Do you look at the warrenty when you buy new boat?

I was doing some research, and it is amazing on how much warrenties vary and what they claim.

When read the fine print, it makes go HMMMMMMMMMM…….???

So do you go buy past experience, brand name, etc…..

A warrenty is one of the last things I consider. On my current boat the dealer was the number 1 reason I choose Mirrocraft. I have nothing against any of the popular brands, but I seldom trust dealers. Since I know the folks at Southside Marine (Waseca, MN) I deceided to buy from them. They Sell Warrior, and at the time Mirrocraft. Since Warrior was above the price range I wanted to pay, I looked at the Mirrocrafts. The features fitted my wants/needs. I wanted a Merc, but they talked me into a Yamaha. I can not say that was a bad choice. I’ve really been impressed with it.

Anyway, hope that helps answer your question.

My $.02. Warrentys don’t mean much to me. They would not sell it if they did not make money off of it, so it is a calculated risk. One that I am willing to take for a small chance of problems.

Being as most boats these days are very well built, and the fact that they last forever, I don’t know that warranties are that big of a factor. Now in cars or marine engines, that philosophy changes because of the cost of repairs and the fact that there are so many moving parts and electronic gadgetry, but let’s face it there’s not a whole lot that can go wrong with a boat. Sure, misuse or poor judgement could cause some major damage to your boat, but is that covered under warranty, probably not? Things like screws backing out or fuel lines or livewell plumbing could come loose, but those are simple things most guys can handle on their own, frustrating yes, but not more so than loading the boat and hauling it to the dealer every time some little something comes loose. Hulls, riveted or welded, these days are quite tough and very little can go wrong with them straight from the factory, other than possibly a leak (which usually isn’t the hull anyways), so warranties are nice, but not a major consideration. I’d put more thought into layout, fishing practicallity, and whether or not it fits in the garage….oh, and does the wife approve of it, too! Having said all that, I wouldn’t put a lot of emphasis on the actual boat warranty, but motors are a whole different game….seek the best warranty you can find, because in the unlikely chance something does go wrong with the motor it will cost you plenty. Good Luck!

I have to say I looked at the warranties when I bought my boat this past fall. I really like the dealer too and they stand behind what they sell. I ended up with an 05 Lund Explorer with an 06 4 stroke Yamaha 75. They both came with better warranties than the Princecraft I was looking at with the 2 stroke merc. The other dealer I had problems with getting warranty work done. These guys don’t seem to have a problem…..I guess you have to trust your dealer first to trust the warranty. Like they say in the Movie Tommy Boy….The warranty is only as good as the box it’s printed on unless you stand behind you product. Or something to that effect…but it had something to do with a butcher and the rear end of a bull….

Warranties were in me case a big factor. I bought a welded ALumincraft Welded Jon Boat a few years ago and numeorus welds cracked. Alumincraft stood behind the boat so everything worked out OK.

From the 7 or 8 boats (and over 100 vehicles) I’ve owned there is one rather simple way to look at warranty. Warranty is only as good as the dealer selling the product. I’ve had parts/labor replaced by warranty when the product was well over the time period allowed. Dealers seem to have a LOT of leeway when it comes to repairs if the care to look into that avenue.

Bought my Crestliner 8 years ago with a 10 year deck waranty, last summer the deck started to get soft in areas around the pedastals and up by the livewell, took it back to my dealer and they replaced the entire bottom deck, the piece around the livewell and the piece around the rod storage, I bought my crestliner because I liked the boat and loved the waranty after owning a Tracker for the 7 years prior, that boat was made cheap as far as electrical and trailer goes. Crestliner had a three year waranty on the entire boat, ten years on the deck and twenty on the hull, its awesome, they stand behind it and I love it. With all the $$$$$ you pay to but a new boat, I would strongly consider the waranty AND the dealer, they go hand in hand- My dealer is Wissota Marine. My boat is Crestliner and I’m satisfied with both….

In aluminum boats nothing beats a Crestliner’s warranties. It is now lifetime on the hull and that’s none depreciating the way Lunds are. They also have 3 years on the seats which is huge if you have kids. Kids always find a way to tear into them. The carpet will never mold either. My wife has allergies so that helps. For motors a lot of motors come with standard 3 years and opption to buy an extra 3. I agree that the E-tech is a nice motor but ordering will be a pain if it’s not on hand.