Re: New Sylvan 8522 CNF with RPT tubes Cracked welds
[If this should be a new thread, please make it so. But the RPT cracking issue is central to my question; and perhaps my question can help focus this thread on advice for potential Sylvan customers...]
So...
I have a regular pontoon with a 50hp outboard. 14mph is perfectly fine most of the time, but we only get to see about 5% of Rainy Lake (which is 345 square miles in size) and often don't have time enough to make it to a nearby destination... like dinner at a restaurant.
After considering a wide range of boats I've settled on a tritoon with a max speed of 40+ mph. As a bonus, they can also handle much bigger waves than my pontoon (but best not at full throttle, of course). To that I'll add a full enclosure to extend the boating season and do some camping.
For the last few weeks I've been comparing Sylvan, Bennington, Premier and Tahoe Grand Island tritoons. Sylvan has a lot of appeal because the RPT design seems to offer the best effeciency - with 40mph on a 2-tube 150hp RPT whereas the other three brands (same length and load) typically max out around 42-45mph on a 200hp tritoon with other planing designs (strakes, flat-bottomed oval tubes, etc.). Also, at least one boat designer I consulted says the design looks more efficient on the face of it.
For the last few days I've been reading this thread and speaking with three Sylvan dealers. Naturally I'm very concerned about the quality issue, though that's tempered by a few factors:
- As BoatDr points out we don't know the actual failure rate. Despite a few folks having repeat problems (lemons?) the overall rate could be quite low. Several dealers have said as much but their sample size is also low and... they're trying to sell boats. And then there's that guy who lives near Sylvan and says the problem is even worse than we know...
- Sylvan appears to be making reasonable steps to make their customers whole again through welding, replacement and free upgrades in the worst cases.
- Sylvan has reinforced their RPT nosecones for the 2013 model year. Hard to say how much this will improve the situation but it can't make it worse.
- No one's claimed Sylvan has a bad rap with the BBB.
- All boat manufacturers will have some error rate. I don't know of any reliable data to say Sylvan is average or worse.
So am I nuts to be considering Sylvan, or is it reasonable?
The nearest Sylvan dealer is 3 hours away and two more are less than 5 hours away. Closer would be nice for warranty issues, but the only truly local dealer sells only Bennington tritoons (which are nice enough but pricey) and has a reputation for customer service that's mediocre at best.
The nearest Sylvan dealer has a good deal on a 2013 Sylvan Mirage Fish 8522 LE CNF with a 200hp Yamaha that's been used as a test-drive demo with 27 hours on it. Lots of options included, nearly all of which I either would get anyway or at least like. They're asking $35,800 before haggling, which compares favorably with NADA values.
The main competition is a Tahoe Grand Island 24' fishing tritoon with 6 lifting strakes and a 200 or 250hp Mercury.
Pros and cons:
- The Tahoe is arguably the better deal by around $3,000 to $5,000 dollars (I'm still ironing out the quotes with all options).
- The RPT design advantage could mean better efficiency and top speed - factors which have more appeal to me than hole shot and turning radius. Unfortunately I haven't found enough independent data on top speed, cruising speed, fuel consumption etc.
- RPTs have the cracked weld concerns already discussed. (And possibly solved.)
- I have no idea about the Tahoe reliability.
- Both have good warranties.
- Both are about 3 hours to the nearest dealer.
- The Tahoe dealer seems trustworthy after spending a day there and I have no concerns about the Sylvan dealer yet (I'll visit soon).
Again, the main question is whether I should be considering the Sylvan at all, given the RPT weld issue.
The off-topic question is whether Sylvan RPT tritoons have a speed and efficiency advantage over the competition.
[And FYI, the dealer told me that for 2014 Sylvan is increasing the max motor HP for their 22'-23' boats from 200hp to 250hp by adding buoyancy. That was his answer when I asked why Sylvan's HP ratings were lower than the competition for the same length and number of toons. On the 2013 models, adding a 3rd toon boosts max HP from 150 to 200hp and capacity from 12 to 15 people.]
I had them just add the toon. I have the vinyl floor with snap-in carpet and I didn't want to risk messing them up. I also didn't want a compartment where water could get in (though there must be a way for it to get out).
Sylvan, Bennington, Premier, Tahoe, Avalon and presumably all manufacturers include an automatic bilge pump as part of the roughly $1,000-$1,2000 charge for the central toon storage compartment. Maybe Sylvan could add a bilge pump to all RPT toons as well!
Further off-topic, I plan to add an
Alumaducer transducer to my central toon storage compartment for a more forward-positioned depth measurement.
My main use for the storage: Trolling motor.
