Re: boat overhanging trailer
No offense to the good dealers out there but there are a few bad ones. <br /><br />Case in point, the dealer where my dad bought his new boat a couple years ago. I had friends that were having trouble with them in the past, and in my encounters with them, they were just rude and non-accomadating. I took my business elsewhere. I just cringed when dad told me about the new boat he was picking up from XYZ dealer.<br /><br />Well it was a nice boat, but it wasn't prepped right, and the trailer has been a nightmare. Although the trailer frame and axle is rated to handle the weight load, it was not built to handle this length of boat (14' max.). It has been in for repairs 6 times and has resulted in a small claims lawsuit with the dealer, which dad won.<br /><br />The details, all roller trailer, 16 foot tin fishing rig. Boat was set too far back which caused the transom tie downs to rub on the bottom of boat. Would not be a problem if there was no movement, but the only place to hook the tiedowns was the selfcentering roller assembly, which pivots and rotates when you hit a bump on the highway. The boat could actually travel up and down 5 inches. Boom. Pound, pound.<br /><br />The first trip to the lake, the keel roller and bowstop roller busted thru to the center. These were replaced 3 times in 2 years, and paid for, then we found out the trailer manufacturer had recalled them and paid the dealer to replace them(never done) BEFORE dad bought the boat. <br /><br />There also were 2 holes drilled in the tongue, still an argument over why, but dealer somewhat admitted that they did it. This caused cracks to form with less than 1000 miles on the trailer. We needed to weld steel bars on to support it so we could get home. After contacting the manufacturer, which pointed the finger at the dealer, dad, with the manufacturer as a witness, went to court. That is what prompted the lawsuit. <br /><br />This is a high volume, SLICK as **** dealer that was taking lots of shortcuts with lots of people. They specialize in the firsttime boat buyer, and in dad's case, the belief that all people are good and honest.<br /><br />Oh, dad got his money for the trailer back, and a new trailer of his choice. The manufacturer set it up for him this time. Manufacturer not selling to this dealer anymore.<br /><br />You can never be too careful, always check the details. Just because they are selling it doesn't mean they know how to set it up or work on it. Always get references. Always make sure your references aren't the owners relatives.
