Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat purchase

Issues at hand: In May 2008 I purchased a 2003 Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat with a 50-horse Honda BF50A motor from The Boat Shop of Spokane, a Smoker Craft dealer.

It was a very clean-looking 5-year-old boat, even though it appeared to have been sitting for some time. Clamp marks on the transom revealed that a trolling motor had been in place at one time. Since they had a used 5-horse Honda on hand that fit the exact spot, I also purchased it.

After the purchase I spent a month cleaning and detailing the boat before my wife and I took it to the water. It was not a good experience on a semi-choppy day as we discovered performance issues with the boat.

The main problem was my inability to get the boat on plane. The bow shot up like a rocket at about 30 degrees making it hard to see in front, and I was unable to get the nose down. When I did get it up on plane, the boat porpoised and I couldn't control it; I had trouble trimming the motor properly.

It sounded as if the motor had all kinds of power but the boat appeared to drag. As the boat plowed through the water, large rooster tails came from both sides of the boat. We couldn't wait to get the boat off the water, and when we did, we discovered so much water in the bottom of the boat that it took 15 minutes to drain out after I removed the drain plug.

I returned the boat to the dealer the day after this unpleasant experience to find out what was wrong. I could not speak with the son from whom I originally purchased the boat; instead, I spoke with the son's father. After our discussion, he made these comments:

1. I was inexperienced in operating the boat.
2. I allowed rainwater into the boat and didn't drain it.

I admit I'm not an experienced boater, but I did have a custom mooring cover made to prevent rain from entering the boat, and I did not leave the drain plug in. His comment was that mooring covers will allow rain to enter a boat. He pretty much called me a liar without directly calling me one; his attitude didn't sit well with me, especially after I had made such a major purchase.

He suggested that a hydrofoil might help me get the boat on plane faster. I agreed to purchase it, and while it was in the shop, they checked to see if the boat had a leak. They found a leak coming from the bow's live well. They couldn't find the source of the leak, but they did cut the line at the inlet, clamp it off, and fill it with marine silicone caulk. When I picked up the boat, the owner told me they were in the busy part of their season and would be unable to fix the leak until fall. Also, if I still had issues after testing the boat, they would take the boat out for a test run after the season calmed down.

I took the boat for another test run with a friend who's a boat owner. The hydrofoil did help to get the boat on plane, but it still took time to get it there and the rpms climbed above the recommended maximum of 6,000 rpms. The boat still porpoised and didn't perform as it should have.

I decided it would be a waste of time to return to the dealer. Since we do not have another Smoker Craft dealer in the area, I went to an out-of-state boat dealer (an authorized Honda dealer) for testing.

This boat dealer discovered that the motor was too high off the transom and not centered on the transom. They corrected these issues and installed Honda gauges to match the Honda motor. I went with them for a test run on a very calm day and the boat performed as I thought it should. We also tested it that day with another prop, but that made things worse. To everyone concerned, the boat appeared to operate correctly.

I sent a letter along with a bill to The Boat Shop of Spokane. The dealer responded that they were not responsible for the bill and it was my responsibility to bring the boat to them to be corrected. They also sent a copy of the contract pointing out that I had purchased a used boat "as is." At this point they felt that another marine dealer was probably the best option for me.

In the meantime, my friend and I took the boat fishing on a day when the water was a little choppy. The boat's performance was different on the choppy water than on calm water. It felt as though the motor was not deep enough in the water and didn't have enough power to push the boat through the water and get it up on plane. To get the boat on plane, the throttle was basically fire-walled. As the boat's speed approached 14 mph, the bow started to drop and the boat came up on plane with rpms heading toward 6,000. At this point, the throttle needed to be cut back so the engine didn't overrev (prop blowout). Prop blowout happened frequently on its current setup.

The outboard had to remain at over 5,000 rpm to maintain plane. At about 5,500-5,600 rpm the boat ran at about 18 mph and I was able to trim the motor so the speed would pick up about 3-4 mph. As the rpm dropped to 5,000 or less, the boat started to come off plane and the speed really began to drop. At speeds below 15 mph, the boat dropped off plane. The owner's manual for the Honda outboard notes that for best fuel economy, the engine should be run at about 80% of maximum throttle, which would put the best throttle speed at about 5,000 rpm. However, at 5,000 rpm, I was unable to maintain a plane.

Did I purchase a lemon from The Boat Shop? It sure appeared that way! This boat was originally sold by The Boat Shop to an owner who later traded up to a larger Smoker Craft. So, here are my questions: Did The Boat Shop originally set up the boat or did Smoker Craft? Were they aware of performance issues with the boat?

I felt all along that the boat was not set up correctly when it was originally sold. I was so convinced that I sent letters to both the president and customer service manager of Smoker Craft in early November. Later that month I received an email from someone within Smoker Craft who said he was given my letter and he needed time to review my concerns and the images I sent. I learned later that this person was the West Coast sales rep. I was taken aback to learn that the president and customer service manager would turn over my documents to a sales rep to handle.

The sales rep and I went back and forth by email and phone for a couple of months; he believed there was nothing wrong with the boat's setup. I asked who had set up the boat, but he was unable to provide that information because they had changed computer systems since 2002-2003 and he could not provide an answer even though he had offered to get this information at the very beginning of our correspondence. I had a hard time believing this. So why wouldn't they provide this information unless they were trying to hide something?

He mentioned the possibility that the motor was underpowered for the boat; however, the Honda BF50A was a standard setup for that particular boat for that time period. He believed that I was at fault in handling the boat's performance and was quick to remind me that I purchased a used boat. He also pointed out that they hadn't had a single complaint about The Boat Shop. He was quick to ask that if there was a problem with the boat, why would the original owner trade up to another Smoker Craft with the same dealer? I found it odd that the manufacturer would know this information but not who had set up the boat. It appeared to me that they had this boat's history in hand.

I told him that I had met a few boat owners on the lakes where I'd been testing the boat and they had told me about their bad experiences with The Boat Shop over the years but they took their business elsewhere rather than complain.

The sales rep offered to pay for a couple of hours for an authorized Smoker Craft dealer to look at the boat, and he invited me to the Smoker Craft boat factory in Oregon, if I wanted to make the trip from Spokane, in the spring of 2009. In either case I was going to have to make a 3- to 8-hour trip, depending on where I wanted to take the boat, in order for the boat to be looked at by an authorized dealer.

So I wouldn't have to make a trip, the sales rep went out of his way to speak with the owner of The Boat Shop to see if he would look at the boat. The owner was a bit unclear on what I was trying to accomplish. How about, I just wanted the boat to be safe on the water and to run as designed!?

I began to feel that Smoker Craft's attitude was the same as the owner of The Boat Shop, and I could see that I wasn't going to get very far with Smoker Craft. In early 2009, I hired an attorney to locate the original owner. After learning about the previous owner, I called to introduce myself and told him that I was the new owner of the boat. During our conversation I asked him why he had traded in the boat. He said he had issues with the boat and felt the boat was underpowered. I explained the issues I'd experienced and he said they were the same for him.

The previous owner said he took the boat back to The Boat Shop to fix the problem but he didn't know for sure if they worked on it because its performance didn't change. Unhappy with the boat's performance, he let it sit for a few years. Finally, he brought the boat back to The Boat Shop to trade up to a 19-foot Smoker Craft. That's when I came along and purchased the boat with all its problems.

The original owner asked if I also got the little Honda trolling motor that was on the boat. He said it was great little trolling motor. I replied that when I first saw the boat at the dealership, there wasn't a trolling motor on it; however, there were indications that one had been there at one time. The dealer mentioned he had a used Honda trolling motor they could sell me. Well, from the paperwork/owner's manuals, it appeared to be the original owner's motor—I did get it but I had to pay extra for it. In fact, when all was said and done, I ended up paying more for this boat than the original owner had in 2003.

Within a short period of my conversation with the original owner, I received an email from the Smoker Craft rep saying that they didn't believe they could offer any more assistance than what had been already offered.

With the information I received from the original owner, I called the rep the same day to tell him that I had spoken with the original owner and learned that he had experienced the same problems I was experiencing. The sales rep asked how I had found the owner. I responded that my attorney tracked him down. At this point the table really turned—the rep said Smoker Craft could no longer be involved in this matter because an attorney was involved.

Here it was, the middle of February 2009, my boat was in storage and I realized I would not get any satisfaction unless I took legal action or found an authorized Smoker Craft dealer willing to test the boat at my expense.

I chose the latter because, quite frankly, I had too much already invested in the boat and couldn't afford to hire my attorney to carry this forward and still make my monthly payment.

After receiving a couple of recommendations, I found a dealer and in May 2009 I took the boat to him—a full year from my purchase date!

Within 10 minutes after the technician tested the boat, he knew what was wrong. As it was explained to me, there were too many rpms coming from the lower end of the motor (at the prop) causing the motor to go into limp mode. The solution was easy. It needed a prop with a different pitch. They removed the original 11.6 x 11 prop and installed an 11.1 x 13.

We put it in the water for testing and—lucky for me—it was semi windy and choppy day. It was like having a brand new boat. I was able to get the boat up on plane faster without pushing the motor to its maximum rpms. I could stay on plane with about 4,800 rpms and I could increase speed to 28-31 miles per hour (5,000 to 6,000 rpms) with two adults in the boat. Now we are on track!

I contacted the second boat dealer (as suggested by the third boat dealer) who had earlier lowered the motor because they were on the right track—they just didn't have the right prop on hand when they switched props during testing. They thanked me for letting them know that it was the prop's pitch that prevented the boat from performing as designed.

Every boat that comes off an assembly line has its own personality, so each boat needs testing and tweaking to maximize performance. In the case of my 2003 Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat with 50-horse Honda BF50A motor, I suggest the reversed-chine hull was probably not the best design for the 16-foot length of this boat. Smoker Craft still uses this design on their 172 (17-foot) and 192 (19-foot) Millentia boats.

Smoker Craft says, "The unique design of the Hydra-Lift rolled V-hull gets you out of the hole and up on plane in seconds, and helps keep you dry and comfortable on the way to your destination." I didn't find this true with the 162 Millentia as it was set up when I purchased it. The 162 Millentia was not on the market long—possibly because Smoker Craft was aware of the hull design issues on such a short boat.

I personally like the overall design of the boat—that's why I pursued getting it fixed. Unfortunately, it took three different boat dealers with three different solutions to correct the performance for the Smoker Craft 162 Millentia with the Honda BF50A.

If you have a Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat with a 50-horse Honda BF50A motor and it is not performing as it should, I recommend the following:

1. Make sure the motor is lowered all the way down on the transom.
2. Set the angle of the motor so the pin is located on the last hole (fifth hole from the top).
3. Install gauges (speedometer and tachometer) that match up to the motor.
4. On the Honda BF50A, an SE Sport 300 Hydro-foil will help with the performance.
5. Check the prop pitch. In my case I went from an 11.6 x 11 to an 11.1 x 13 pitch prop.

If you ask me if I'm a happy Smoker Craft boat owner, my answer is "no!" I lost a year trying to fix my Smoker Craft boat so it would be safe and perform on the water. I purchased the boat from the son, not the father. My dealings should have been with the son, and I believe the problems may have been corrected a lot sooner if the father had not gotten involved.

Would I recommend The Boat Shop or Smoker Craft? Never! Dealing with The Boat Shop is like dealing with a used car lot: their stock answer is "you purchased a used and as-is item." As for Smoker Craft, I was very disappointed they would pass my concerns on to a sales rep. They appeared far more interested in protecting their dealers than in working to satisfy a Smoker Craft customer.

In the end, neither The Boat Shop nor Smoker Craft acknowledged my boat's problems or helped me get the boat fixed. They missed the opportunity to learn from my boat's problems, failed to serve an existing customer, lost potential future sales to me, and may lose future sales to my friends and acquaintances. That's a lot to lose in a tough economy!

Lessons learned: Purchasing a boat is a major commitment. Ask yourself, "If I were purchasing a new or used vehicle, would I test drive it before finalizing the deal?" Of course you would! This also applies to a boat. Why purchase a boat without taking it for test run?

Here's what I learned from my purchase at The Boat Shop:

1. I can't remember if the dealer asked me if I wanted to take the boat out for a test or not before the purchase; however, I can tell you now that I will never purchase a boat again—new or used—without first taking it for a test run.
2. I wish I had asked for the previous owner's contact information so I could have learned more about the boat prior to purchasing it.
3. I should have kept to myself the involvement of my attorney to locate the previous owner. Smoker Craft didn't need to know how I found the previous owner and that knowledge shut down our lines of communication.
4. Even thought I took the boat to a dealer not authorized by Smoker Craft and they found most of the problems, I should have contacted Smoker Craft originally to share my concerns over the dealer and get their recommendation about another authorized Smoker Craft dealer. It is possible I could have gotten this all fixed by a different authorized dealer. Even though there are still some legal grounds to pursue this matter with the original dealer, it would have be a lot easier and cleaner to take action had I first gone to Smoker Craft and an authorized dealer.

If you have ever had any issues or problems with a 162 Millentia Smoker Craft boat and were able to get it to perform to your satisfaction, I would like to hear from you. Send us an email with your story and lessons learned!

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