Stoltz Bow Roller doesn't live up to the hype

[drewkaree]

@PJ73 what brand of roller is that? The new one.

I don't think I have ever seen something so deformed as your blue one.

I'm not certain who made his, but mine was made by Caliber, and it's simply too soft to be useful.

 

[sfadchi]

I know it's an old thread but I agree 100% that it doesn't live up to it's hype. I have so many orange marks now on the front of my boat. It takes acetone to get it off.

 

[haknslash]

I know it's an old thread but I agree 100% that it doesn't live up to it's hype. I have so many orange marks now on the front of my boat. It takes acetone to get it off.

Are you power loading? I find that winching up I don’t have nearly the marks I would get from power loading.

While cleaning it can be a slight chore it is better than an actual scratch or gouge in the gelcoat from the stock hard plastic roller, so there’s that way of looking at it. Worth the trade off IMO.

 

[fireflymedic]

Not my boat but a friend. The roller is so soft it let his bow hit the medal parts holding roller as he had drifted off center by an inch or 2.

 

[Matt Phillips]

When I traded out the stock roller, I only installed a 4" Stoltz component - not the outside flanges and put a slightly shorter bolt on it. In three seasons, it's worked fine and the boat doesn't get close to the metal parts. No scuffs.

 

[shar]

interesting. I just purchased the 446 to "upgrade" my roller.

 

[Mainah]

My bow was scratched from the hard plastic stock bow roller the day I took delivery of my new boat. I buffed/polished those out and swapped to the stoltz. Yes the stoltz roller has left some residue a couple of times but acetone, magic eraser, or polishing compound takes it right off in a jiff. The plus side is no scratches. The stoltz roller is a softer compound and I don’t mind that being that I consider it to be sacrificial. With the correct size/shape installed correctly it may still leave behind some of itself from time to time but that sure beats filling/sanding/buffing scratches in my book.

Removing accurate negative reviews on e-commerce sites is a common thing in my experience. I have only tried to leave a few accurate negative reviews in my life and they have all been taken down at the request of the product owner. Two were safety issues so much that I emailed suppliers directly and had no reply there either. Another was that Forum hotel (really former hospital) experience I have posted about in the past. I am now trusting my instincts far more than anything I read in e-commerce reviews. I have found this site is great for getting multiple honest points of view that I can trust and then make a decision for myself.