New Owner

[jonw9]

Hopefully traffic picks up in this forum. We purchased a Glastron GTS207 this spring. I am excited to actually receive it and get it on the water. We were supposed to take delivery on 5/16 however it arrived at the marina with a couple scratches in the gel coat.

So, it has been 3 weeks waiting for the repair (initial was 1-2) with a estimated completion of another 7-10 days. Getting impatient and frustrated at this point as we missed Memorial weekend, and half of June, and in Michigan we only get 3 months to boat.

In the mean time, I was wondering if any of you have seen this comparison of the 18' Glastron models:
http://www.boatingmag.com/boats/boat-engine-comparison-outboard-vs-sterndrive-vs-jet-drive

 

[Andy S]

Welcome aboard and congrats!!! Sorry to hear about your boat, what a terrible way to start off your experience, hopefully that is the worst you experience with your boat. Once you receive it I will be interested in hearing how you like it.

 

[jonw9]

Thanks. This is our first new boat. We had a '99 SeaDoo speedster SK for about 4 years (07-11) that we used to trailer boat. We ended up selling because we didn't spend the time on it, and it was small (seated only 4).

I hope we like this one. I am excited about the 4-stroke engine, as our last one was 2x717cc. At least I will have half as much maintenance, right?

I will for sure have some pictures, as i have not seen much at all about this model online, and this is the first forum I found with a section on it.

We also looked at the Scarab. We ended up with the Glastron as we could get the bigger boat for less money. The 20' Scarab has twin engines wand was ~$20k more. A bit beyond our current range. The money saved went towards a new lift, as we no longer need to trailer boat on the weekends!

 

[Zarrella]

Welcome....good luck with your new toy! By next summer you wont even remember having to wait this long to enjoy it.

 

[Glassman]

Welcome, congrats on the new boat! Hope you get out on the water soon and get to enjoy it. Let us know how it goes.

Based on that article, you "might" be in the market for trim tabs. Lenco has a great deal for members of Jetboaters.net:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/lectrotab-offering-for-yamaha-boats.2074/

Just because it ain't a Yamaha doesn't mean you can't join in on all the great mods you can make!

After all, it is a B.O.A.T.

 

[Bruce]

Welcome aboard. I was wondering when we would start seeing Glastrons on the water. I suspect you will be among the first despite the delays.

 

[jonw9]

It is kind of funny, because I passed on the Chaparral as the representative at the boat show could not give me any information on delivery other than that "they are taking pre-orders for later this year" and the number of orders was exceeding expectations.

The marina has one or two 187's on the floor, but I haven't seen anything on the lake.

I don't plan on doing anything major to the boat this year, just checking out "must do's" and flipping through older SeaDoo threads looking for tips/tricks on the 4-TEC engine.

 

[motorboater]

Cool boat! We've had two Glastrons and we loved them both; one outboard and one IO. Looking forward to hearing about the new jet drive version you have so keep us up to date and post some pics!

 

[jetboater4life]

Congratulations! Welcome to the site. Something to consider for next time. Boat dealers are usually crazy busy in the Spring which is probably adding to their delay. If the scratches were purely cosmetic it might have been worth waiting until fall before they fix them (plus any new ones ). Water under the bridge now. I hope you get out there soon and can enlighten us on the nuances of a glastron boat. Take lots of pictures and post em up. We all love pictures on this forum.

 

[jonw9]

I ordered/paid for the boat in February. I was a bit miffed when they called 2 days before delivery to tell me about the issue. I was told it would be a week, two at the most, which would get me on the water before Memorial weekend still, so I just told them to fix it while they had it.

So, they held the boat for ~10 weeks but then delayed delivery another 5. I will be 5 payments deep into the thing before I even bring it home!
It should all wash out in the end, but it is just frustrating seeing all the fun happening off my deck, and I cannot participate.

 

[jetboater4life]

@jonw9 Yea that is a bum deal. Make your voice heard, maybe you can get them to throw in something for your wait. The spending does not stop with the new boat purchase, equipping the boat is almost as expensive. Check out my mod link in my signature.

 

[txav8r]

Hi @jonw and welcome to the forum! You may be alone in the Glastron forum but not alone on jetboaters! We are all in it together!

I want to give you a slightly different viewpoint. You dealer is being proactive and acting in your behalf, to deliver the boat you paid for, a new one! Fixing the issues instead of having you disappointed when you take delivery is a good dealer. But I agree with @jetboater4life , if they have yet to tackle the issue and get the work done, you might just take it back and use it, getting it documented that they will repair it in the off season. If they have started on it, I would just wait it out.

You and I are in similar shoes. I sold my first Yamaha last August, and realized my mistake after only 3 or 4 months. So I purchased a 2012 leftover 240 yamaha. And I found a few issues with it at and after delivery. They have had my boat a week and just called today to say all issues were approved, but they were missing a few parts that had not yet come in. I could go get it, but the work schedule won't permit much use the next week either, so I am leaving it there. Having it in the barn to work on and fix up is an asset and a nemesis, but there is always something to do with them, whether you call it a mod or just taking care of something that needs attention. Enjoy your new boat and don't worry, more Glastron members will arrive, and your posts in the forum will get their attention...so don't be a stranger! We will all see your posts even in that forum looking at new posts. Congrats and welcome aboard once again!

 

[JC6275]

Welcome aboard!!! Congratulations on the new boat, hope it gets done quickly for you. We all will be interested in hearing your experiences with it. Good to see other manufacturers getting in the jet market, the competition will be good for everyone. Post pics when you get on the water , I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you join us!

 

[jetboater4life]

In the mean time, I was wondering if any of you have seen this comparison of the 18' Glastron models:
http://www.boatingmag.com/boats/boat-engine-comparison-outboard-vs-sterndrive-vs-jet-drive

@jonw9 I just finished reading that article. Thanks for sharing. I'd have to say the outboard is an attractive platform for the many reasons they state. The reasons I tolerate the lower comparable top speed, noisier and thirstier jet drive are better at speed handling, awesome swim deck, and the safety and shallow draft that comes with not having a prop. Plus you can't surf behind an outboard or I/O, or at least I wouldn't want to.

 

[JC6275]

Just a question, have you actually laid eyes on "your" boat??? Seems. Little odd to me that it would be held for 10 weeks over a "couple gel coat scratches" just weird to me...

 

[Boat Crazy]

Welcome! Looking forward to your reviews/comments on your new toy.

 

[jonw9]

Thanks for all the responses, it looks like I am gonna like it here. To be honest I have browsed through "the forum that shall not be named" and it seemed pretty centered on one brand, and I even read through some of the threads discussing everything bad about the Scarab/Glastron jets.'

I don't mean to come off as a complainer, I am just frustrated. It is kind of like getting the news on Christmas Eve that you won't get to open your presents until Valentines day!

It was my choice to leave the boat, again based on the temperature and the timing, then we get a few beautiful weekends and I changed my mind!

The boat in the profile pic is my boat. So I have laid eyes on it, and been aboard. This was at the Detroit boat show, and probably the source of the scratches. I am glad they are making it right and I do appreciate it. I 'bought' the boat in February, but since we were still at sub-zero temps with feet of snow on the ground, I opted to have the marina hold onto it until the spring. I also understand that this is the busy season, and why the were only prepping the boat days before delivery. They did find the issues, pass it on and making the repairs at no cost to me (other than a couple more gray hairs). Part of the delay was getting the gel coat from Rec Holdings so the match will be perfect.

Our one and only boat was a jet. I like it, only had issue with weeds once. My wife like the "no prop" thing plus it is easier for her to handle not having to deal with trim and such. I am pretty stoked about not having to worry about oil injection anymore. Plus doing donuts is fun.

 

[BlacklimitedS]

Welcome! Nice to have other jet boat owners join us.

 

[Boat Crazy]

As you probably already know, most of us are Yamaha owners. Many of these new boats did not exist till this year. We enjoy discussing any jet boats and you will find the members eager to help, although your boat will be something we could get educated on also. If you do not want to spend money stay away from any topic that might be a mod. We love to spend other people's money.