View Full Version : I thought I bought a Boat - not a submarine
thomasr7
06-30-2005, 07:58 PM
:confused:
Last April, I purchased a new ProStar 197. It was a cancelled order boat with the MCX engine in it. It was somewhat unique (white with red hull) and I customized just about everything I could with it (mini tower, chrome exhaust, chrome dash, chrome pylon, added a 1200 watt stereo, put in 2 qty 10" sub woofers by the drivers feet and more). After all of my add-ons and stereo the boat was easily over $50,000. The boat worked great last year A few weeks ago I had the dealer swap out my 18 gallon gas tank for a 25 gallon tank that was supposed to come with the boat. When I went to use it the gas gauge didn't work so they shipped me another one (which was the wrong one - but that isn't the real story here). I skied on the boat 2 times in June because I had to work alot in May and then went to Dale Hollow in Kentucky to rent a house boat and we took 3 mastercrafts with us. We arrived on Friday, 6/17/05 in the afternoon and everything went fine until Wednesday 6/22/05 at about 11:30pm. I drove the boat over to the other side of the lake with 2 of the guys I was down there with to meet up with some women we had met at a camp ground. We picked them up and drove away from shore and just circled and stopped occasionally while some of them went swimming (I stayed in the drivers seat and talked). About 30 minutes after we left shore I felt water at my feet (coming up through the drain hole and realized we were in trouble). I quickly opened the engine cover expecting a hose to be cracked and see water spraying around or coming out somewhere but it seemed fine. It was dark so I couldn't of course see that the water was very deep in the engine box. We were around 300 yards or so from shore with 7 in the boat so I turned the boat toward shore to try and beach it before it went down but the engine quit in just a few seconds. I yelled to everyone to get It seemed like within a minute or two the boat ended up filling up with at least 6" of water in the front of the boat and at least 10" or more of water near the back of the boat. I am guessing whatever happened to fill the boat with water eventually put enough water in the boat to lower it to where it reached the exhaust outlets (which are much lower to the water than my old 1989 prostar 197). When it reached that level, the problem multiplied and it started sinking faster. I yelled to everyone to get out of the boat and start swimming it toward shore (needless to say anxiety was very high at this point). We were eventually able to get a boat (full of water) pushed up against the shore and the bilge eventually emptied the water (along with using coolers from people on shore and ones we had in the boat to bail as well). After about a hour or so we took one of the girls Malibu (which did float!) off its trailer and pushed my boat up on the trailer and pulled it out of the water. I dug up a wrench to take out my drain plug to drain out the remaining water, slept in the front seat of the girls truck, waited 5 hours for morning, and then went back to pick up my trailer. I left the boat alone until I called my dealer the next morning. Per their instructions I drained the oil (which was almost all water), pulled the plugs, and sprayed in oil on the heads, and then filled it back up with oil and then drove it back home and dropped it off to the dealer this past Monday.
After 3 days of taking the motor apart, etc. the dealer indicated that "water getting into the boat caused a rod to push thru the oil pan". To this point they have not been able to tell me how water got into the boat and informed me if they can't figure it out, warranty will not cover anything. The insurance company, of course, will only cover things if you hit something (which I did not) or if something is stolen.
They have yet to pull the gas tank to fully inspect the chrome exhaust that was installed by the dealer when I purchased the boat but say they have pressure tested it and it seems fine. The rubber hose on the left exhaust comes over the exhaust but doesn't come right up to the back of the boat like it does with the right exhaust (about 4"-4.5" of exposed metal is showing) but they indicated there is still 3" of overlap and both clamps seem to be holding fine.
Tomorrow they said they are going to take the boat to a lake and float it and see if anything leaks. This is, of course, with the engine out of the boat because it is broken and can't be run in the same manner to replicate the situation.
If nothing leaks I don't know what I am going to do. It sounds like the dealer will be saying there is nothing they can do. All I know is:
1) I have owned boats for over 20 years and have never run into anything like this.
2) I am "anal" about maintaining my boats so there is no way I did anything to cause the boat to sink.
3) I am worried they won't be able to reproduce the problem and will stick me with the repairs.
No matter what happens financially I also will be constantly worrying if they can't find out what caused the problem. I will almost certainly purchase a $50.00 high water alarm to give me some warning about this in the future. I don't have the measurements to calculate the weight of the water but I can only assume that by the time the water gets up to the hole by the drivers seat it is too late and the water will reach the vents in the back before you can do anything.
I have been such a huge mastercraft supporter for years and just have an awful feeling in my gut right now that I will be left high and dry. If the dealer and/or mastercraft doesn't figure this out and deal with the situation I can't see any other option than to fix the boat with the least amount of cost, sell it, and purchase a different brand from hear on out.
/Frustrated
P.S. I am also going to be out over $1000.00 in stereo amplifiers and sub woofers I installed that were all partially underwater.
Cloaked
06-30-2005, 08:22 PM
Sorry to hear of the problem(s). Keep us posted please. I'm interested in the outcome and the actions of parties involved. Something was indeed pumping water into the boat....
RedStar
06-30-2005, 08:25 PM
Sorry to hear about your boat. That does suck, for real.
rodltg2
06-30-2005, 08:35 PM
does your boat have a shower or heater?
Mag_Red
06-30-2005, 08:47 PM
Was Sunset Dock or Obey River Campground involved???? Really sucks about your ordeal but I can't belive insurance wouldn't cover it.
Leroy
06-30-2005, 08:50 PM
That's really bad to hear Scott. You did not find out what let the water in? Has to be a leaking hose or the exhaust pipe came loose. Knowing what put the water in there will take you a long ways toward the solution. you need to read H20GIRL's thread on similar situation.
Don't forget to change the transmission fluid.
Footin
06-30-2005, 08:53 PM
Insurance would cover it if it was stolen huh?
Sounds like a good job for some guys I use to know.
Sorry about your problems....I hope it gets better.
Leroy
06-30-2005, 08:55 PM
Hopefully not the same, but sounds similar.
http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=2289&page=25&pp=10
SKI*MC
06-30-2005, 10:14 PM
The water getting into the boat caused you to throw a rod through the oil pan...? Tha doesnt sound right to me. While you had the boat out, did you knock the throttle accidentally to where it might have put extreame stress on the engine. Even so, if that did happen, 6000 RPM in Nuetral could be enough to throw a rod while the boat is in nuetral. As for the water getting in, im stumped, the rod didnt go through the hull did it? I just thought of this... do you have balast in your boat? Keep us posted.
bcampbe7
06-30-2005, 10:37 PM
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Was the boat running while taking on water?
east tx skier
06-30-2005, 10:41 PM
That's terrible. Hope you get it resolved. If you're not satisfied with the dealer's assessment, get MC involved directly. I can't imagine they'd leave you in a lurch on the warranty when your boat fills up with water. That's just ridiculous.
pridnjoy
06-30-2005, 10:51 PM
Cliff Notes, please. :D
Seriously- Sorry for all the headaches.
gtink
06-30-2005, 11:28 PM
Sorry to hear about your problems.
I had a much cheaper failure on my MC ProStart 205 1995 LT-1 "ECM total cost $2500 to track down and repair", but my insurance company Traveler's sent out a Marine Rep to investigate who then reported to Travelers that all my repairs should be covered.
See http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=3416 if you want more details.
But, I would call your insurance company fast so they can send a REP to the dealer. Note: your insurance company will send the REP right to the dealer first, before speaking to you.
Best of luck
Greg
AirJunky
07-01-2005, 01:56 AM
Check the raw water hose between the engine & the intake grate. I've seen that hose blow off & anytime the engine is running, it's pumping water FAST into the bilge. It wouldn't take but a few minutes to fill up.
I'm guessing that the engine hydrolocked once the boat was full of water. Somehow it took on water & the piston tried to compress it. Water doesn't compress so something gave & it threw a rod.
Sorry to hear it. Wish you luck.
Workin' 4 Toys
07-01-2005, 08:44 AM
Certainly will be on my mind from now on, keep us posted on what happened.
Footin
07-01-2005, 08:49 AM
Everytime I launch my boat, one of the first things I do is put the bilge pump switch in the "auto" position. This way if it comes on quickly I know something is not right, like when I forget to put the plug in.
Sorry to hear about your troubles Scott
Yes, autobilge is a must especially when you guys are concentrating too much on the honeys at midnight to worry about the sluggish feel of a boatful of water. It would've only been an early warning, it would not have stopped whatever leak you had.
I know the wake must not be much of an issue to you now that this happened, but whatever happened with your original complaints?
http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?p=21645#post21645
ktn_cmu
07-01-2005, 10:34 AM
You say there was a rod thru the oil pan? I take it you didn't notice that when you were changing your oil? Must have sealed pretty well or the oil would have poured right into the bottom of the boat???
RickDV
07-01-2005, 12:26 PM
Sorry 'bout your boat. One suggestion if you are worried about the dealer finding the problem: Go with them when they test it out on water. The last thing you want is for them to give up too easily or not see something that obviously should be checked. It never hurts to have an extra set of eyes on the problem.
Good luck!
SD190EVO
07-01-2005, 12:50 PM
Every M/C owners nightmare! Sorry to hear that this happened and please let us know if you find out the cause so we can take extra caution ourselves.
semullins
07-01-2005, 01:17 PM
Hi, I have a 1995 MariStar. I had almost the exact same thing happen to me. Me and a couple of friends were skiing, I was pulling one of them up on slalom. The engine lost power and couldn't pull him out of the water. We raised the engine cover and saw there were massive amounts of water in the engine bay. We started the engine again and found that when the engine was running more and more water poured in. To complicate the issue the bilge pump failed at the same time. We looked and found that the exhaust hose clamps were loose. No water ran into the boat when the engine was off but the instant you turned it on water poured in through the exhaust pipe. You may want to have them check to ensure the clamps are tight around the silencer and exhaust tips. I hope this helps.
Cloaked
07-01-2005, 02:58 PM
I would not rely on a small and inefficient bilge pump to overcome another water problem like is described in this thread.
For reference to conversation, take the cover off of the bilge pump and have a look at the internals. You'll laugh at yErself for thinking the small pump is capable of pumping water for any rate of recovery.....
Not poking fun here because I was laughing at myself once I looked at these pumps....
Something pumped water into the hull of this subject boat via a loose connection or a failed component (we know that by now). It's either a water pump, or a hose that has a split or loose connection. You could have a packing leak as well.
Originally posted by thread starter
After 3 days of taking the motor apart, etc. the dealer indicated that "water getting into the boat caused a rod to push thru the oil pan".The engine failure smells of a rat too. I'd get someone different to look at it and see what gives (other than the rod).The engine failed in an odd manner, but that rod didn't give because your hull got water in it..... Where's Enginenut when ya' need him. That guy knows a lot of good stuff about engines.....
ktn_cmu
07-01-2005, 02:59 PM
Thomas,
I hope things are developing well for this bad situation! I have another question about the rod issue. I am not sure how it is possible, based on what you described, that "water getting into the boat caused a rod to push thru the oil pan". I mean, I know how it could happen, but if you were still driving the boat with enough water to come in the intake, you'd have way more than 6" of water in the boat. It would have to be basically up to the gunwales for the water to be at that level on the engine.
Is there any new info on the situation...keep us updated.
Kyle
ktn_cmu
07-01-2005, 03:00 PM
The engine failure smells of a rat too. I'd get someone different to look at it and see what gives (other than the rod).
That's what I was thinking too...
That's what I was thinking too...
ya, don't read me wrong sporty, the only reason I say to use autobilge is that it would have notified him of the problem at night much sooner than wet feet on the floorboard
Cloaked
07-01-2005, 09:17 PM
ya, don't read me wrong sporty, the only reason I say to use autobilge is that it would have notified him of the problem at night much sooner than wet feet on the floorboard
Yes indeed. I totally agree on that. And I didn't mean to come off as a know-it-all. :) I respect everyone's input here, as I learn everyday myself....
We have a unique group of fine folks here. You guys and Gals rock!!
6ballsisall
07-02-2005, 12:18 AM
Good points have been brought up here about the engine. The engine even when emerged into some water on the lower half of the block should run fine, small amounts of water could seep in but nothing immediately deadly. If the engine did throw a rod it hydrolocked somehow. Thru the intake doesnt make sense as someone said, the boat would nearly be under water at that point. I would be snooping around the exhaust area, if the risers malfunctioned in some way they would let water back into the heads which would allow water into the cylinders. Remember it wouldn't take much at all to do it, an few drops of water depending on the RPM the substance was introduced to the engine would easily be enough to tear it apart.
I ran Water Methanol injection in my Cummins and even with the incredible beefy rods on a 5.9 liter Cummins you still would worry some about to much pressure on the rods, and that substance was introduced in a fine mist at several hundred PSI and beginning to be introduced at 40psi of boost.
H2OGirl
07-02-2005, 09:37 AM
Boy does this sound way too familiar. Check the raw water pump as mentioned that is what pumped our boat full of water in April of this year. We had a hose not connected properly so it was leaking the whole time we were driving and eventually fell off pumping the boat very quickly full of water in a matter of less than a minute. I'm going to assume the water level was higher in the back of the boat, that is why the engine was farther underwater and you didn't notice so much water on the floor. More weight in the back of the boat 'causes the boat to sick transom first, that is what happened to us. It sounds like you had more water in your boat then we did in ours, we didn't have any visable on the floor. Water can also get into the engine through the oil dip stick that is what we were told. Most likely you have transmission issues too, with that much water in the boat you are going to definitely going to have water in the transmission, make sure you have them check that. You are right that if they can't find the cause and determine that is was something that failed your warranty is going to be voided. The warranty doesn't cover contaminents in engine or transmission. I'm surprised the insurance company will not cover any of it. Have you looked into that more yet? Either I missed it or you haven't said, was the engine running or were you just floating? I sent you a PM if you want to talk more. Carissa
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:03 AM
The agent called back on Friday morning and indicated they would be able to cover anything the water damaged. This was good news. This would be about $1000-$1400 for the stereo pieces (extra amps, etc. I installed) and the engine after the dealer broke down the engine to prove the damage was caused by the water getting into the boat. They indicated they wouldn't be able to cover what caused the boat to sink (that would be warranty). Money wise I should be ok. Dealer is going to do a water test (possibly was done on Friday or this next week) to check that.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:05 AM
That was my first guest (exhaust clamps) because they changed the gas tank from an 18 gallon tank to a 25 gallon tank (because I had the wrong one when the boat was delivered) only 2 weeks ago. They haven't removed the gas tank yet but the exhaust seems to be intact.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:08 AM
We were "trolling" around around 11pm going from stopping the engine to back to trolling again. I noticed the problem when I felt water coming through the drain plug by the drivers seat. I opened the engine box while the engine was idling and didn't see anything "spraying" around. I turned the boat toward shore but it stalled shortly after that.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:09 AM
It has a shower and the connections on that were fine.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:13 AM
I normally turn on the auto bildge but am not 100% certain I did when we went out this night. If I end up keeping the boat I am also investing in a $50-$60 high water alarm so if something does leak I will know instantly.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:16 AM
I had an appointment to take the boat in for the wake issue (to a different dealer that had modified another friends older mastercraft). I was supposed to take it in when I got back from my trip. That will, of course, have to wait now. I will update posts when I hear back. That dealer indicated they had seen some slight changes depending upon how the boat came out of the mold but would have to test drive it to see if anything could be done.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:22 AM
One thing that I am sure that caused it to sink faster is with the design of the 197. The exhaust vents are around 5" or 6" above the platform. As soon as water gets up that high it will just poor into the boat. We were driving/idling very slow with 4 people sitting on the back sun deck so once "the leak" or whatever caused it to start taking on water, the people in the back, and maybe some porpoising of the boat while driving slow could have caused the water to rise to the exhaust vents. Anyway, that is one of my theories. Still need to find out what caused the "event" to start in the first place.
thomasr7
07-03-2005, 09:31 AM
That sounded wierd to me as well. The dealer said something like "there are many seals on the motor" ... "they are meant to keep oil, etc." in the motor but if water gets up next to them with the heat difference, etc. it will leak/be pulled into the motor". This is not an exact quote but roughtly what they said. It didn't really make that much sense to me. We were just idling around at slow speeds when this happened. We drove over to the campground about an hour earlier (at around 30mph... I hardly ever drive my boat more than 40mph) and then tied the boat up while we hung out at the campground. People wanted to cruise around and go swimming so everyone boarded and we just trolled out around the lake for about 30-45 min. before I felt the water. I think the rod blew when I turned the boat to shore after wanting to get closer to shore with everyone in the boat at night. The engine was idling and when I put it in gear and made a turn at maybe 5 mph it just slowed down and then I heard a "click" (not loud).
Leroy
07-03-2005, 09:54 AM
Sounding better Thomsa.
All Mastercrafts have the lower hull full of foam and should not sink. They may fill up with water, but will not go under (unless you have 1000 pounds of lead in in).
One thing that I am sure that caused it to sink faster is with the design of the 197. The exhaust vents are around 5" or 6" above the platform. As soon as water gets up that high it will just poor into the boat. We were driving/idling very slow with 4 people sitting on the back sun deck so once "the leak" or whatever caused it to start taking on water, the people in the back, and maybe some porpoising of the boat while driving slow could have caused the water to rise to the exhaust vents. Anyway, that is one of my theories. Still need to find out what caused the "event" to start in the first place.
You'll have to assume that this was your source of water if nobody finds a leak or a loose clamp on the water test
you may also find yourself in a fight if they think you overloaded the stern and let the water in?
Is that an MCX or an LTR? Reason I ask is that the intake on an ltr is lower and aft of the motor increasing the chance that it would intake water if the boat was taking on water and at a certain angle
(1200 + views in 5 days???????)
A friendly HELLO to all M, N and S owners visiting our site
Diesel
07-05-2005, 01:07 PM
How is the dealer going to get any accurate info from the lake test without the engine?? I could have easily been a hose leak on the engine or exhaust which will not show up without the engine installed just like it was straight from the lake in the exact same condition as when it sank.
I find it awfully convenient that the dealer had just worked on the boat and it had never sunk on previous outings. Especially considering they worked on through-hull components. Did the dealer perform any on the water tests after the installation of the exhaust??
Lots of questions and I think you have a solid case against the dealer. From what you have said the only thing you did was use the boat for its intended purpose. If you cannot have 4 people in the back of a 197 without swamping the boat MC needs to send out a bulliten or something.
BriEOD
07-05-2005, 01:29 PM
(1200 + views in 5 days???????)
A friendly HELLO to all M, N and S owners visiting our site
LOL! Yeah I'm "sure" those other brands never have any problems. :rolleyes:
mbeach
07-05-2005, 01:51 PM
i am a true believer in the auto bilge pump. backed boat up to ramp and let wife launch from trailer. hauled trailer out and suddenly remembered i did not put drain plug in. ran as fast as i could in flip flops to dock. wife noticed i was excited and came to pick me up. when she was approaching the dock, noticed bilge discharge hole shooting out a stream of water confirming my worse fears. had a happy ending, however, in that bilge was only about 3/4 full of water and was able to empty boat once i put the bilge plug in place. moral of story is always, repeat always, keep the bilge on auto and check to be sure you have installed the bilge plug before you launch. had not the auto bilge been working properly, would have been a different outcome.
Workin' 4 Toys
07-05-2005, 02:50 PM
The agent called back on Friday morning and indicated they would be able to cover anything the water damaged. This was good news. This would be about $1000-$1400 for the stereo pieces (extra amps, etc. I installed) and the engine after the dealer broke down the engine to prove the damage was caused by the water getting into the boat. They indicated they wouldn't be able to cover what caused the boat to sink (that would be warranty). Money wise I should be ok. Dealer is going to do a water test (possibly was done on Friday or this next week) to check that.
Perhaps the "DEALERS" insurance that did the work should cover this mess?!?! But who can say at this point right?
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:38 PM
Definitely plan on being there for the water test if at all possible.
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:40 PM
That was my first guess. They said they "pressure tested" the exhaust after the engine was pulled from the boat but that wouldn't duplicate the situation when everything was hooked up. At this point I am waiting for a new block to arrive (it has been about 10 days since the dealer said they ordered the block). Close to 3 weeks out of the water in a short Michigan Summer is really a pain (and counting.....).
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:43 PM
I will have to check my autobildge when I get it back. Not sure if any lights ever come on when it engauges. If you flip the switch up to turn on the bildge manually a light comes on in the switch but never noticed if it comes on when it is flipped in autobildge mode and it activates.
I am going to install a water alarm in any boat I get in the future. This will sound an audible alarm anytime water gets to a certain level. This will drastically increase the amount of response time I have in the future. It is a part that costs only about $55 from westmarine.com.
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:47 PM
When I finally got the boat out of the water and drained "the oil" it was almost all water. Something bizarre must have happened but they haven't found it yet (parts/block is STILL on order ... sigh).
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:49 PM
mcx motor (or at least it used to be a motor!)
thomasr7
07-13-2005, 12:54 PM
They are now waiting to reinstall the engine before testing it in the lake. My fear is that after hooking everything back up, nothing will leak and I will never find anything out. A loose connection is definitely a real possibility. The dealer didn't "work on" the exhaust before the problem. They did replace the gas tank (upgraded it from an 18 gallon tank to a 25 gallon tank that was supposed to come with the boat). The tank sits right on top of the exhaust and almost touches it on the passenger side exhaust.
I thought maybe it rubbed or something. Also, the "overlap" of the custom chrome exhaust that I got with the boat and the "hose" that connects it to the rest of the exhaust is much less on the passenger side than the other side. The dealer said it still seemed to overlap by at least 3" and was still being held by 2 clamps.
yes the lite on the switch will lite when autobilge is pumping water and off when it's not
keep us posted man!
meggsy1221@aol.com
07-23-2005, 03:20 PM
very sorry to hear of your nightmare we have a 94 205 which takes on some water i have been told the rope packing around the propellor shaft may be of concern my guess you took on water much faster though.sorrry not much help from here i would cut my wrists if it happened to me stay strong cheers barry
G-man
07-23-2005, 09:54 PM
Fill the bilge with water on the trailer and look where water comes out. Tilt the tongue up slightly. I'm betting on the exhaust tips.
Amazongb
07-24-2005, 12:22 AM
If you did nothing wrong (like overload the boat etc) and honestly have no idea how this could've happened, you need to take an offensive approach. Demand that they fix the boat and threaten to sue them for the time spent without the boat.
I took out my brand new X10 two weeks ago and began to fill the front ballast. I noticed that after a few minutes that the overflow water that I expected to whiz out of the side of the boat did not appear. I opened the access panel and saw a sac completely filled and the exit tube was disconnected (not screwed in) and the excess water was filling the bilge. Of course, I reversed the pump, reconnected and everything was fine. But my point is that dealers, during their busy season fail the check everything. Needless to say, I was pissed. had that been my wife driving the boat with some girlfriends, the boat would've been in trouble.
Anyhow, like I said, take a stand and take the offensive and require that they fix your boat.. and if they don't respond, get an Attorney to draft a demand letter with some serious threatening language.
John
6ballsisall
07-24-2005, 01:02 AM
Any new news Thomas?? :popcorn: :popcorn:
ohhhhhhhhh Thomas?????? We are waiting.
east tx skier
08-03-2005, 09:14 PM
I feel so used. We're probably more likely to hear from Pink Lightning again.
jimjohn
08-04-2005, 01:39 PM
Any news on the boat?
jimjohn
08-04-2005, 02:06 PM
How bout some pictures??
jimjohn
08-04-2005, 02:49 PM
Did eveything work out?
jmyers
08-04-2005, 03:39 PM
:wavey: :wavey:
this is rigGDdiculous!
BUMP .
OHHHHHHHHH THomas ????????????????????????????????//
1984StarsandStripes
02-03-2006, 02:52 PM
Anyone think of a freeze plug in the motor letting loose my buddies SN did that and oh boy if we didn't have that flip flop on board to hold over the hole we would have been under in a short time!!!
West TN Wake
02-03-2006, 03:02 PM
That sucks and sorry to hear about that bit of misfortune. I'd hope mastercraft would step up to the plate and take care of it for you...if they don't i would definetly sell and buy a different brand.
:confused:
Last April, I purchased a new ProStar 197. It was a cancelled order boat with the MCX engine in it. It was somewhat unique (white with red hull) and I customized just about everything I could with it (mini tower, chrome exhaust, chrome dash, chrome pylon, added a 1200 watt stereo, put in 2 qty 10" sub woofers by the drivers feet and more). After all of my add-ons and stereo the boat was easily over $50,000. The boat worked great last year A few weeks ago I had the dealer swap out my 18 gallon gas tank for a 25 gallon tank that was supposed to come with the boat. When I went to use it the gas gauge didn't work so they shipped me another one (which was the wrong one - but that isn't the real story here). I skied on the boat 2 times in June because I had to work alot in May and then went to Dale Hollow in Kentucky to rent a house boat and we took 3 mastercrafts with us. We arrived on Friday, 6/17/05 in the afternoon and everything went fine until Wednesday 6/22/05 at about 11:30pm. I drove the boat over to the other side of the lake with 2 of the guys I was down there with to meet up with some women we had met at a camp ground. We picked them up and drove away from shore and just circled and stopped occasionally while some of them went swimming (I stayed in the drivers seat and talked). About 30 minutes after we left shore I felt water at my feet (coming up through the drain hole and realized we were in trouble). I quickly opened the engine cover expecting a hose to be cracked and see water spraying around or coming out somewhere but it seemed fine. It was dark so I couldn't of course see that the water was very deep in the engine box. We were around 300 yards or so from shore with 7 in the boat so I turned the boat toward shore to try and beach it before it went down but the engine quit in just a few seconds. I yelled to everyone to get It seemed like within a minute or two the boat ended up filling up with at least 6" of water in the front of the boat and at least 10" or more of water near the back of the boat. I am guessing whatever happened to fill the boat with water eventually put enough water in the boat to lower it to where it reached the exhaust outlets (which are much lower to the water than my old 1989 prostar 197). When it reached that level, the problem multiplied and it started sinking faster. I yelled to everyone to get out of the boat and start swimming it toward shore (needless to say anxiety was very high at this point). We were eventually able to get a boat (full of water) pushed up against the shore and the bilge eventually emptied the water (along with using coolers from people on shore and ones we had in the boat to bail as well). After about a hour or so we took one of the girls Malibu (which did float!) off its trailer and pushed my boat up on the trailer and pulled it out of the water. I dug up a wrench to take out my drain plug to drain out the remaining water, slept in the front seat of the girls truck, waited 5 hours for morning, and then went back to pick up my trailer. I left the boat alone until I called my dealer the next morning. Per their instructions I drained the oil (which was almost all water), pulled the plugs, and sprayed in oil on the heads, and then filled it back up with oil and then drove it back home and dropped it off to the dealer this past Monday.
After 3 days of taking the motor apart, etc. the dealer indicated that "water getting into the boat caused a rod to push thru the oil pan". To this point they have not been able to tell me how water got into the boat and informed me if they can't figure it out, warranty will not cover anything. The insurance company, of course, will only cover things if you hit something (which I did not) or if something is stolen.
They have yet to pull the gas tank to fully inspect the chrome exhaust that was installed by the dealer when I purchased the boat but say they have pressure tested it and it seems fine. The rubber hose on the left exhaust comes over the exhaust but doesn't come right up to the back of the boat like it does with the right exhaust (about 4"-4.5" of exposed metal is showing) but they indicated there is still 3" of overlap and both clamps seem to be holding fine.
Tomorrow they said they are going to take the boat to a lake and float it and see if anything leaks. This is, of course, with the engine out of the boat because it is broken and can't be run in the same manner to replicate the situation.
If nothing leaks I don't know what I am going to do. It sounds like the dealer will be saying there is nothing they can do. All I know is:
1) I have owned boats for over 20 years and have never run into anything like this.
2) I am "anal" about maintaining my boats so there is no way I did anything to cause the boat to sink.
3) I am worried they won't be able to reproduce the problem and will stick me with the repairs.
No matter what happens financially I also will be constantly worrying if they can't find out what caused the problem. I will almost certainly purchase a $50.00 high water alarm to give me some warning about this in the future. I don't have the measurements to calculate the weight of the water but I can only assume that by the time the water gets up to the hole by the drivers seat it is too late and the water will reach the vents in the back before you can do anything.
I have been such a huge mastercraft supporter for years and just have an awful feeling in my gut right now that I will be left high and dry. If the dealer and/or mastercraft doesn't figure this out and deal with the situation I can't see any other option than to fix the boat with the least amount of cost, sell it, and purchase a different brand from hear on out.
/Frustrated
P.S. I am also going to be out over $1000.00 in stereo amplifiers and sub woofers I installed that were all partially underwater.
AirJunky
02-03-2006, 04:12 PM
I swapped email with Thomas a while back. Not sure why he's not been back, but this is what he had to say about his sub.... er, I mean his boat situation.
"They never did figure it out. Or at least never told me. Once the insurance guy said that they would cover it unless they found a defect in the boat I figured I might not find out. I originally thought maybe there was a leak back by where the exhausts hooked to the exhangers underneath the gas tank. I had other people driving the boat during the day so I suppose there is an outside chance that a bunch of water came into the boat to make it lower to the water, the auto bildge didn't get turned on, and later that night when we had people sitting on the back of the boat, it lowered the boat to the level of the vents (that are close to the water anyway on that model of boat) and then it started rushing in when the water level got to the vents.
I since have installed a water alarm to pre-warn me if it happens again."
ecelis
02-03-2006, 04:52 PM
My boat took on water recently after it came back from the dealer when they replaced the steering cable. It did not come close to sinking because I was close to the ramp and we were able to pull it out. After a quick inspection it turned out that one of the water hoses going to the exhaust had come off. I presumed that the mechanics had to get the hose off to get to something and forgot to tighten it.
Scary though if you feel water at your feet a couple of hundred yards of shore !
Sodar
02-03-2006, 11:01 PM
Something like this happened to my dad's buddy's 1995 Hydrodyne when the boat was just 2 weeks old. He took the boat in for its 10 hour service and had a depth finder installed. When he put the boat in the water, we skied a few sets and left it at the dock in front of the house to go get dinner. When we came back from dinner the boat was missing, so we walked out to the end of the dock to find the bowlight had shorted out and the boat was on the bottom in 5 feet of water. When they installed the depth finder they did not use any sealant around the thru-hull transducer, causing the virtually new boat to sink. The crazy thing was that we had about 10 guys pick the boat up off the bottom, and put it on the trailer... we drained and changed the fluids, cleared out the cylinders, changed the spark plugs and drug it to the dealer for a new ECM & stereo.
rodltg2
02-03-2006, 11:05 PM
Something like this happened to my dad's buddy's 1995 Hydrodyne when the boat was just 2 weeks old. He took the boat in for its 10 hour service and had a depth finder installed. When he put the boat in the water, we skied a few sets and left it at the dock in front of the house to go get dinner. When we came back from dinner the boat was missing, so we walked out to the end of the dock to find the bowlight had shorted out and the boat was on the bottom in 5 feet of water. When they installed the depth finder they did not use any sealant around the thru-hull transducer, causing the virtually new boat to sink. The crazy thing was that we had about 10 guys pick the boat up off the bottom, and put it on the trailer... we drained and changed the fluids, cleared out the cylinders, changed the spark plugs and drug it to the dealer for a new ECM & stereo.
wow, did the service center give any type of compensation
Hoosier Bob
02-03-2006, 11:10 PM
I don't remember anyone in my history ever saying "just a Hydrodyne!" I always thought they were as good as an I/O got. Very odd boats but quality. Good news that all is well!
Something like this happened to my dad's buddy's 1995 Hydrodyne when the boat was just 2 weeks old. He took the boat in for its 10 hour service and had a depth finder installed. When he put the boat in the water, we skied a few sets and left it at the dock in front of the house to go get dinner. When we came back from dinner the boat was missing, so we walked out to the end of the dock to find the bowlight had shorted out and the boat was on the bottom in 5 feet of water. When they installed the depth finder they did not use any sealant around the thru-hull transducer, causing the virtually new boat to sink. The crazy thing was that we had about 10 guys pick the boat up off the bottom, and put it on the trailer... we drained and changed the fluids, cleared out the cylinders, changed the spark plugs and drug it to the dealer for a new ECM & stereo.
Sodar
02-04-2006, 12:42 AM
The dealer just used 5200 around the thru hull and that was it! We did however decided to collect the insurance money for the submersion to "fix" the boat, but instead my dad turned around and "fixed" it by buying a new MasterCraft and using the Hydrodyne as a, um... I would not call it a "beater boat", but a boat that we do not worry too much about.
As for the Hydrodyne, it is a Grand Sport, so it is a direct-drive with a PCM 5.8. I guess it is not that bad... it just drives like a tank compared to my mastercraft!
erkoehler
02-04-2006, 01:24 AM
The dealer just used 5200 around the thru hull and that was it! He did however decided to collect the insurance money for the submersion to "fix" the boat.
Can't beat that :headbang:
AirJunky
02-04-2006, 02:16 AM
I don't remember anyone in my history ever saying "just a Hydrodyne!" I always thought they were as good as an I/O got. Very odd boats but quality. Good news that all is well!
Hydrodyne made good inboards too. Thick, heavy glass hulls & PCM drivetrain.
Footin
02-04-2006, 07:21 AM
I agree, Hydrodyne's are tanks, built very well. Workmanship is very good.
man that story smelled funny to me..
There were many twists that made me wonder how MC could have been at fault at all.
So have you heard if he's had it out without any problems since?
I swapped email with Thomas a while back. Not sure why he's not been back, but this is what he had to say about his sub.... er, I mean his boat situation.
"They never did figure it out. Or at least never told me. Once the insurance guy said that they would cover it unless they found a defect in the boat I figured I might not find out. I originally thought maybe there was a leak back by where the exhausts hooked to the exhangers underneath the gas tank. I had other people driving the boat during the day so I suppose there is an outside chance that a bunch of water came into the boat to make it lower to the water, the auto bildge didn't get turned on, and later that night when we had people sitting on the back of the boat, it lowered the boat to the level of the vents (that are close to the water anyway on that model of boat) and then it started rushing in when the water level got to the vents.
I since have installed a water alarm to pre-warn me if it happens again."
AirJunky
02-13-2006, 02:11 PM
No word on further problems. At worst, I would expect it might be a problem with one of the hoses or exhaust not be screwed down tight. Then MAYBE it could be blamed on the dealer (or whoever did it) not summerizing it correctly.
Leroy
02-13-2006, 02:19 PM
Sodarski73; More and more there is a definite pattern of boat abuse around you! :uglyhamme
Something like this happened to my dad's buddy's 1995 Hydrodyne when the boat was just 2 weeks old. He took the boat in for its 10 hour service and had a depth finder installed. When he put the boat in the water, we skied a few sets and left it at the dock in front of the house to go get dinner. When we came back from dinner the boat was missing, so we walked out to the end of the dock to find the bowlight had shorted out and the boat was on the bottom in 5 feet of water. When they installed the depth finder they did not use any sealant around the thru-hull transducer, causing the virtually new boat to sink. The crazy thing was that we had about 10 guys pick the boat up off the bottom, and put it on the trailer... we drained and changed the fluids, cleared out the cylinders, changed the spark plugs and drug it to the dealer for a new ECM & stereo.
Sodarski73; More and more there is a definite pattern of boat abuse around you! :uglyhamme
maybe milk can get him an avatar of that peanuts character that always had the cloud over his head :D
east tx skier
02-13-2006, 04:11 PM
Meet, pig pen.
jayocheskey
02-13-2006, 04:24 PM
Haven't heard from this guy since July? Where did he go?
east tx skier
02-13-2006, 05:01 PM
Davy Jones's locker?
/it's a joke, people.
Davy Jones's locker?
/it's a joke, people.
eeeuwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!
rawly
09-18-2010, 10:45 AM
Is this boat still working?Anybody know this guy?My 05 X-7 with MCX and all the goodies sank(in fresh water) up to the gunnel line and top of engine.Insurance company wants to replace parts rather than totalling it.I want to get a different boat and start over.Any info on this boat or similiar situation would be helpful.
Thanks
frosty
09-18-2010, 07:08 PM
The dealer just used 5200 around the thru hull and that was it!
Forgive my ignorance, what should they have used?
broncotw
09-19-2010, 12:39 AM
What a nightmare scenario! I hope your dealership has stepped up to the plate here for you! PLEASE get back to us with an update......
turn1andburn1
09-19-2010, 12:45 AM
Almost a five year old thread. Not sure you are going to get an update.
rawly
09-19-2010, 03:27 PM
Yeah,that's what I figured.Thought I'd give it a shot anyways.