Delivery accident--I need advice

Farfar

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First a bit about me:
  • I have lived in my house on the lake for less than a year
  • I have only explored the lake on a kayak
  • This is my first outboard powered boat
I took delivery on my new Bennington last Tuesday. During the ride around the lake, we hit a pile of rocks which took a chunk out of the propeller. The delivery guy called his manager who told me they would get back to me later that day. I think I screwed up signing the delivery form with just a verbal assurance. Long story short. I did not receive a call or a reply to a message left with the sales person. What would you expect as a reasonable outcome from this situation?
 
If all that was damaged was the prop consider yourself lucky ,I have seen an entire lower unit lost on Burt Lake .
Buy a new prop ,and enjoy your boat.
If the damaged one is repairable , you could also have a spare ,
 
I second what Jack said. If you were operating the boat at the time of the collision, then it's on you. Hopefully you do have insurance, but if the damage were restricted to the propeller, then it is likely close to or below your deductible. And while you do have insurance, it might be wise to save it for a significant event even if the damage is a bit over your deductible as a claim could affect your premium for years to come.

Hopefully you also noted the location of the rock pile so it doesn't happen again. If a detailed map of your lake is not available, I'd ask around to find someone that could point out any other obstacles that might be present.

That said, welcome and post some pics and give us some specifications.
 
Yeah, that's on you. You might see if they give you a break on the new one though. I busted a blade clean off at the hub on my bow rider. You just don't know what's down there sometimes.
 
The biggest help for me as a new boater was the purchase of a chart plotter, This gives you a good idea before you get there where the shallow areas are. I assume you have a depth finder already, learn how to read it and it will let you know exactly whats under the surface. Don't be shy about asking someone on your lake to help learn your equipment. Happy boating!!
 
The biggest help for me as a new boater was the purchase of a chart plotter, This gives you a good idea before you get there where the shallow areas are. I assume you have a depth finder already, learn how to read it and it will let you know exactly whats under the surface. Don't be shy about asking someone on your lake to help learn your equipment. Happy boating!!
First a bit about me:
  • I have lived in my house on the lake for less than a year
  • I have only explored the lake on a kayak
  • This is my first outboard powered boat
I took delivery on my new Bennington last Tuesday. During the ride around the lake, we hit a pile of rocks which took a chunk out of the propeller. The delivery guy called his manager who told me they would get back to me later that day. I think I screwed up signing the delivery form with just a verbal assurance. Long story short. I did not receive a call or a reply to a message left with the sales person. What would you expect as a reasonable outcome from this situation?
Last May ist. the sales manager hit my dock while delivering my boat. He replaced the damaged pontoon.
 
It’s not the dealers fault... but Consider yourself lucky... could have damaged the toons, sheared the shaft, etc... replacing a prop is easy... buy parts online and I’m sure you or the dealer can do the work in 30 mins...
 
I'm going to share my experience that was somewhat like yours.
The shaft and gears in the lower unit need to be checked out, well. With a new boat, the gears are still not completely hardened, hence the break in period is for the gears as well as the pistons, rings, etc.

Now for my experience... I was out within the first month of getting my first Bennington. I hit a submerged log, tore up the "aluminum" prop, bent the prop shaft. I took it to the dealer and they put a new prop shaft and prop on it. I paid cash for the repair since it was roughly $1100., and didn't want to bring an insurance claim into the mix. Exactly 364 days later, I was heading up the river when I hear my motor start sounding like a model T. I hobbled over to a marina/boat launch that happened to be near by, got it loaded and trailered home. A guy at the ramp said that it sounded like gears to him. I found out that the gears had been cracked, most likely from the impact a year ago, and took that long to actually break off. Well, I had a new lower unit put on, and this time, I did bring in the insurance company. I had the mechanic explain the situation to them and the possibility of it occurring from the previous incident, so they paid for all but the deductible. Closer to $2500 for the lower unit and labor.
Moral of the story from the mechanic.... If you hit something hard enough to do lots of damage to a prop, then you might have more damage than you think. Tell the shop to, at the very least, check to see if the shaft is bent, and if it is, then re-read my post. Sorry.
 
I agree with all of the above! Your fault Farfar.Get a new prop couple hundred bucks, take your Kayak back out and explore the lake a little better (look for rocks) then jump on your Bennington and enjoy. We all learn the hard way sometimes.
 
Unfortunately things like this happen. Chalk it up to experience and if you've got a chart plotter mark that spot as a waypoint to avoid. If the only damage is to the prop then consider yourself lucky and absorb the cost of a replacement. At least nobody got hurt and a new prop isn't that big a deal.
 
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Sorry. All the above have offered good advice.
 
Fix the prop. Use it as a spare. Buy another one. Take a Boaters safety course when you can. Enjoy your boat! Congrats!!!
 
Always use an aluminum prop, the prop will break before the gears in the drive unit. SS props are pretty but when you hit something they do not "give" the force of the hit is passed onto the gears, and who knows what the damage cost would be. I always had a spare, send it away to have it fixed and get a new one.
 
An aluminium prop will flex with higher horsepower .
Mercury makes Flo Torq hub that will help protect the lower unit . ( other brands may have their own version as well )

 
Jack M. This is good information. All of my experience has been with lower hp less than 130 in my 4 cyl I/O. It is nice to know that they are addressing this problem.
 
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