Hull Damage is it warranty work?

[Matt Wetzel]

Quick question... I either ran up on an oyster bar or cross loaded on the trailer but one of the steps on the aft - bottom has damage about 12 " long. In some spots it looks like the gelcoat was pushed in a wee bit so there is a circular/oval indent and crack on two other spots there is an open area under where the gelcoat should have been, as if there was a large bubble where the gel coat was sprayed into the mold and the fiberglass was applied, it's about 1/4 - 1/2 inch deep.

My question is whether the "bubble" is actually possible and whether that is a warranty item. Was planning on fixing this myself, but if the team here thinks it's a warranty issue for the larger spot then I might haul it up to the dealer. It's a 2017 FSH Deluxe.

Thanks ahead of time for your opinions. I will be getting pictures soon.

-matt

 

[Liveto99]

I would take a lot of pics and send it to the dealer and ask.
But get other advice first, once you do that they have all the cards in there hand.
ask a person who works on boat fiberglass also.

 

[Julian]

Could be a warranty issue if it really looks like a pocket in the gel coat. Otherwise it could be an insurance claim....

 

[Ron Zimmerman]

So had a heated warranty discussion just recently myself. Outcome wasn’t the best but, ended with Yamaha saying that if bubbles are detected as the body shop removes the gel coat, they will cover it. If not, offered me a $500 credit toward the repair and the dealership matched it. Worth getting some pics taken by the dealer to plead your case.

 

[Matt Wetzel]

So had a heated warranty discussion just recently myself. Outcome wasn’t the best but, ended with Yamaha saying that if bubbles are detected as the body shop removes the gel coat, they will cover it. If not, offered me a $500 credit toward the repair and the dealership matched it. Worth getting some pics taken by the dealer to plead your case.

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll be under the boat this weekend looking around. I appreciate the help.

 

[Markk]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll be under the boat this weekend looking around. I appreciate the help.

What was result of your bubble issue? Did it look anything like this? Found today at my swim deck. Gel coat looked caved in with void behind it before fiberglass started.
Orange line is lawn trimmer line for comparison.

 

[Matt Wetzel]

Yes it did. I ended up getting a gel coat paste and filling it in myself. Not a perfect job but definitely functional.

 

[Looper7]

That is definitely a void behind the gel coat I have seen alot of them it happens when the glass bridges a corner of the mold instead of following the contour not at all uncommon in production fiberglass work Yamaha should fix it they caused it