I have a 2020 Bennington 2021 fish pontoon on a major lake in Minnesota. In 2022 late fall, muskrats started to build homes in the engine well or superstructure that holds the engine. I kept removing the nesting and then started to smell gasoline.
Brought the boat across the bay to have it inspected and they found a slight bite hole in fuel line and tooth marks on the wiring harness. They advised installing a Stainless Steel mesh around all of the fuel and electrical lines for the tune of $1600....
Now in Fall of 2023, mid October, loaded the boat to go out to an island for a photo shoot with family. Tried to start the boat but no response at key. Accessories worked but nothing at key. Checked neutral safety switch and threw a charger on the battery but problem remained.
Had the boat towed to the same marina for $175 and they call back a few hours later, indicating that muskrats had entered the top of the port side pontoon and bit the ignition wiring harness in half. Apparently there is a coil of excess wire on top of the pontoon from the factory. So they repaired the harness and blocked the ends of the off with mesh wire so the verments cant enter again.
I'm wondering why a muskrat would eat a wiring harness in the first place. I recall that several new Porsche autos arrived at the US with wiring harnesses eaten by mice. It was determined that the insulation on the harness was formulated with SOY BEAN oil rather than conventional petroleum products. Thus the attraction and sense of food for vermin.
Is it possible that Bennington wiring harnesses are also made of SOYBEAN oil and therefore food for Muskrats. We had a NorthWoods pontoon boat for 20 years in the same location and never had a Muskrat show any interest in it whatsoever. The only intrusive event was a mother duck laying an egg in the same area of the motor transum.
Please offer some advice and any chance of receiving compensation for this issue as this may be an inadvertent manufacturing defect.
Thank you,
Rick B.
rgbtrade@comcast.net
Brought the boat across the bay to have it inspected and they found a slight bite hole in fuel line and tooth marks on the wiring harness. They advised installing a Stainless Steel mesh around all of the fuel and electrical lines for the tune of $1600....
Now in Fall of 2023, mid October, loaded the boat to go out to an island for a photo shoot with family. Tried to start the boat but no response at key. Accessories worked but nothing at key. Checked neutral safety switch and threw a charger on the battery but problem remained.
Had the boat towed to the same marina for $175 and they call back a few hours later, indicating that muskrats had entered the top of the port side pontoon and bit the ignition wiring harness in half. Apparently there is a coil of excess wire on top of the pontoon from the factory. So they repaired the harness and blocked the ends of the off with mesh wire so the verments cant enter again.
I'm wondering why a muskrat would eat a wiring harness in the first place. I recall that several new Porsche autos arrived at the US with wiring harnesses eaten by mice. It was determined that the insulation on the harness was formulated with SOY BEAN oil rather than conventional petroleum products. Thus the attraction and sense of food for vermin.
Is it possible that Bennington wiring harnesses are also made of SOYBEAN oil and therefore food for Muskrats. We had a NorthWoods pontoon boat for 20 years in the same location and never had a Muskrat show any interest in it whatsoever. The only intrusive event was a mother duck laying an egg in the same area of the motor transum.
Please offer some advice and any chance of receiving compensation for this issue as this may be an inadvertent manufacturing defect.
Thank you,
Rick B.
rgbtrade@comcast.net