Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat purchase - Page 1

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Issues at hand: In May 2008 I purchased a 2003 Smoker Craft 162 Millentia boat with a 50-horse Honda BF50A outboard 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.

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