Think my new boat (2017 RZX2) is a lemon....

[utahsurfer]

I bought the boat in April and I've had more problems with it in two months than I did in two years with the used 2006 22VE I had before.

Here's a list of problems:

- Speakers cut in and out when engine is off (doesn't matter if you run dual-batteries or single or if you're on bluetooth or directly plugged in).
- Leak around exhaust port. Boat would bring in water when ballasts were filled (literally 1-2 inches in the compartment with the stereo amps up front)
- Engine issue with sensors (sounded fairly common with Idmar...)
- Ballasts not reading correctly when filling completely or draining completely. Multiple times I've taken it out and it says the ballasts are empty only to find the front compartments are still 30-50% full.
- Tige letters on side of the boat have fallen off twice
- Controls on steering wheel don't work sometimes, decide to work other times.
- When ballasts are full I can't get the boat over 9mph.... had to drain them completely to get the boat to pick up speed. (And continue draining even after it showed empty)

Had the boat out last night and it was running better than today but the wave was **** and the engine/boat sounded funny and would stutter every now and then. Then today, no matter what I did if I had the ballasts full I couldn't get the boat up to speed even with the throttle fully down. It just had no power at all. Once the ballasts were drained (and redrained, and redrained) the boat would run at normal speed/power. But I didn't buy the boat for speed. I bought a god damn surf boat that I have literally not been able to surf on after two months of ownership.

I've had it in to the dealership locally and they said they fixed all the problems minus the steering wheel (which didn't exist PRIOR to bringing it in....). This was after having the boat for three weeks with little-to-no contact while it was there.

I can't imagine all of this is normal... I feel like every single weekend there's a new issue and when the dealer looks at it they don't "find anything". I have multiple friends who have been loyal Malibu or MasterCraft owners and they've been shocked to hear what I've experienced.... I've had three different people tell me to drop the boat off at the dealer and demand a new boat.

Any advice?

[chpthril]

How about a new dealer?

Sorry to hear about your issues.

[Wakeman22]

Sorry to hear about your boat issues. I would be at the dealer first thing in the morning and have them get it figured out real quick or finding a new dealer as well as call ti Tige' direct.

[utahsurfer]

Not much I can do about the dealer - doesn't seem to be any other dealers in my area (Utah). I'll be contacting Tige directly and working with the dealer but I have zero faith that this boat will be up and running (to the standard a brand new six-figure boat should be). It's just one issue after another - mechanical, electrical, superficial.... pretty bummed out that the short boating season here in Utah is being wasted with a faulty (and expensive) boat.

[Germaine Marine]

Utah, I take it you have been dealing with Germaine Marine?

Can you let me look into it all tomorrow? I need all of your info...... my direct cell is 714-306-3999.

I understand your frustration.... But lets try and get it all fixed one issue at a time. When we talk tomorrow, I'll get all the details.

[TigeFamily]

If I were in your shoes, I would definitely be calling Tige directly, not only to document....but they can also put pressure on dealer to do things right. You may want to put together a very detailed email for Tige with a full and complete list of the issues. I realize its a "catch 22"...possibly pissing off the dealer by going direct to Tige and making it hard to get along with them, but it also may be the only way for it to be made right. A good dealer would actually go out on water with you when there are this many problems.... I sincerely hope everything can be resolved since it sounds like its all stuff that dealer should be able to take care of and that Tige will cover under warranty with no issue....but having a legal background, I would say this: Be sure to document everything (time and date that things happen each and every time....what works and does not work and when you noticed it the first time....when you take boat to dealer and what they do/don't do to resolve....each phone call or email to Tige or dealer, etc).

I am thankful I have a great dealer...makes all the difference in the world. That said, if dealer does not step up I can about promise you that Tige will authorize you taking it somewhere else. Realize it will add headache and drive time for you to take boat multiple hours away....but if it fixes all the issues and gets you surfing like you expected, it would be worth it. I would be pretty upset if I were in your situation, anyone would. Really hope this is turned around for you.

Don't know if you are new to this sport or not and how many of these boats you have owned....question on the "no power" when you have full ballast. Do you have the "high altitude" or "performance" prop? If not, that could be a very simple fix to get your power back. Prop can make a world of difference and should be the first thing dealer looks at. Stock...most boats come with a mid-range prop that will do a variety of things and if you wanna slam boat to surf primarily, you need the right prop. You will lose a little top-end, but who cares, we don't buy these boats to race them back to dock. Look at the number stamped on your prop. You can call ACME, or Nettle Prop in Austin, TX and either of them can tell you what you SHOULD have....or maybe you have the right one and there is something else wrong.

[TigeFamily]

Utahsurfer....Call elevatedconcept.....its your best bet and quickest path. He helps many people on here and will get you straight

[utahsurfer]

Thank you - I'll call you tomorrow.

[Surf406]

Sorry bout ur issues I've had my letters come off also and some small issues come up but Tige direct and elevated will get you back on the water. I call it new boat shakedown.

[dakota4ce]

Guys--this is crap. Plain and simple. And not isolated. We need a nice little reboot from Tige on these new models. The OP is getting the royal shaft on this deal. As much as models cost these days, stories like this are ridiculous, aren't they?


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[chpthril]

We need a nice little reboot from Tige on these new models. The OP is getting the royal shaft on this deal.

Not sure I agree with the inference. Im reading that the boat has made multiple trips to dealer with no resolutions on a couple items and new items popping up. The owner has not yet involved Tige, yet we hope the dealer service dept is taken advantage of all possible help from Tige, the engine manufacturer and any other system manufacture that has supplied components for the boat. IMO, the owner needs a fresh face on the other side of the service counter and the boat needs a fresh pair of eyes on it. Its exactly what I did exactly 11 years ago with our 06.

[hcooperrn]

I can't say that I'm thrilled with the issues my '17 has had -- the sound clipping is annoying, however, I'm trying to be patient and admit I bought a boat with a first year technology, if that turns out to be the biggest bug, I've seen worse.

The ballast draining and planing -- are you certain that the timers are set correctly and you have the right prop for what you're trying to do? My default timers were off, and I'm still tweaking them a bit every trip to get the % reading to be pretty close, I'm within 30 seconds now. And with that much weight, you need a good prop, even with the Raptor motors. I made sure to get a stump puller, and as long as I make sure to turn the surf system off, I can pretty easily get above 15mph with full ballast, haven't tried to go any faster.

Decals falling off and the exhaust leak -- I agree, that sucks, shouldn't happen, not much I can say about that other than I haven't read others saying its common.

Modern engines have sensor issues from time to time -- even Indmar. To me, this isn't any different than any vehicle engine, I can't expect more than I would from my truck. Any of us would complain about sensor and power issue from a truck motor, however, we probably wouldn't throw the brand away, and just admit that not every single one can be perfect. Indmar provides engines for many manufacturers, and most seem to be proving themselves out, some will be have challenges unfortunately.

So all of that said, where I would be hacked off in this case is if I acknowledged all of this, and then didn't get the support from the dealer and factory -- that's where the value from the price tag comes in for me. I accept there will be things wrong along the way, and if they make them right, then life goes on. So I can fully appreciate your frustration there if you aren't getting help.

I have no doubt elevatedconcept will take care of you. There is a reason this board has so many avid fans. Every manufacturer has hiccups, as long as they make it right, they'll keep us around.

[utahsurfer]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll plan on talking with elevated today. I hadn't thought about the prop issue. Guess I just assumed if that was needed the dealer would have mentioned it. Seems silly to sell a boat in the Rocky Mountains that needs a high altitude prop and never mention it to the buyer. I'll check on that for sure.

As for the ballasts timers, they're set at the defaults the dealer put when we demoed the boat.

[rensink]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll plan on talking with elevated today. I hadn't thought about the prop issue. Guess I just assumed if that was needed the dealer would have mentioned it. Seems silly to sell a boat in the Rocky Mountains that needs a high altitude prop and never mention it to the buyer. I'll check on that for sure.

As for the ballasts timers, they're set at the defaults the dealer put when we demoed the boat.

They could have added the plug and play bags and never adjusted the timers to compensate - the issues you are having are extremely frustrating - and unfortunately boats aren't built by high tech robots like automobiles they are built by humans and accidents happen. I am sure Elevated will be able to help get everything you have going on squared away or get you pointed in the right direction to getting it all resolved.

[BrewKaiser]

The decals issue is not isolated to Tige. It appears to be a 3M issue. Seems several late model boats are having this issue.

To the OP, as stated by others your dealer should be your front line of defense against these sorts of issues and champion at Tige if they can't resolve. Ask them to confirm lastet firmware is installed on your Clear Touch. The audio Clipping could also be a Bluetooth issue with your phone.

We just bought our RZX2 and we're very fortunate to have had our dealer take us out and show us the ropes. Lots of settings to configure and tweak. The Tige rep was also there and walked us through a lot. It will take a few times to get all ballast timers right. He did recommend not setting to 100% full, but rather 95% and then bump to 100% after that. Once water comes out starboard side you know they are full. The other tip is to hit empty one more time when boat is on trailer and about to be pulled out. The launch ramp angle gets all remaining water back to where the drain pump pick up is located in each Ballast.

I agree the prop issue is something your dealer should have worked with you on IF you informed them you were primarily running in high elevation lakes.