Tracker Grizzly 1448 Leaking

[jimmykm21]

The boat is  3 years old so it's covered under warranty I hope.

I noticed a lot of water in last week and just got back from fishing tonight.

 

I parked it in the garage and came out and found a puddle under the keel where it's welded.

 

I really don't feel like driving to basspro and dropping this off for warranty work.

I'm thinking of just going to my local welding shop and asking them to run a bead across the back end of the keel where it's leaking.

 

Would you go this route or would you go through the hassle and wait of brining it to tracker marine?

[slonezp]

I don't know the particulars, but if you have someone else touch the hull, you may void whatever is left on the warranty. Is it leaking bad enough where it needs immediate attention or could you wait until winter to bring it in?

[jimmykm21]

Not bad where I can't use it still.

 

I was in the water today for  5 hours and I'm guessing it took in between  2  to  3  gallons of water.

[Koofy Smacker]

You have a lifetime warranty on the welds. And I can promise you it will be void should someone else touch the boat and do "modifications" in any way if they are not a tracker certified tech. It wont be safe to go out in a leaky boat, if its a hairline crack it could open up and become a major issue in the middle of the water.

 

Basically what Im trying to say is get it back to a dealer or in your case bass pro

[jimmykm21]

You have a lifetime warranty on the welds. And I can promise you it will be void should someone else touch the boat and do "modifications" in any way if they are not a tracker certified tech. It wont be safe to go out in a leaky boat, if its a hairline crack it could open up and become a major issue in the middle of the water.

 

Basically what Im trying to say is get it back to a dealer or in your case bass pro

 

I'll  call them tomorrow.

Do you happen to know if any authorized Tracker dealer will do the work?

 

There's one around 15 miles away but when I bought the boat they didn't have one in stock.

It would be nice  to be able to drive there instead of 2 1/2 hours away to basspro

[Koofy Smacker]

I'll  call them tomorrow.

Do you happen to know if any authorized Tracker dealer will do the work?

 

There's one around 15 miles away but when I bought the boat they didn't have one in stock.

It would be nice  to be able to drive there instead of 2 1/2 hours away to basspro

Give them a call and see what they have to say. Ive seen companies give the OK for another company (in this case an aluminum welder) to do the work instead of having to take the whole hull. Who knows though until you talk to them and they take a look.

[martintheduck]

Just take call basspro and speak to someone in the boat sales department... they'll guide you to what to do. Don't let anyone touch it until you talk to someone.

[DelcoSol]

Being a new Tracker owner this is a little disturbing. Just another sign of a poorly made boat to add to the list   I have heard about people with the deep v cracking welds then having to give their boat to Bass Pro for months for repair. Hopefully it's not too painful for you. Let me know how it goes. 

[slonezp]

On 8/6/2013 at 4:15 AM, DelcoSol said:

Being a new Tracker owner this is a little disturbing. Just another sign of a poorly made boat to add to the list   I have heard about people with the deep v cracking welds then having to give their boat to Bass Pro for months for repair. Hopefully it's not too painful for you. Let me know how it goes. 

 Not sure why you bought a Tracker if they're that bad.  Before you start jumping on Tracker, ALL boat manufacturers have their issues. Read the boards on here and you'll see what I mean. I have never owned a Tracker. They are the #1 selling brand of boat. Statistics say if there are more boats on the water there will be more issues. I dropped some major coin on a Lund this year. First day on the water it filled up with water from a leaking livewell fitting. It's also going back to the factory over the winter to be repainted. Some say Lund is the best tin on the market. I agree with this statement. Stuff happens.

[jimmykm21]

I just got off the phone with a Tracker dealer that is local , 15 miles away . As I said in an earlier post I was trying to avoid the long drive to bass pro .

The dealer said  yes , we honor any type of warranty work and we have a welder on staff .

 

They took my name and number and said they will call me to when he can take a look at the boat. I'll keep you updated how this goes.

So far it seems pretty good.

[tnriverluver]

I can feel your pain.  2011 Tracker 1542 just did this.  This is where the front handle bolts thru the bow and front lip of the front bench.  Only stress this ever recieves is from the trailer winch.  I am going to reinforce this with some flat aluminum stock and hope it will prevent the crack from developing in the hull also.  This is my first ever Tracker and will be my last!! 

Bought this boat because of the light weight for the size.  Live and learn   I will strip everything off of this boat before long and get a 1542 War Eagle instead!!!!!

[jimmykm21]

I can feel your pain.  2011 Tracker 1542 just did this.  This is where the front handle bolts thru the bow and front lip of the front bench.  Only stress this ever recieves is from the trailer winch.  I am going to reinforce this with some flat aluminum stock and hope it will prevent the crack from developing in the hull also.  This is my first ever Tracker and will be my last!! 

Bought this boat because of the light weight for the size.  Live and learn

 

Ouch

I'm sorry to hear this..

 

I went out and looked at mine again , I don't know if they will try to weld the keel from the outside to stop the leak or if they have to pop out all the rivets in the floor to weld it from the inside.

[DelcoSol]

On 8/6/2013 at 7:14 AM, slonezp said:

 Not sure why you bought a Tracker if they're that bad.  Before you start jumping on Tracker, ALL boat manufacturers have their issues. Read the boards on here and you'll see what I mean. I have never owned a Tracker. They are the #1 selling brand of boat. Statistics say if there are more boats on the water there will be more issues. I dropped some major coin on a Lund this year. First day on the water it filled up with water from a leaking livewell fitting. It's also going back to the factory over the winter to be repainted. Some say Lund is the best tin on the market. I agree with this statement. Stuff happens.

I didn't know it was this bad. Like most this is my first boat and it had minimal use but is falling apart. The fit, finish, and build of these boats are very poor. They also do not hold any value at all. My boat is about eight months old and is worth about half of what I paid for it brand new. They are the number one selling boat because they're cheap so the average person can afford one. Not to mention that a lot of people will shop at Bass Pro and see them with the prices and specials listed. Most people, myself included, thought that buying new would add some sense of security but the reality is it's not worth it. I understand all things depreciate but some do it more than others. Mine has depreciated so much that I can't even get rid of it in order to upgrade if I wanted. I guess my whole thing with these boats are the expectations vs reality. I bought a brand new boat thinking that it would last me years and have no issues for a while, eight months later and minimal use and it couldn't be further from the truth. I am sure there is a possibility that this could happen with any boat but it sure seems to happen to a lot more Trackers.

[slonezp]

I didn't know it was this bad. Like most this is my first boat and it had minimal use but is falling apart. The fit, finish, and build of these boats are very poor. They also do not hold any value at all. My boat is about eight months old and is worth about half of what I paid for it brand new. They are the number one selling boat because they're cheap so the average person can afford one. Not to mention that a lot of people will shop at Bass Pro and see them with the prices and specials listed. Most people, myself included, thought that buying new would add some sense of security but the reality is it's not worth it. I understand all things depreciate but some do it more than others. Mine has depreciated so much that I can't even get rid of it in order to upgrade if I wanted. I guess my whole thing with these boats are the expectations vs reality. I bought a brand new boat thinking that it would last me years and have no issues for a while, eight months later and minimal use and it couldn't be further from the truth. I am sure there is a possibility that this could happen with any boat but it sure seems to happen to a lot more Trackers.

Sorry to hear. Have you called the dealer about the issues? My Lund dealer has been more than receptive to my feedback/concern. The water leak was fixed in 2 days and Lund gave me the choice to repaint immediately or wait until winter.

[ww2farmer]

 I lit my tracker warranty on fire, and glad I did. Welding aluminum is not brain surgery, and most area's have a skilled and reputable shop around that can handle it. I had a crack develop on the underside of my hull 3-4 years ago............I don't know what caused it...Stress?? Hitting something?? Etc IDK??? I am betting I hit something as the aluminum looked "creased" along the crack....I called Tracker, they told me strip everything off it, drive it the 100 miles to the dealer, drop it off, wait for 6-8 + weeks while they sent it back to the factory for repair, and they would call me when it was ready. I said "you do know it's fishing season right? Will I have a boat to use in this time??" . They said NO. I said to hell with your warranty, I took it to a local repair shop 10 miles away. They did the job while I waited, dropped it in the water on the way home, and it's been fine ever since. If it ever cracks again, I will take it to the local shop again, they told me there is nothing they couldn't fix on the boat, I might have to pull a floor up or something on my end to make it easier for them to get to, but still, I can get that done a heck of a lot quicker, and be back on the water ASAP by going with the locals, as they do a great job, and only charge $70, than by using Trackers worthless warranty.

[jimmykm21]

Well....got a call my boat was ready last night so I went to pick it up.

The only problem was the welder only put a bead on one side of the keel. I saw it leaking from both sides when it was in my garage.

 

I told the service manager that he only hit  the keel on one side  , the manager said he'll call the welder back

but it will be another few days .

 

Another weekend lost off the water.

[SeaBeaver]

You guys got me worried now. I got the same boat 10 months ago. It already had a recall on the mercury 9.9 where they had to install a clip so the motor wouldn't jump up when you gas it in reverse. I hope they get you back on the water soon.