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Underside Aluminum Rail Notch

Volkswagn1

Volkswagn1

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[SIZE=medium]I have been lurking in the forum for a few months now and have picked up some great tips.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I have a 2014 20SLMX with a 70 HP Yamaha. It’s a great boat and perfect for the private 150 Acre lake I live on.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Recently when I was out on the water, I took a swim to inspect the underside of the pontoon for the first time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I noticed on the aluminum rail there  is a cut as shown on the attached photo. There is one on each side of the boat, which lines up with approximately the front of the lounge chairs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]In talking with my dealer, he said that this is normal and the aluminum is notched at the factory in order for them to bend it. He said I could come take a look at any of the boats on the showroom floor and they would all have this. He did mention that some look prettier than others.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Is this normal or he is just feeding me some BS? The dealer has been great to work with for the whole transaction and I have no reason not to trust him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Just want to see if this is something I should be concerned about.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Thanks,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Eric[/SIZE]

Boat Damage.gif
 
I had a 2013 SLX last year . I did have the wave shield and was under at least once a week . I never saw anything like that .I guess it could have been in an unexposed area .
 
I have been under mine a couple of times, guess I didnt notice but I will look again after seeing yours. 
 
I will be interested in seeing what others say after they look at their own boat. As a pure guess IMO if Bennington needed to notch something it would be a clean cut not that jagged looking poc
 
I have a notch in the same place but it is a much cleaner cut and not jagged like that
 
I Call BS,

That should have been welded up if that's where they cut it to make the bend! Looks more like a stress tear. I don't see anything like that on our 2012 22SSI 3 toon.

RiverBill
 
I think it is a stress relief cut made so they could bend it, pretty sloppy work with the plasma cutter and probably should have been welded up.

While unsightly and not 'right', i don't think it would effect the structural integrity.

Have your dealer send a pic to Bennington and see what their response is.
 
Geoffrey & Brenda said:
I think it is a stress relief cut made so they could bend it, pretty sloppy work with the plasma cutter and probably should have been welded up.

While unsightly and not 'right', i don't think it would effect the structural integrity.

Have your dealer send a pic to Bennington and see what their response is.
Click to expand...
I did send Bennington a note today and it looks like my dealer got auto copied on it as the dealer just followed up with me to see if I got a response. I wasn't able to attach the photo though via the Bennington website.

As long as there are no issues with the structural integrity, I am not going to worry about it too much. 

I have better things to do like floating around the lake enjoying a cold beverage and attempting to catch fish!
 
Eric my 20slx looks just like yours too

Dave
 
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