First time buyer initial quality experience

I bought a new WX2200 a few weeks ago (this was a 2019 left-over) and have experienced a few unexpected issues (listed below). I’m curious what others have experienced. Is this typical or was I just unlucky? All the issues are minor by themselves, however, I am concerned that this could be an indicator of what I should expect throughout my ownership experience. Overall, we love the boat when we are out on the water. I appreciate hearing from others as to your initial and long-term experience with Skeeter and more specifically, the WX series.

Issues:
* Multiple Water Leaks: The most challenging & concerning issue is water leaks. My 1st time in the water the boat took on a few gallons of water including the wash-down pump spraying all my clothes that we put in the port side rear storage locker. The dealer quickly fixed two of the leaks (wash-down pump, drain line for rear livewell), however, I still have another leak that I believe I have narrowed down to my front baitwell. I still need to determine exactly where the leak is. I also have a small amount of water on the port side overflow line at the hull mount.
* Speaker not connected: Not a big deal but the drivers side rear speaker was not working. As my dealer is closed due to the virus, I removed the panel and confirmed the speaker wire was not connected. The actual connecter was crushed and it appears it was misassembled at the factory. I straightened the connector and also soldered the connector to prevent future issues
* Loose bolts holding the cockpit fiberglass: While we were fishing my son found a small locknut on the floor of the boat. After looking around I found the 3 bolts that connect the cockpit fiberglass were loosely assembled on both the driver and passenger side (these bolts run next to the rod-locker door) My son and I took a few minutes and tightened all six bolts/nuts. I added lok-tite to the one that came completely loose.
* Rear hatch panel: this was very minor but the bolt holding the tether on the panel for accessing the splash well stripped prior to me taking the boat from the dealer. I had the dealer put a larger bolt with a nut to secure it. I was surprised Skeeter was just using a very small self tapping screw into a small piece of plastic for this.

That’s it for now, I appreciate hearing what your experience has been and more importantly what I should expect over the next few years.

Thanks again
-Bob

Correct to be disappointed. Correct to be concerned. However as all issues were minor i wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Skeeter has a warranty and as soon as this virus stuff is done address your concerns with your dealer.

Any boat owner, no matter the cost of the boat should inspect their boat yearly. Over time nuts vibrate lose, latches loosen, things happen. Your issues seem to be related to getting past factory inspections.

When we spend large amounts of cash like you did we have a right to expect certain things. One of those things is not everything will always be right.

Be concerned, be diligent but also be able to enjoy the boat.

I wouldn’t be concerned but I’d be frustrated. I agree with Dutch….probably just QC before it shipped but still disappointing.

Your dealer will help with your list Im sure !

Several of the same issues when I got my Skeeter. Tightened several bolts and fixed some small stuff. Not sure if it’s a Skeeter issue or just a new boat issue…Kind of annoying but nothing major.

For what a fella pays for these boats it is definitely unacceptable. All too often these posts appear. These are just plain and simple lack of pride in the work of the employee’s and poor quality controll of the mfgr. And things the dealer didnt bother to check either.

A quick update. Still working through the issues. My dealer has been trouble-shooting the water issue…seems we are making progress but still not dry. I learned Friday that my livewell switch is not working. The dealer found this while trouble shooting the leak issue. He wired a temporary switch in the battery compartment so I could use the livewell over the weekend and has a new switch panel on order (not sure I’m thrilled about changing out the switch panel).

At this point I need to contact skeeter as the list of quality issues continues to grow. Not sure what they will do for me but my confidence that I will enjoy years of fishing in this boat is very low. I am also spending way too much time driving the boat to the dealer.

Does anyone know how/who to contact at Skeeter? I can’t find any information on-line of their management chain and I don’t intend to write a letter to ‘Dear Sir’. I assume their General Manager or head of quality would want to know directly of the issues I am experiencing in the 1st 2 months of ownership.

BTW, a small issue but very related. I asked my dealer today if the latch for the rod locker arrived (my boat was missing the small Z-shaped bracket that holds the compartments closed). They told me Skeer did ship a whole new latch but the bracket (the only thing I needed) was missing so they had to ask Skeeter to ship another one. Again, kind of silly but given my experience it was just one more paper cut.

You need to have a heart to heart with your dealer. Don’t leave until they provide you with the names, phone numbers & email of the guys at Skeeter you want to talk to.

Any reluctance by them let them know they can write you a check and you will just go away.

Dealers are what make a deal either good or bad. I’m not saying if this is a dealer issue or a manufacture issue, however the dealer better be working for you.

You have been more than patient and understanding. Even to the point that after following the history of your posts, enough is enough. I have to agree with Dutch and tell them to write you a check and walk away. At this point I would not be doing all of the legwork that you have been doing, I would dump it in the dealers lap and tell them it’s now their problem and not yours.
Since it’s a bad time to be without a boat, have them provide you a demo that is similar to what you have, and then make an agreement with them that you will be the one deciding whether you keep the demo, take back the one you originally purchased, AFTER all issues are resolved and inspected, or walk away all together with a check in hand. These boats are outragiously expensive and you shouldn’t be dealing with this crap.

(903) 984-0541 Skeeter boats.

It sounds like you’ve went about things in a very civil, polite manner and did far more leg work on this than you should have to.

For the dealer to take that kind of money from you and know that you are not happy with their product or service, they are also part of the problem. Big time transactions should have that much better customer service and quality control attached.

I’d drop the boat and demand a demo, your $, or let them know your factual smear campaign will be started on online forums, social media, etc about their handling of the situation and the $hitty quality at the manufacturing level.

I highly doubt that making demands, smear campaigns, and threats will get you the desired results. Sounds like the dealer is working to fix any and all issues. Albeit very small issues. Being mad that you couldn’t get your boat in for small issues during a 100 year event COVID-19 lock down.. who’s fault is that? NO one wanted to be closed for 2 months.

Every new boat will have a few of these little things. Its on the dealership to tie up any loose ends.

Picking your dealership is nearly as important as picking your boat. That’s why I always pick THE BOAT CENTER. They have water tested each and everyone one of my new boats to make sure they are water tight, all pumps and valves are working properly, motors, electronics..ect. Hell, they even drove 4.5 hours to pick my boat up and drove it back to their shop one time. 9 hours round trip for them.

I would cut your dealer some slack. They are probably behind the 8 ball with the shutdown. Sounds like they have been so far addressing your small issues. Maybe jot down your list of small annoyances, go fishing all year… then give them the boat in September/November with your list when your done for the year. Then you will have a boat. Don’t drive the boat to them every time a screw needs tightening. Skeeter has like 20 straight Customer Satisfaction awards in a row. They will handle ANY issues… but for now..Just Go Fish.

There shouldn’t be a reason to call skeeter. Your dealer is your contact. IMHO

Last year my window was loose and the hull blower/usb port were dead. After 3 years I expected to pay for this.

To my surprise, it was all covered under warranty.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

There shouldn’t be a reason to call skeeter. Your dealer is your contact. IMHO

Last year my window was loose and the hull blower/usb port were dead. After 3 years I expected to pay for this.

To my surprise, it was all covered under warranty.

Did you bring cookies as incentive?

sktrwx2200 wrote:

I highly doubt that making demands, smear campaigns, and threats will get you the desired results. Sounds like the dealer is working to fix any and all issues. Albeit very small issues. Being mad that you couldn’t get your boat in for small issues during a 100 year event COVID-19 lock down.. who’s fault is that? NO one wanted to be closed for 2 months.

Every new boat will have a few of these little things. Its on the dealership to tie up any loose ends.

Picking your dealership is nearly as important as picking your boat. That’s why I always pick THE BOAT CENTER. They have water tested each and everyone one of my new boats to make sure they are water tight, all pumps and valves are working properly, motors, electronics..ect. Hell, they even drove 4.5 hours to pick my boat up and drove it back to their shop one time. 9 hours round trip for them.

I would cut your dealer some slack. They are probably behind the 8 ball with the shutdown. Sounds like they have been so far addressing your small issues. Maybe jot down your list of small annoyances, go fishing all year… then give them the boat in September/November with your list when your done for the year. Then you will have a boat. Don’t drive the boat to them every time a screw needs tightening. Skeeter has like 20 straight Customer Satisfaction awards in a row. They will handle ANY issues… but for now..Just Go Fish.

Some people’s expectations when they spend ~$70,000 are slightly different than mine. Businesses need to be held accountable. This has nothing to do with the lockdown. It has more to do with the fact that a boat with these issues was allowed to leave the factory and the showroom with payment received.

Again, this is the classic case of the squeakiest wheel getting the grease first. Stay on them and hopefully everything is resolved sooner than later. Don’t feel obligated to be the jolliest customer. That time period has come and gone. Don’t hesitate to share your experiences either for the sake of other anglers looking to purchase boats.

I’m getting a more negative view of buying a new boat. Been looking for a while and very discouraged. As the price goes up, I can’t believe what people are willing to finance for a luxury item. I believe boats are way over priced. Then seeing the lack of quality generically across the spectrum. I see so many little flaws, lack of details, and the ole cheap way out. Very discouraging

buckybadger wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sktrwx2200 wrote:</div>
I highly doubt that making demands, smear campaigns, and threats will get you the desired results. Sounds like the dealer is working to fix any and all issues. Albeit very small issues. Being mad that you couldn’t get your boat in for small issues during a 100 year event COVID-19 lock down.. who’s fault is that? NO one wanted to be closed for 2 months.

Every new boat will have a few of these little things. Its on the dealership to tie up any loose ends.

Picking your dealership is nearly as important as picking your boat. That’s why I always pick THE BOAT CENTER. They have water tested each and everyone one of my new boats to make sure they are water tight, all pumps and valves are working properly, motors, electronics..ect. Hell, they even drove 4.5 hours to pick my boat up and drove it back to their shop one time. 9 hours round trip for them.

I would cut your dealer some slack. They are probably behind the 8 ball with the shutdown. Sounds like they have been so far addressing your small issues. Maybe jot down your list of small annoyances, go fishing all year… then give them the boat in September/November with your list when your done for the year. Then you will have a boat. Don’t drive the boat to them every time a screw needs tightening. Skeeter has like 20 straight Customer Satisfaction awards in a row. They will handle ANY issues… but for now..Just Go Fish.

Some people’s expectations when they spend ~$70,000 are slightly different than mine. Businesses need to be held accountable. This has nothing to do with the lockdown. It has more to do with the fact that a boat with these issues was allowed to leave the factory and the showroom with payment received.

Again, this is the classic case of the squeakiest wheel getting the grease first. Stay on them and hopefully everything is resolved sooner than later. Don’t feel obligated to be the jolliest customer. That time period has come and gone. Don’t hesitate to share your experiences either for the sake of other anglers looking to purchase boats.

Bucky- If a leak in the wash down system and a couple of turns of a screw warrant a “smear campaign” out of you…… and that is outside of your expectations for $70,000… than maybe you better stick to maybe a 1993 crestliner or the like. Im sure you expectations would never be let down with a rig like that.

Advising someone to threaten a dealership or manufacture is childish. Grow up Peter Pan.

I feel your pain. Skeeter’s website does have a contact phone number on it somewhere. I used it because I didn’t even want to talk with dealer I used (no it was not The Boat Center), but was referred back to dealer by a Skeeter Rep. I let the dealer who sold me the boat try and redeem themselves, they failed. I bought my boat Sept 2017, Spring 2020 I believe I have all the leaks resolved.

I will say that “The Boat Center” has earned a great reputation. I stopped in at Ramsey, Dean Marshall showed me the boats and after that, I made up my mind that I was going to buy a Skeeter. I was never able to seal the deal with the sales rep I worked with there, I went elsewhere.

I bought a 2017 WX 1910 with 200 Yamaha. The things that were not right, were mostly as you say “papercuts” small little things. Some of them were dealer inflicted, some of them were factory inflicted, but I will never say that the Skeeter hull lacks quality. Issues I had were in assembly of thru hull fittings, quick connect on the tubing, missing Oring and a few other minor details that all added up to a gallon or two of water in boat everytime I used it. I have found some nylock nuts on windshield not tightened all the way too. Disappointing at best when you spend the amount of money that a new boat costs. The two things that bothered me the most were the bait well overflow hose was kinked, now I can see how that easily would have happened on assembly, but I told my dealer that baitwell was overflowing right out the top and that I could not get an electrical fish wire through the overflow, dealer told me I had the water inlet valve open too far. I had not found the kinked hose yet, thought wow Skeeter engineers aren’t smart enough to design overflow to be able to handle input from pump. I will never know if dealer was too lazy to look or if they saw hose and were too lazy to fix it. When weather got warm and minnows were dying from lack of fresh water I pulled panel and found kinked hose, Skeeter happily sent me a new hose, no problem. Baitwell works great now, it cannot fill faster than overflow drains, a Skeeter Dealer should know that! Other thing was that when they installed graph transducer they used a transducer mounting plate, then mounted transducer with screws that were twice as long as the transducer mounting plate was thick. I was livid! Skeeter didn’t bat an eye, people drill holes in transoms all the time. But they drilled unnecessary holes in the transom of my brand new boat. All I got from dealer was “Sorry, I’ll talk to my guy about that”. It has been a process of having to make sure boat stays dry when I went to look for leaks, often I am dumping bait in wells, making a long run over waves unsure of how much water was from splashing and waves. Go out on bluebird day with a flash light to see water seeping, dry towels to wipe up water to distinguish that it is actually leaking where you think it is and do not put water in baitwell or livewell until after you have eliminated all other leaks. Skeeter has always been good about covering warranty, and Skeeter Dealers have always been happy about doing the warranty work. After the kinked overflow hose and the holes in my transom I will never go to Dealer I bought boat from for anything.

I have no dealer close to me so I took it upon myself to get the boat dry.

Motor has never had an issue.

Trailer is a EZLoader, last year Skeeter put their boats on them. Welds are cracking at fenders, front and back of fender, left and right side of trailer. E Z Loader sent me new stainless Steel Fenders under warranty. Not happy about problem, but happy with how warranty issue was handled.

Randy Wieland wrote:

I’m getting a more negative view of buying a new boat. Been looking for a while and very discouraged. As the price goes up, I can’t believe what people are willing to finance for a luxury item. I believe boats are way over priced. Then seeing the lack of quality generically across the spectrum. I see so many little flaws, lack of details, and the ole cheap way out. Very discouraging

x2

Randy Wieland wrote:

I’m getting a more negative view of buying a new boat. Been looking for a while and very discouraged. As the price goes up, I can’t believe what people are willing to finance for a luxury item. I believe boats are way over priced. Then seeing the lack of quality generically across the spectrum. I see so many little flaws, lack of details, and the ole cheap way out. Very discouraging

That is why I will keep my 2000 Crestliner 182 Tournament after 20 years the carpet is starting to look pretty tacky but cheaper to replace then look at a different rig and it has done everything I have asked of it. Dam electronics are worth all most as much as the rest of the boat.

Buy a _________ (fill in the blank) boat e.g. Ranger, Warrior, Lund, etc) and you’ll all too often hear these same old stories. A quality dealer is aware and makes darn sure they do their best to correct them prior to deliver.

Like someone mentioned above the biggest lesson I’ve learned from buying way too many boats? Dealer selection is as, or more important than brand. Even the highest quality boats will be hated if they require too many trips back to the dealer.

A big factor also is a boat owners appetite to repair/over engineer their purchases. I’ve found this to vary quite drastically from the guys I’ve shared boats with. Some find absolutely no issues as they go over every aspect to insure it meets their requirements. While the other end of the spectrum expects that to be part of his purchase expectations. There’s no right or wrong answer but having a malfunctioning new rig often kills the joy that should accompany these investments from our hard earned money.

Hope once you’ve got the kinks worked out you love every day in your boat.

sktrwx2200 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sktrwx2200 wrote:</div>
I highly doubt that making demands, smear campaigns, and threats will get you the desired results. Sounds like the dealer is working to fix any and all issues. Albeit very small issues. Being mad that you couldn’t get your boat in for small issues during a 100 year event COVID-19 lock down.. who’s fault is that? NO one wanted to be closed for 2 months.

Every new boat will have a few of these little things. Its on the dealership to tie up any loose ends.

Picking your dealership is nearly as important as picking your boat. That’s why I always pick THE BOAT CENTER. They have water tested each and everyone one of my new boats to make sure they are water tight, all pumps and valves are working properly, motors, electronics..ect. Hell, they even drove 4.5 hours to pick my boat up and drove it back to their shop one time. 9 hours round trip for them.

I would cut your dealer some slack. They are probably behind the 8 ball with the shutdown. Sounds like they have been so far addressing your small issues. Maybe jot down your list of small annoyances, go fishing all year… then give them the boat in September/November with your list when your done for the year. Then you will have a boat. Don’t drive the boat to them every time a screw needs tightening. Skeeter has like 20 straight Customer Satisfaction awards in a row. They will handle ANY issues… but for now..Just Go Fish.

Some people’s expectations when they spend ~$70,000 are slightly different than mine. Businesses need to be held accountable. This has nothing to do with the lockdown. It has more to do with the fact that a boat with these issues was allowed to leave the factory and the showroom with payment received.

Again, this is the classic case of the squeakiest wheel getting the grease first. Stay on them and hopefully everything is resolved sooner than later. Don’t feel obligated to be the jolliest customer. That time period has come and gone. Don’t hesitate to share your experiences either for the sake of other anglers looking to purchase boats.

Bucky- If a leak in the wash down system and a couple of turns of a screw warrant a “smear campaign” out of you…… and that is outside of your expectations for $70,000… than maybe you better stick to maybe a 1993 crestliner or the like. Im sure you expectations would never be let down with a rig like that.

Advising someone to threaten a dealership or manufacture is childish. Grow up Peter Pan.

Calm down snowflake. Nobody used the word “threaten” other than YOU.

Why exactly should the original poster shy away from spreading his story or letting other prospective buyers on forums or social media know his struggles? If the feelings/reputation of the dealer or manufacturer are “hurt”, too damn bad. Perhaps they shouldn’t have gotten themselves in this predicament. Consumers have power and need to utilize it…especially when spending that kind of coin.

buckybadger wrote:

I’d drop the boat and demand a demo, your $, or let them know your factual smear campaign will be started on online forums, social media, etc about their handling of the situation and the $hitty quality at the manufacturing level.

“Demand demo, demand $.. OR ELSE… smear campaign” = definition of threats

Thanks all for your feedback. Kurt Turner, I agree with your comments…ironically, I took extra effort to detail every aspect of how I wanted the boat configured (With drawings) and spent 2 hours in their shop going through the boat with the tech that was rigging it for me. Everything looked good and I remain confident in the service tech. My extreme disappointment is in all the issues after paying a premium price for a top brand boat. I have owned a variety of boats over the past 30 years from 12’ aluminum, high-end inboard ski boats, run-abouts and a variety of fishing boats. In 30 years I rarely had to deal with much more than standard maintenance items and tightening a few screws. My last boat (18’ Lund Impact) I purchased new in 2012 and never had to take it to the dealer for any quality issues.

At this point I have written a letter to Jeff Stone (Sr VP of Skeeter) detailing my issues and will send to him and the GM of my dealer on Monday assuming I have by boat back from the dealer by then. I do not intend to make threats, however, I do want a commitment from Skeeter and my dealer to resolve the issues so I can spend the remainder of my limited vacation time fishing with my family. I am hopeful Skeeter will step up and work to resolve the issues. If not, I will take a more aggressive action. Fortunately, I have the resources to hold them accountable. While I would prefer to spend my summer fishing, I will not accept anything less than the quality I paid for.

Be sure to send the letters registered so they have to sign for them.

manufacturers are always behind, because they have low production capacity – just enough to make a limited amount of stock boats for dealer floors plus custom orders. dealers are always under pressure from buyers to rig and deliver the boat quickly once it’s on site. rushing is a recipe for messing up on some of the “small” details like screws and fittings. do you want your new boat fast, or do you want it right? that’s not an excuse, just an explanation.

as prices increase consumer expectations also increase. that’s reasonable, and any dealer who chooses to sell those boats better be ready to meet those expectations – and that includes catching and fixing manufacturer issues.