hull issues with 2016 190fsh

[jaysen]

this is my first boat and I had high hopes. first there was an air gap and a chunk of gel coat came off. after arguing with Yamaha for 2 months, they finally agreed to cover the repairs. now I noticed that the gel coat on the keel has been rubbed off in places. I keep the boat on a jetdock and I haven't seen any other posts of people mentioning this issue. the jetdock is made of a plastic softer than the hull so there shouldn't be any rubs at all. I feel like this boat is just not the quality they claimed it was. I also find the fuel economy to be very exaggerated. I can use a half tank going maybe 10 miles which is far below the 3.5 mpg with wot. I was hoping to get a little insight into this.

 

[SoftballBryan]

3.5 miles per gallon at wide open throttle is completely inaccurate. Whoever told you it was going to do that, or any boat for that matter, is full of poop. I have the same boat as you do. You should expect about 3 miles per gallon at 6000 RPM. That’ll put you at about 22 mph. I went from Ocean City Maryland to Chincoteague Virginia and used around a half a tank of gas last year. That was roughly 1 1/2 hours at 6000 RPMs.

As far as the hull goes, you simply got a lemon hull. Few people on here are going to post having the same problems. That is very unfortunate partner....

 

[GoVols01]

My new 2014 Regal 1900 had gel coat issues as well. It developed spider cracks within the 1st year of ownership in a couple spots, but were covered under the 1 year gel coat warranty with no issues. It was explained to me by a very reputable fiberglass repairman that it's common for small air pockets to develop while the hull is in the die. Eventually, these air pockets develop into the appearance issues you're describing and I experienced. This guy told me that even the best of the best manufacturers struggle with this issue, which is why it's important to pay very close attention to every inch of your boat while it's under warranty.

 

[jaysen]

i appreciate all the feedback. i guess i wanted my first boat to have few issues and thats why i got a one year old yamaha. but these issues arent even seen in older boats. just disappointed. i also didnt realize the warranty is just one year, most reputable companies offer 5 to 10 years on hull and engine.

 

[GoVols01]

No, no, no - appearance warranty with Regal is 1 year. I'm not sure what Yamaha's appearance warranty period is.

The rest of the boat is covered by either a 3 year or 5 year warranty.

 

[McMark]

I ran my boat the first year to flesh out any spider cracks. Yamaha covered the spider cracks and void repairs but not without the fiberglass guy making calls to Yamaha with detailed photos and descriptions of the issues. Once repaired I haven’t had any issues.

 

[Julian]

Yamaha boats have a 5 Year Hull and deck warranty (from memory). This would not cover "normal wear and tear". My boat sits on an air dock and has no issues. A Jet Dock is rigid molded plastic and will definitely skuff up a hull more, especially if there is any sand or grit on it. Also, we've seen people with plastic soft bunks have issues with gel coat getting rubbed off when trailering. Is your jet dock in an area of significant waves? If so, perhaps the boat is rocking a little on it, causing a sandpaper effect? This would be exacerbated with drying salt in there (you profile doesn't have your location...hint hint....so I can't tell where you are boating).

 

[ClemsonTiger]

This guy told me that even the best of the best manufacturers struggle with this issue,

Completely inaccurate...unless you are talking about boats made in the 80's or older...air pockets (water blisters) in fiberglass are an issue of a past gone era.

Whomever or whatever was told to you was simply not true.

 

[GoVols01]

Completely inaccurate...unless you are talking about boats made in the 80's or older...air pockets (water blisters) in fiberglass are an issue of a past gone era. Whomever or whatever was told to you was simply not true.

I was told this information by 2 different sources: Regal dealer; private reputable repairman. But I'm sure you're right.

Speaking from a manufacturing background, any time you're producing a product from a die, you're ALWAYS fighting air pockets (aka porosity), be it fiberglass, aluminum, steel, or plastic castings / moldings.

 

[ClemsonTiger]

If it’s so widespread and rampid....where the F* are all the boats with these issues?

Didn’t think it through before you responded...did ya!

 

[GoVols01]

If it’s so widespread and rampid....where the F* are all the boats with these issues?

Didn’t think it through before you responded...did ya!

Easy there keyboard warrior! I don't know what the heck your deal is, but you're clearly not thinking this through yourself. I didn't say this is a widespread issue, did I? I said it's common, which jaysen and I can attest to from personal experience. Again, as I've already pointed out 2 different times above, I've spoken with a dealer and a repairman, as well as my own manufacturing background to give my $0.02 on this issue - please tell me your background that qualifies your stance.

 

[ClemsonTiger]

But I'm sure you're right.

Think you should heed your own advice there pal.

I stated your info was incorrect, which it is, and that's the response I got.

 

[GoVols01]

I'm still waiting to hear your qualifications to state your opinion.

 

[ClemsonTiger]

I'm still waiting to hear your qualifications to state your opinion.

First off, I don't need to qualify my knowledge on the topic and I could care less if you choose to believe incorrect information.
Just because some fiberglass guy told you XYZ and ABC doesn't mean squat!
People used to believe the world was flat because someone told them it was. Your clearly in that class.

(need a little help? try google on the topic, it's amazing!)

Your a repair man's or mechanic's ideal customer!

 

[GoVols01]

Enough with the rhetoric ClemsonTiger. I didn't attack you or your opinion, however you did to me. Quit with the insults. You know NOTHING about me.

I've experienced this issue and have spoken to several others that have through the Regal forums I'm apart of as well. Regal, Yamaha, and Sea Ray covers it in their warranty. If this wasn't an issue, why do you suppose they cover it?

You want to fault and insult me for believing 2 different reputable sources I spoke to when repairing my previous boat, yet you refer us to "Google" as your source of information? This is laughable.

 

[Julian]

Enough please...you guys can agree to disagree and/or start your own thread on fiberglass problems and discuss it there.

To the OP @jaysen - some photos of the gelcoat in question would be helpful.

 

[Matts18]

(need a little help? try google on the topic, it's amazing!)

I just googled the topic and it was amazing to find all of the very recent boats having these issues and quite similar strings of comments. Probably you commenting under a different name on hulltruth and nautiqueplanet.

Anyhow, I wont comment on the blister issue, but if you are running your boat up on jetdock the keel is gonna get fubared pretty quick unless the keel is riding on rollers the entire time. Dirt is abrasive and even if the the plastic of the dock softer than the gel you can't scrape a dirty keel across it and not expect it to wear down the gelcoat......especially on Yamaha boats with the paper thin air pocket filled gelcoat.

I try to keep my boat below 10 mph so it doesn't fall to pieces.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

My new 2014 Regal 1900 had gel coat issues as well. It developed spider cracks within the 1st year of ownership in a couple spots, but were covered under the 1 year gel coat warranty with no issues. It was explained to me by a very reputable fiberglass repairman that it's common for small air pockets to develop while the hull is in the die. Eventually, these air pockets develop into the appearance issues you're describing and I experienced. This guy told me that even the best of the best manufacturers struggle with this issue, which is why it's important to pay very close attention to every inch of your boat while it's under warranty.

Completely agree with this statement. I have found numerous voids and hull defects on 3 seperate $100k+ Mastercrafts(in the last 15 years) , on my own Yamaha and seen tons of them on larger vessels in the 40' and up range.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

this is my first boat and I had high hopes. first there was an air gap and a chunk of gel coat came off. after arguing with Yamaha for 2 months, they finally agreed to cover the repairs. now I noticed that the gel coat on the keel has been rubbed off in places. I keep the boat on a jetdock and I haven't seen any other posts of people mentioning this issue. the jetdock is made of a plastic softer than the hull so there shouldn't be any rubs at all. I feel like this boat is just not the quality they claimed it was. I also find the fuel economy to be very exaggerated. I can use a half tank going maybe 10 miles which is far below the 3.5 mpg with wot. I was hoping to get a little insight into this.

Please post a picture of your affected gelcoat areas.

 

[Ronnie]

3.5 miles per gallon at wide open throttle is completely inaccurate. Whoever told you it was going to do that, or any boat for that matter, is full of poop. I have the same boat as you do. You should expect about 3 miles per gallon at 6000 RPM. That’ll put you at about 22 mph. I went from Ocean City Maryland to Chincoteague Virginia and used around a half a tank of gas last year. That was roughly 1 1/2 hours at 6000 RPMs.

As far as the hull goes, you simply got a lemon hull. Few people on here are going to post having the same problems. That is very unfortunate partner....

3 to 3.5 gallons per Hour at wot or cruising speed sounds wonderful to me. I have a 1st gen non carb 242 and at wot it burns 26 gallons per hour, needless to say I am not at wot much and I scroll to the gph screen even less.

@jaysen, if the chunk that fell of has been fixed I think you are in a good position overall. At least they covered that and you are not missing any of the boating season. As for the keel, I would trailer it, clean the keel and slap a keel guard on it. $200ish and an hour or so of your time and you are done.

Yamaha boats are not known for their high quality fit and finish but they are not priced out that way either. I’ve learned to expect and accept Yamaha’s quality to cost trade off .