from Backwoods told me the damage was so extensive they had to charge me $200. Not a big deal. He assured me that the braces had been fixed correctly and even strengthened in some places. When asked if the transom was fixed, he said he didn't even look at that. He told me they may have forgotten about it but he would go look at it today...what a joke.
Got a call from the dealer yesterday. The boat is back in Alabama and sitting on her trailer. Andy from Backwoods told me the damage was so extensive they had to charge me $200. Not a big deal. He assured me that the braces had been fixed correctly and even strengthened in some places. When asked if the transom was fixed, he said he didn't even look at that. He told me they may have forgotten about it but he would go look at it today...what a joke.
Wyatt
Well-known member
So extensive they had to charge you?? I'm sorry but if the damage was that bad from their negligence at the time of manufacturing, they should have shipped you a new hull. I'm definitely marking this manufacturer off my list of potential boats from here on out.
lovedr79
Well-known member
that is ridiculous! it was their negligence in the first place. you were the unlucky one that bought their problem unknowingly
wmk0002
Well-known member
That sucks. I think it is finally time to post all of your problems with pictures on their Facebook site or somewhere more public. People need to see this. It has already swayed me from purchasing one and I live very close to the Backwoods Landing dealer.
sunshine
Well-known member
Unbelievable.
You are more patient and kinder hearted than I am.
Count me as another lifelong Anti-Weldbilt consumer, they'll never get a dollar of my money.
You are more patient and kinder hearted than I am.
Count me as another lifelong Anti-Weldbilt consumer, they'll never get a dollar of my money.
Kismet
Well-known member
Now...
keep in mind that somewhere earlier in this thread, Mbweimar admitted the boat was rode hard, so some of the deconstruction may not be entirely manufacturer-induced.
If he's ok with that, there's a reason.
But it sure has been a journey. My hat goes off to you, I usually reach a point where my patience is eroded and a more primal condition surfaces.
Hang in.
:?
keep in mind that somewhere earlier in this thread, Mbweimar admitted the boat was rode hard, so some of the deconstruction may not be entirely manufacturer-induced.
If he's ok with that, there's a reason.But it sure has been a journey. My hat goes off to you, I usually reach a point where my patience is eroded and a more primal condition surfaces.
Hang in.
:?
sunshine
Well-known member
Speaking for myself, it's not so much the issues at hand as it is the manner in which the company conducted themselves through the process. Issues arise in manufacturing, bad employees, bad materials, failing equipment, the list goes on forever, but to see such catastrophic failure to be handled in such a lackluster manner and then to have the audacity to charge on top of it is telling to me.
gpavlick
Member
Hello, I am new to TinBoats and have been reading your thread from the start. I must say you have the patience of a saint because I myself would have gone off the deep end with Weldbuilt. I have been watching and hoping they Weldbuilt would side with the customer and use all of their creative customer service shills and make good for the sake of their reputation. I would have either fixed the problems without hesitation and sent boat back to you at your location without any charge or replaced the hull altogether and by doing so creating a great a much needed fix to the poor treatment and lost time you have endured. I have been shopping around for the last year and now have taken Weldbuilt off my looky list. I hope all works out for you and they would not be getting my business as well as any one else who has been reading this post. again good luck. Greg
richg99
Well-known member
What I doubt that some manufacturers have yet to understand is.....statements (good or bad) on the internet stay, for years and years and forever.
I have many times looked up some name of an item on the 'net. The search engines find threads, like this one, going back to 2008 and beyond. I read every one of them before I spend my hard-earned money on a new widget.
This manufacturer will have his actions read and reread by future potential purchasers.
Enough said......
richg99
I have many times looked up some name of an item on the 'net. The search engines find threads, like this one, going back to 2008 and beyond. I read every one of them before I spend my hard-earned money on a new widget.
This manufacturer will have his actions read and reread by future potential purchasers.
Enough said......
richg99
onthewater102
Well-known member
Surprises me that with this site being so well known for aluminum boats on the consumer side why manufacturers aren't signing up with profiles & wading into some of these discussions. Not just Weldbilt (their apathy for their customers is pretty well documented at this point - no surprise they don't make any effort to contact anyone) but G3, Lowe, Alumacraft...why don't we hear from their people from time to time just in the general course of discussions?
Obviously they can't enter into modification conversations without a legal team reviewing everything they say to make sure they're not exposing themselves to any liability, but there are plenty of technical discussions where they could just put there marketing schpele of how they do things & what gauges & grades of aluminum they use etc...
Start talking about boat covers and you'll start getting posts from different manufacturers who, at least on the surface, know how to reach and interact with their customers.
Obviously they can't enter into modification conversations without a legal team reviewing everything they say to make sure they're not exposing themselves to any liability, but there are plenty of technical discussions where they could just put there marketing schpele of how they do things & what gauges & grades of aluminum they use etc...
Start talking about boat covers and you'll start getting posts from different manufacturers who, at least on the surface, know how to reach and interact with their customers.
riverrat717
Well-known member
Kismet said:Now...
keep in mind that somewhere earlier in this thread, Mbweimar admitted the boat was rode hard, so some of the deconstruction may not be entirely manufacturer-induced.
:?
Hoping it has to do with this, and the fact of a .1 gauge hull sheet welded to .08 gauge ribs.
onthewater102 said:
They probably are, just undercover! Are your really from CT :LOL2:
But how is this different than anything else? There must be lots of forums w/ people talking about issues with their fords or chevys, don't think they're getting handed replacements.
mbweimar
Well-known member
Kimset, you're right. The boat has been subjected to large wake from boat traffic on intracoastal waters. That's not to say I hit wake head on at full speed. I operate my boat responsibly, and do not consider the areas of operation unfit for a jon boat. It seems Weldbilt does, and maybe that's why I had to drive 800 miles to buy one. However, the intracoastal water, and lakes where my boat is used is no different from the Tennessee River, or any other major river or lake where these boats are used every day.
If memory serves correctly, the hull is actually .080, and has one transom brace. When I called Backwoods to spec out my boat, I told them it would be used to coastal flats fishing. I told them about the 40 HP ETEC I had. Why wasn't I told I would need two braces to support this engine? The boat is rated for 90 HP, why isn't it build to handle that?
I just spoke with Andy again at backwoods, and he still hasn't checked to see if they fixed my transom brace. I don't even think they fixed the broken weld on the bottom of the hull either, due to the lack of concern from the folks I talked to at the factory. I guess we'll see when I go pick up the boat. Would I be wrong for refusing to pay if the boat wasn't fixed properly? I mean that's no different from taking your car to the shop to be worked on and it not being fixed when you get it back, right?
If memory serves correctly, the hull is actually .080, and has one transom brace. When I called Backwoods to spec out my boat, I told them it would be used to coastal flats fishing. I told them about the 40 HP ETEC I had. Why wasn't I told I would need two braces to support this engine? The boat is rated for 90 HP, why isn't it build to handle that?
I just spoke with Andy again at backwoods, and he still hasn't checked to see if they fixed my transom brace. I don't even think they fixed the broken weld on the bottom of the hull either, due to the lack of concern from the folks I talked to at the factory. I guess we'll see when I go pick up the boat. Would I be wrong for refusing to pay if the boat wasn't fixed properly? I mean that's no different from taking your car to the shop to be worked on and it not being fixed when you get it back, right?
wmk0002
Well-known member
Ictalurus said:
That is true, however, in the grand scheme of things boats are still more of a niche market.
riverrat717
Well-known member
mbweimar said:
Did you custom order your hull? Weldbilt specs list your hull as .08 & .1 gauge construction. I, personally would not pay unless you have no choice, to take delivery of your "repaired" hull. I would then take pics of "repaired" hull, and contact a marine fab shop (such as Bassboy1) to fix it right. Take pics of hull done correctly and contact Weldbilt to pick up the bill. If they refuse, threaten to post this whole thread, all your pics of damage, how much it cost to fix it right, and the fact that they were unwilling to compensate you, on their facebook page.
