G3 is not Yamaha!
G3 is not Yamaha!
I would stay away from these boats. My experience has been very bad with
G3/Yamaha Boats.
I have a 17 ft. 2003 G3/Yamaha Boat that was purchased when the boat was only a couple of years old and like brand new. The boat was one of their most expensive models with powder coat finish, carpeting, covered seats, huge gas tank and live well and all of the nice touches that made anyone proud to own the boat. My dad spent his retirement money on this boat for us to use. My dad passed away a little over a year and a half ago.
I strongly encouraged the purchase of this boat due to the Yamaha name and the assurance from the dealer that the hull was warranted for six years. I had a Yamaha outboard motor on another boat and this motor had been great and the Yamaha name gave to me great assurance. We paid a lot for this boat at the time of purchase when the boat was still like new. My dad made the comment that the boat would be here for me long after he was gone. My dad was wrong and I was very wrong about G3 Boats and the Yamaha name.
My dad and I were so proud of this boat. The boat ran great on the water, was comfortable and looked great and had the Yamaha name behind it. Last year about mid year I was shocked to find that this boat was essentially worthless and as stated by the dealer where I bought this boat, ?you can throw this boat away!?
My wife had discovered a thumb sized hole that had come all the way through the boat that had been hid behind the paint. Upon closer inspection I found numerous oozing holes in the transom that had became more numerous and larger sine the last time I had noticed. I thought these oozing holes was where something(s) had been attached in the past. I thought the oozing was some type of sealer. Finally my wife noticed tiny pin holes coming up all along the side of the outside of the boat at the point where the floor attached to the boats inner hull.
I was truly shocked as I thought my boat was worth about $6000 at the time and had just learned that it was worthless and that the water it had been taking on for about three years was not from a bad boat plug but instead holes in the transom and other places where the marine plywood and associated chemicals had eaten away the aluminum.
I immediately contacted a G3 boat dealer in the area where I fish and I was shocked to find that he was not surprised and knew exactly what the issue was with the boat. To my surprise he knew exactly what the issue was as he had other boats with the same issue. He informed me that Yamaha was aware of the facts and to get him some information and he would forward this information to Yamaha. He did not give me much encouragement and told me that he had used JB Weld to fix boat transoms where this known defect had eaten up the transom of a G3.
I finally called him back and received a phone number and a name to contact and was then told by this contact at G3/Yamaha to send then the serial number of the boat and my purchase date which I did. I was also informed again that G3/Yamaha had known about this since 2005 which in the case of my boat, was a full four years prior to the expiration of the hull warranty.
Yamaha made no attempt to contact dealers or owners of their boats and apparently chose instead to see if the boats would make it past the six year hull warranty where they could use a technicality to exempt themselves from offering any assistance to their boat owners. In my case I was maybe half a year out from warranty by the time I discovered what had been going on with my boat for about three years.
G3/Yamaha boats told me that too bad you are on your own! Can you imagine a name like Yamaha, knowingly ignoring a defect that they knew would destroy the boat many years prior to its? normal life expectancy, and leaving customers on their own with a major investment and never bothering to contact anyone in 2005 to inform them of the situation so that repairs could be made prior to the total destruction of the boat! This is exactly what happened!!!! I had a like new boat that could be thrown away!
My e-mail is
a-z-b@msn.com for anyone that may have questions. I would stay away from this boat and find one that has a better track record. Do not be fooled as this boat has the Yamaha name only! Actually manufactoered by Skeeter I believe?
Below is the letter that I wrote to the dealer upon his request when I contacted him about my boat:
Per your request, I am sending you the serial number for my G3 Pro 175 Boat that has holes and pits in the transom and along the sides of the boat. The number is ???????????? and it was manufactured in 2003. I have since found out that this boat was given in replacement by G3 for another G3 riveted boat that was leaking badly at the rivets.
I had noticed what looked like holes in the transom about two years ago when I saw leakage around what I assumed were prior drilled holes. I did not pay a great deal of attention to it until this past weekend when my wife actually spotted a finger size hole in the side of the boat that goes all the way through and other pits and a pin hole that appears to be all the way through approximately where the floor meets the side of the boat.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that there were more holes in the transom than I had seen before and they were larger. I was shocked at what I found. I had intentionally looked for and purchased a G3 boat due to my confidence in the Yamaha name and my great experience with the Yamaha motor which both my dad, brother and my self owned. My dad had finally found a G3 boat in like new condition and we purchased it right away. I nearly fell out when I carried the boat to ??????????? and was told upon initial inspection that ?you can throw this boat away!?
I go to Florida about 8 to 10 visits per year. I have always washed this boat every time I would come in from the flats and have been very proud of the boat. I am truly shocked at what I have found. Everybody else is running EXCEL boats with a few exceptions and I have bragged on the smoothness of this hull and how it could take the chop of the flats without wetting you. I am keeping my mouth shut at this point.
I also have a 14 foot Monarch Aluminum boat that was manufactured in 1972
that belonged to my dad and was run in Florida by my dad and myself and was his retirement boat. This boat was run in the flats probably 100 times more that this G3 has ever been on the flats as we purchased this boat approximately 18 years ago and used it exclusively in the flats until the purchase of the G3 boat which we considered a real upgrade. This boat has perfect aluminum and no electrolysis and a great running 1988 Yamaha that replaced the prior 25 HP Evinrude that we wore out on the flats on this same boat prior to this motor purchase.
I will take pictures and send to you as soon as the weather clears as it was pouring here ????????????????[/COLOR]
