Quality Control (or lack thereof)

[JohnB]

Seem like very trip out, I'm finding bolts and screws loose and falling out of the boat. Do others have issues like this with quality control of assembling the boats?
After the below, I spent 2 hours going around the boat checking for loose bolts, screws and fittings and was surprised at the number loose. Also found some stripped and 4-5 Phillips heads where the head was mangled during assembly. Is this typical for these boats? Are there other things that I should be on the lookout for. It's a lot of coin for a boat that needs gone over like this.

So far:
rear compartment hinges were loose and latches not lining up
latching spring mechanism was found inside the compartment for above
mounting bolt fell out of passenger seat
Ski locker strut screws fell out of the locker door. When I went to put those back in, it was obvious why they fell out as the holes were stripped
Have a black phillips screw that I still haven't found were it goes (was near the passenger seat)
Strut on the anchor locker has 3 screws in the door side (with 1 stripped), 2 in the boat side that were loose.
Rear ski tow hook started loosening up and moving around on the fiberglass. nuts were finger tight at best when I went to tighten them

 

[dzeppos]

Usually you have to tighten everything the first few weeks of owning the boat, as I had the same problem back in 2016. Now I check screws twice a season- you should be fine going forward _ the loose screw issue will be less of an issue

 

[Gunner]

This is part of the "Get to know your boat program" offered exclusively by Yamaha.

 

[Mike Clark]

Based on the cost of these boats there is no excuse. It appears Yamaha has determined that since it can sell every single boat they make, along with having a waiting list of people who already to put down money, Quality is second to making money. I would be livid if I got a new boat and stuff was falling off of it. My 2015 is the fist year of the then new hull design. Haven't really had any issues. (knock on wood) maybe at the begining of new models thay take more time and pateince with them. As time goes on, it's bust them out the door.

I am not sure I would even look at Yamaha for my next boat. All boats have issues, and the ocassional Lemon, but there are allot of quality issus listed on this site. It would be tolerable if Yamaha stepped up, but in most case that does not appear to happen.

 

[Yamahaul]

i had to tighten every bolt on my trailer that attaches to the leaf springs. boat is a month old. now i feel like i need to check more

 

[Julian]

No loose screws on my boat. I do go around and keep things tight on an annual/as needed basis - on every boat that gets good use, vibration will loosen things up when they take a pounding - especially if you trailer over rough roads a lot (which I don't).

 

[Jeel]

My ski locker hatch hinge pulled out the 2 nd day i had the boat , the holes were in the wrong spot and was too much of an angle , i had to re drill them ..Day 1 i found a air pocket void in the fiberglass and it broke like a eggshell ..i also found some nuts that came off from the backside of the dashboard panel ...there was a ton of metal shavings coming out of the drain plug apparently from drilling during assembly , half of the chrome tops to drink holders had to be re glued..other than these minor things the boat has been flawless

 

[Farny]

i had to tighten every bolt on my trailer that attaches to the leaf springs. boat is a month old. now i feel like i need to check more

Engine hatch bolt fell out of mine - but after your post I’m going to inspect the trailer. May be why I’m having issues with brand new tires ...

 

[Yamahaul]

wow.

 

[Farny]

wow.

Yea - - about 300 miles on em. And always check for proper inflation

 

[Jmland]

My original boat tires did the same thing wow

 

[Farny]

My original boat tires did the same thing wow

What did Yamaha do for you? Did you determine the cause if any?

 

[Jmland]

They said tire pressure. LOL Sad

 

[Quad]

The best perspective we got prior to buying a new boat was "Buying a new boat is much more like buying a new house than it is buying a new car. You'll spend the first year finding things that need work and getting them remedied." This was from someone who's owned high end production and non-production boats. We've only had 2 (minor) issues with the boat, but the perspective going in was super helpful and set the tone for avoiding frustration with the issues we did find.

 

[jetboatjay]

Like most new boat owners, we took ownership of our AR195 in August and had it in the water 30 minutes later. Spent a far amount of days getting wet behind it, and only last weekend put it away for the winter. When I pulled up the snap in carpet for the first time I found a small trash bag full of stuff under the carpet. Zip ties, screws, metal shavings, loose snaps, and even a plastic bag. I guess I should have pulled up the carpet prior to using the boat, but who would have thought all that would be under there?

All in all, it didn't make the boat any slower, less fun, or less fuel efficient. Really no harm done.

 

[Farny]

Anyone have issues with their trailer springs being extremely squeaky? I feel like Jed Clampett pulling through the neighborhood- don’t think people are looking to see my boat, rather what the hell all that squeaking is.

 

[Quad]

Anyone have issues with their trailer springs being extremely squeaky? I feel like Jed Clampett pulling through the neighborhood- don’t think people are looking to see my boat, rather what the hell all that squeaking is.

Not sure I've ever heard a trailer that wasn't squeaky, but maybe that's just the dirt roads I live on...

 

[AmesJainchill]

Do others have issues like this with quality control of assembling the boats?

I'm still flushing out little QC issues here and there but still happy with my purchase. Time on the water with family and friends has been invaluable.
I'm sure others have had it worse and I wasn't expecting (near) perfection as I wasn't buying a Formula, Cobalt, Mastercraft or more expensive go-fast or custom yacht. Totally expected to have to shake out some things with a new boat.

Some examples from my experience:
-Loose front cleats
-shipped to dealer with wrong window frame (black, should have been white on mine); dealer swapped it out before delivery
-not a very good fit on the bimini - i just do my best with it plus there are workarounds on the forum; looks like yamaha may have adjusted their approach to this on the '21's
-unfinished anchor locker drain
-tons of debris flushing out of the rear transom drain (metal shavings/spirals, screws, silicone bits, etc.); most seems to be flushed out now
-unsealed cleanout tray; water intrusion into lower bilge from cleanout passages/tunnels; dealer has now sealed it properly
-heard a noise this season where it sounded like something metal fell off somewhere inside the boat and rattled on its way down - found a ~1" inside diameter nut, lock washer and flat washer under the bow starboard seat - dealer addressing now
-lower part of wakeboard tower rattling a lot starting about mid season this year; suspect something disconnected inside near where the supports connect to the hull (maybe cable assist?) - dealer addressing now
-snap-down strap for center portion of window far too short - dealer replaced
-unfinished (not polished) matte-looking spot about the size of a quarter on the blue (lower) portion of the gel coat - dealer to polish if possible; probably wouldn't have noticed if it was white

 

[Farny]

@AmesJainchill - glad to see your dealer is as responsive as mine has been. As long as things are made right I’m a happy camper.