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uidb5298 posted 05-18-2007 11:03 AM ET (US)
Hello All. I was fishing a few weeks ago on the St. Clair River in Michigan around 11:00 p.m. and had the following go wrong:
--hydraulic fluid started leaking from the helm and flowed all over the deck. I had a leak earlier in the year as well. I cleaned the deck as best as possible but the caulking was stained yellow.
--navigation lights would not work. This is not a good thing on this river at night with 700- to 1,000-foot freighters going by. I made it back without incident.
I took the boat in for the warranty repairs. [The dealer] had to order a new steering unit from the manufacturer and the navigation lights from Boston Whaler. They said the parts are in today and will try to have me back on the water this weekend yet.
Has anyone else had these [problems with their Boston Whaler 190 OUTRAGE]? This boat cost over $40,000, and I don't think I should be having these problems.
Greg
TRAFFICLAWYER posted 05-18-2007 12:13 PM ET (US)
If you are looking for perfection, try stamp collecting.
uidb5298 posted 05-18-2007 12:25 PM ET (US)
Perfection was in your hilarious response! I thought there was intelligent conversation on this [site] or is that type of comedic response typical?

I was just wondering if anyone else has seen these problems occur. I'm not even over 100 hours on the boat.
uidb5298 posted 05-18-2007 12:27 PM ET (US)
Perfection was in your hilarious response! I thought there was intelligent conversation on this sight or is that type of comedic response typical?

I was just wondering if anyone else has seen these problems occur. I'm not even over 100 hours on the boat.
bkloss posted 05-18-2007 12:57 PM ET (US)
Greg,
I understand your frustration and those types of problems fortunately are not common ones with a new BW. After getting them fixed, you might want to shoot an email or make a phone call to BW just to express your opinion.
There are a few comedians here that need to keep their day jobs to make a living.
Kencvit posted 05-18-2007 01:13 PM ET (US)
Uidb5298,
Your stressed out. BW doesn`t make the helm, Seastar does , parts can fail in anything, granted thats small consolation when your deck is covered in oil.
Many of us 190 owners had to deal with the livewell failure issue which was a pain.
I had some air in my system which I bled out according to the instructions on Seastar`s website(symptons were steering lurched and hard over to hard over required 6 revolutions) it`s good now , 4.5 turns hard to hard.I`ve got a f150 Yamaha.
I`ve had no problems with lights to date.
I had a problem with a leaky through-hull on the anchor locker. called BW customer service and they said it was a poor seal . they sent me out 4 replacements ( 1 needed, 3 extra`s if the other do at some point) some stickers and a T-shirt.
Also had a small hole in the bimini top , mentioned this at the same time and BW had the dealer send out another N/C
I remember being quite picky at the dealers at the start to the point where the salesman offered me my deposit back and the chance to walk away. I wanted the boat too much and we did settle on everything .
I don`t think TrafficLawyer meant to be sarcastic but meant nothing is perfect , enjoy what you have and fix it when/if it breaks.
If the dealer falls behind in service ,contact BW .I`d like to think they resolve the caulking problem if you can`t clean it, try star-brite deck cleaner.
I checked out your pictures, nice. Your crew looks happy, thats `s the main thing.
Cheer up Grandpa
uidb5298 posted 05-18-2007 01:44 PM ET (US)
Thanks, I'm not stressed out I just like throwing the sarcasm, if it was, back! Life is too short to get upset or stressed at these types of things. My boat has been at the dealer for over a week and I have no issues with that. They have been very polite to me and I believe are doing there best to get me back on the water which is where I love to be. Again, I was just wondering if anyone had seen the same problems.
highanddry posted 05-18-2007 02:30 PM ET (US)
Boats, even Boston Whalers, require contant manintenance. Our aft hydrualic unit began leaking over the winter. I just changed the seals myself. It proabably was warranty but I live hundreds of miles from the nearest dealer, the one I got the boat from is dust in the wind. The fire extinguisher tray cracked out, I rebuilt it and reinforced it. My bow light had quit, figured the pounding we got in a run across heavy chop caused it to burn out. Nope, a bit of corrosion on the bulb tip was preventing contact.
Why would he replace all of the lights, why not just put a new bulb in them and clean them?
highanddry posted 05-18-2007 02:42 PM ET (US)
One other thing, lazy mechanics be aware, the steering unit require Mil 5606 red hydrualic fluid or SeaStar hydrualic oil. Use of anything other than that will cause failure of the system. Do not mix oils. I use Texaco HO15 (Mil 5606) red fluid. Mil 5606 is an aviation hydrualic fluid.
Another questionm, to all 190 owners with hydraulic steering, is there any play in your helm unit, like a loose wheel but the wheel is not loose on the taper shaft?
Our boat has been pushed hard a few times, escaping from t storms, pounded hard on a lake once as a tornado went by and we had a long run back against heavy chop in the Lakes, the thread that was removed because the "soup----" did not like the thread, Lund vs Whaler, recounted that trip.
Per the manual, the 190 is a Class C vessel. Interesting.
Kencvit posted 05-18-2007 08:17 PM ET (US)
I`ve got some play in the wheel. I was wondering about popping the cover cap to see if there`s something to tighten.Maybe its normal?

jimh posted 05-18-2007 08:40 PM ET (US)
In my experience it is not unusual for hydraulic fluid to leak from the helm pump after about 15-years of service. It is very unusual to have a leak in the first year of service.
Hydraulic fluid is extremely low viscosity and it will flow and flow until it has created a layer that is about one molecule thick and a mile wide. A tablespoon of hydraulic fluid will flow over a large area.
The navigation lights on my boat are original and as far as I know probably have the original miniature electric light bulbs in them. They are 17 years old. However, I have noticed that most new incandescent bulbs have a much shorter life span than incandescent bulbs from many years ago. In general I would say that the available navigation light lamp fixtures nowadays are not of the same high quality as the Wilcox-Crittenton products of the past.
Liteamorn posted 05-18-2007 09:04 PM ET (US)
My dealer warned me that some hydraulic fluid might leak from the helm due to expansion.
highanddry posted 05-18-2007 09:20 PM ET (US)
If the helm is filled to capacity it may vent, the cap is a vent. One thing I have already mentioned in another thread, the O-ring that is on the helm plug is shall I say not very durable. Ours was dry and cracked and leaking. Replace it with a new one---go purchase a box of O rings from Harbor Freight or Home Depot and put another on it.
As to the quality of my lights and fittings--BS--I am so tired of hearing how old is good and new is not good. The fittings on our classic Nantucket are fine quality and as to the bulbs being of lesser quality--yeah--if you think so. A dab of electrical grease will help maintain good contact.
Sal A posted 05-19-2007 06:17 AM ET (US)
I agree you should not have these problems in a new high quality boat. I will suggest that you look at it as a chance to learn how to so some boating maintenance/repair things by yourself. You'll feel good. Change the lights over to LED's, which is a great project, and not too difficult for a checkbook boater (I am a recovering one).
Jordi posted 05-19-2007 07:41 AM ET (US)
On my 190 Nantucket the steering wheel play (tilt steering) was always there no matter what I did to try to fix it. The dealer twice removed the steering wheel and the small movement was always there. The movement is in the shaft unit which can not be tightened unless you get a new one. The dealer said that is the "normal" feel of the steering wheel. A poor design that needs revision.
Jordi
uidb5298 posted 05-19-2007 10:44 AM ET (US)
I enjoy doing work on boats. My last boat was a 1994 32ft Chris Craft that never had any major issues with it until about 2003. After that I was constantly doing maintenence jobs on the boat which I enjoyed some but I had enough. I bought the new boat because of the expectations of fine quality that has always come with the BW name. Again I am not upset that these problems happened and I could have fixed them myself (Why? Under warranty). My thing is that we all complain about our vehicles if one little thing goes wrong -junk American cars- and most people buy some foreign car thinking it's better quality. Well I expect the same in a BW boat because that is what I'm expecting to get for the money.
I was also wondering if my issues were a single case or if others have had the same problems. If so I'm sure BW knows about them and are doing their best to fix the issues.
highanddry posted 05-19-2007 10:56 AM ET (US)
The hydrualic steering is made by Teleflex, it is a seaStar unit. it is a well repsected unit. You can add a power booster if you wish. There are seal replacement kits for both the forward helm and aft cylinder. the helm unit requires that you be able to pull the wheel fromthe taper shaft, once that is done, seal replacement is easy. I replaced the seals on the aft cylinder in about an hour including bleeding the unit.
BTW, the seal on the trailer brake fluid cap is junk also, replace it with an O ring as well.
Our nantucket has been low maintence as boats go, nothing like the old Lyman, all wood, my parents had when I was a child,constant upkeep or any of the other boats we have had.
1)Added second battery and dual position switch
2) added Garelick three step dive laddr and bracket to the factory platform
3) added VHF
4) added Humminbird side scan sonar
5) Installed a custommade KING Starboard tranducer block
6)Rebuilt and reinforced the fire extinguisher tray
7)replaced aft hydrualic seals
8) added Mercury Revolution 4 prop
9) rebuilt water pump on 150 Opti
10)aded Roll Control rails to both gunnels for scuba tanks storage
11) tires and brakes and lights and blah blah on the trailer, will be converting to torsion axle and stainless discs this winter
12) will be added trim tabs--this winter
Livingwater posted 05-19-2007 05:17 PM ET (US)

quote:
I`ve got some play in the wheel. I was wondering about popping the cover cap to see if there`s something to tighten.Maybe its normal?
My steering wheel on my 190 Nantucket has play also when I push/pull it. Is this what you are referring to?
Scott Grey posted 05-20-2007 12:19 AM ET (US)
I had a problem with my bow light when i got my 2006 190 outrage. My first trip out it stopped working. I took it to the dealer and it was fixed right away. I agree on the quality of the boat and that it should be held higher than the typical 19 ft boat at half the price. Just my thoughts.
P.S. I still love my boat!!!
uidb5298 posted 05-23-2007 12:23 PM ET (US)
I received the call that the warranty work on my boat was completed - yeah! Nope - Yesterday I got there and while going over the work I tried the nav lights and nothing. The service dept. told me this was fixed the day before but sure enough after a 1.5-2 hour trip out to get the boat, nothing. I had to leave it there, again, but the service manager was nice enough to say they would fill up my boat tank, too bad it's already got 40 gallons of gas in it.
Seems like this navigation light problem is an issue that Whaler needs to address because I see that more than just myself has had the problem.
Plotman posted 05-23-2007 02:04 PM ET (US)
If you are going to own a boat, it beehoves you to own a few diagnostic tools (like a multimeter) and know how to use them. Even if it is under warranty, It would seem to me that it word be worth doing this yourself rather than spending all those hours in the car.
It is a pretty simple system. Is there power to the contacts in the light fixture - if so, but they don't work, you have a bulb problem. If not, trace continuity back to the switch, see if you have power there, etc. It isn't hard. With a 12 dollar tool, and maybe a piece of wire and either some alligator clips or a helper, you should be able to diagnose the problem in 20 minutes. Only reason to take it to the dealer would be if the fitting were broken, or there is a break or a short in the wiring.
bkloss posted 05-23-2007 02:27 PM ET (US)
I think troubleshooting and repairing what you can is very important in owning and maintaining a boat.
I have a 2007 Denali and I can tell you that if I had a bulb problem, I wouldn't be saving the dealer the time and expense to diagnose and fix the problem.
I wouldn't consider it a stretch to compare a Denali to a new Boston Whaler. Both should have functioning running lights and both should have qualified dealers to fix the issue, the first time around. Oh, maybe you may not think so but both shouldn't have this issue, especially within the first year or two.
I haven't had this issue in four years of pretty heavy usage in salt and fresh water conditions with my BW, different model, and I'm sure it's not luck.
Either way, it has to be just a little frustrating to not have the problem fixed by the dealer on the first go around. Its not easy to just find another BW dealer so you are either going to have to stick it out, be at the mercy of the dealer, or fix it yourself.
uidb5298 posted 05-23-2007 03:40 PM ET (US)
Plotman, If you read my first post you can see that I had a slight larger problem than the lights not working. Anyway, of course I would have the dealer fix the light problem no matter what and why would I spend any of my time or money on these problems if it is under warranty...? This would make it the third time the lights have failed and frankly it's a bigger problem than a multimeter can diagnose. Also, I would mention that it was a long trip out to the dealer because I live in Michigan where you can never travel down a road without dodging orange barrels. Normally this trip is 45 minutes.
I've owned boats for 17 years now and have more than enough tools and knowledge to fix most problems. People who write and say that with owning a 'new' boat you should expect to have problems and fix them yourself must not understand what the word warranty means. Well, maybe they just enjoy spending their own money for problems that the manufacturer will fix free of charge - no matter how big or small they might be.
Liteamorn posted 05-23-2007 03:58 PM ET (US)
I have fixed quite a few small problems with my new Eastport , I beat the snot out of it running across a 2'chop in the bay most of the time and stuff just comes loose. There's a few things wrong that shouldn't be (a few stripped screw and such)and a few things blatently wrong but I'm not going pull my boat and loose 3 days fishing so a dealer can fix what I can in no time. Drive a Denali exclusively off-road I think you'll find yourself fixing more than a few things if you are capable. In spite of what I have already had to tighten/ adjust or realign I just finished my sales survey and gave the boat an 8 , And I would buy another Whaler.
bkloss posted 05-23-2007 06:38 PM ET (US)
That's just the thing; I wouldn't drive my Denali off road, it's not designed for that. I would take the Nissan Titan that is designed for the off road.
Give the guy a break. It's as if everybody here never buys anything new so the expectations may not be so high.
hilob posted 05-24-2007 05:16 AM ET (US)
uidb5298,
I've been running my 2007 190 Outrage since March, currently have about 119 hours on it. So far, it been running flawlessly. At first I was skeptical of the 150 hp Verado, but I have to admit it's been a dream to run. Getting 3.1 gph @ 2900 RPM (trolling), and 8.3 gph @ 4500 RPM. Hard to go WOT, most of the boat is out of the water...
This is only my second boat, but I am trying to learn to trouble shoot and do as much proactive maintenance that I possibly can, because here in Hawaii (Big Island) service is limited or expensive $$$.
Hilob
Scott Grey posted 05-24-2007 06:46 PM ET (US)
The light on the 190 outrage is a poor design. If you take the lense off you will see a little wire that is soldered to the top of the lense and is sonic rivited toward the bottom. This little sonic weld is where mine has failed in turn the wire doesn't stay in place as you push the lense down and turn it to lock in the housing. Mine was broke when i got my boat. May be a bad install by the new guy at the factory. Still, bad design. It has nothing to do with testers and such, its black and white on my boat..nice casting and fit, but function... P.O.S.!!!

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Author	Topic: 2006 190 Outrage problems
uidb5298	posted 05-18-2007 11:03 AM ET (US) Hello All. I was fishing a few weeks ago on the St. Clair River in Michigan around 11:00 p.m. and had the following go wrong: --hydraulic fluid started leaking from the helm and flowed all over the deck. I had a leak earlier in the year as well. I cleaned the deck as best as possible but the caulking was stained yellow. --navigation lights would not work. This is not a good thing on this river at night with 700- to 1,000-foot freighters going by. I made it back without incident. I took the boat in for the warranty repairs. [The dealer] had to order a new steering unit from the manufacturer and the navigation lights from Boston Whaler. They said the parts are in today and will try to have me back on the water this weekend yet. Has anyone else had these [problems with their Boston Whaler 190 OUTRAGE]? This boat cost over $40,000, and I don't think I should be having these problems. Greg
TRAFFICLAWYER	posted 05-18-2007 12:13 PM ET (US) If you are looking for perfection, try stamp collecting.
uidb5298	posted 05-18-2007 12:25 PM ET (US) Perfection was in your hilarious response! I thought there was intelligent conversation on this [site] or is that type of comedic response typical? I was just wondering if anyone else has seen these problems occur. I'm not even over 100 hours on the boat.
uidb5298	posted 05-18-2007 12:27 PM ET (US) Perfection was in your hilarious response! I thought there was intelligent conversation on this sight or is that type of comedic response typical? I was just wondering if anyone else has seen these problems occur. I'm not even over 100 hours on the boat.
bkloss	posted 05-18-2007 12:57 PM ET (US) Greg, I understand your frustration and those types of problems fortunately are not common ones with a new BW. After getting them fixed, you might want to shoot an email or make a phone call to BW just to express your opinion. There are a few comedians here that need to keep their day jobs to make a living.
Kencvit	posted 05-18-2007 01:13 PM ET (US) Uidb5298, Your stressed out. BW doesn`t make the helm, Seastar does , parts can fail in anything, granted thats small consolation when your deck is covered in oil. Many of us 190 owners had to deal with the livewell failure issue which was a pain. I had some air in my system which I bled out according to the instructions on Seastar`s website(symptons were steering lurched and hard over to hard over required 6 revolutions) it`s good now , 4.5 turns hard to hard.I`ve got a f150 Yamaha. I`ve had no problems with lights to date. I had a problem with a leaky through-hull on the anchor locker. called BW customer service and they said it was a poor seal . they sent me out 4 replacements ( 1 needed, 3 extra`s if the other do at some point) some stickers and a T-shirt. Also had a small hole in the bimini top , mentioned this at the same time and BW had the dealer send out another N/C I remember being quite picky at the dealers at the start to the point where the salesman offered me my deposit back and the chance to walk away. I wanted the boat too much and we did settle on everything . I don`t think TrafficLawyer meant to be sarcastic but meant nothing is perfect , enjoy what you have and fix it when/if it breaks. If the dealer falls behind in service ,contact BW .I`d like to think they resolve the caulking problem if you can`t clean it, try star-brite deck cleaner. I checked out your pictures, nice. Your crew looks happy, thats `s the main thing. Cheer up Grandpa
uidb5298	posted 05-18-2007 01:44 PM ET (US) Thanks, I'm not stressed out I just like throwing the sarcasm, if it was, back! Life is too short to get upset or stressed at these types of things. My boat has been at the dealer for over a week and I have no issues with that. They have been very polite to me and I believe are doing there best to get me back on the water which is where I love to be. Again, I was just wondering if anyone had seen the same problems.
highanddry	posted 05-18-2007 02:30 PM ET (US) Boats, even Boston Whalers, require contant manintenance. Our aft hydrualic unit began leaking over the winter. I just changed the seals myself. It proabably was warranty but I live hundreds of miles from the nearest dealer, the one I got the boat from is dust in the wind. The fire extinguisher tray cracked out, I rebuilt it and reinforced it. My bow light had quit, figured the pounding we got in a run across heavy chop caused it to burn out. Nope, a bit of corrosion on the bulb tip was preventing contact. Why would he replace all of the lights, why not just put a new bulb in them and clean them?
highanddry	posted 05-18-2007 02:42 PM ET (US) One other thing, lazy mechanics be aware, the steering unit require Mil 5606 red hydrualic fluid or SeaStar hydrualic oil. Use of anything other than that will cause failure of the system. Do not mix oils. I use Texaco HO15 (Mil 5606) red fluid. Mil 5606 is an aviation hydrualic fluid. Another questionm, to all 190 owners with hydraulic steering, is there any play in your helm unit, like a loose wheel but the wheel is not loose on the taper shaft? Our boat has been pushed hard a few times, escaping from t storms, pounded hard on a lake once as a tornado went by and we had a long run back against heavy chop in the Lakes, the thread that was removed because the "soup----" did not like the thread, Lund vs Whaler, recounted that trip. Per the manual, the 190 is a Class C vessel. Interesting.
Kencvit	posted 05-18-2007 08:17 PM ET (US) I`ve got some play in the wheel. I was wondering about popping the cover cap to see if there`s something to tighten.Maybe its normal?
jimh	posted 05-18-2007 08:40 PM ET (US) In my experience it is not unusual for hydraulic fluid to leak from the helm pump after about 15-years of service. It is very unusual to have a leak in the first year of service. Hydraulic fluid is extremely low viscosity and it will flow and flow until it has created a layer that is about one molecule thick and a mile wide. A tablespoon of hydraulic fluid will flow over a large area. The navigation lights on my boat are original and as far as I know probably have the original miniature electric light bulbs in them. They are 17 years old. However, I have noticed that most new incandescent bulbs have a much shorter life span than incandescent bulbs from many years ago. In general I would say that the available navigation light lamp fixtures nowadays are not of the same high quality as the Wilcox-Crittenton products of the past.
Liteamorn	posted 05-18-2007 09:04 PM ET (US) My dealer warned me that some hydraulic fluid might leak from the helm due to expansion.
highanddry	posted 05-18-2007 09:20 PM ET (US) If the helm is filled to capacity it may vent, the cap is a vent. One thing I have already mentioned in another thread, the O-ring that is on the helm plug is shall I say not very durable. Ours was dry and cracked and leaking. Replace it with a new one---go purchase a box of O rings from Harbor Freight or Home Depot and put another on it. As to the quality of my lights and fittings--BS--I am so tired of hearing how old is good and new is not good. The fittings on our classic Nantucket are fine quality and as to the bulbs being of lesser quality--yeah--if you think so. A dab of electrical grease will help maintain good contact.
Sal A	posted 05-19-2007 06:17 AM ET (US) I agree you should not have these problems in a new high quality boat. I will suggest that you look at it as a chance to learn how to so some boating maintenance/repair things by yourself. You'll feel good. Change the lights over to LED's, which is a great project, and not too difficult for a checkbook boater (I am a recovering one).
Jordi	posted 05-19-2007 07:41 AM ET (US) On my 190 Nantucket the steering wheel play (tilt steering) was always there no matter what I did to try to fix it. The dealer twice removed the steering wheel and the small movement was always there. The movement is in the shaft unit which can not be tightened unless you get a new one. The dealer said that is the "normal" feel of the steering wheel. A poor design that needs revision. Jordi
uidb5298	posted 05-19-2007 10:44 AM ET (US) I enjoy doing work on boats. My last boat was a 1994 32ft Chris Craft that never had any major issues with it until about 2003. After that I was constantly doing maintenence jobs on the boat which I enjoyed some but I had enough. I bought the new boat because of the expectations of fine quality that has always come with the BW name. Again I am not upset that these problems happened and I could have fixed them myself (Why? Under warranty). My thing is that we all complain about our vehicles if one little thing goes wrong -junk American cars- and most people buy some foreign car thinking it's better quality. Well I expect the same in a BW boat because that is what I'm expecting to get for the money. I was also wondering if my issues were a single case or if others have had the same problems. If so I'm sure BW knows about them and are doing their best to fix the issues.
highanddry	posted 05-19-2007 10:56 AM ET (US) The hydrualic steering is made by Teleflex, it is a seaStar unit. it is a well repsected unit. You can add a power booster if you wish. There are seal replacement kits for both the forward helm and aft cylinder. the helm unit requires that you be able to pull the wheel fromthe taper shaft, once that is done, seal replacement is easy. I replaced the seals on the aft cylinder in about an hour including bleeding the unit. BTW, the seal on the trailer brake fluid cap is junk also, replace it with an O ring as well. Our nantucket has been low maintence as boats go, nothing like the old Lyman, all wood, my parents had when I was a child,constant upkeep or any of the other boats we have had. 1)Added second battery and dual position switch 2) added Garelick three step dive laddr and bracket to the factory platform 3) added VHF 4) added Humminbird side scan sonar 5) Installed a custommade KING Starboard tranducer block 6)Rebuilt and reinforced the fire extinguisher tray 7)replaced aft hydrualic seals 8) added Mercury Revolution 4 prop 9) rebuilt water pump on 150 Opti 10)aded Roll Control rails to both gunnels for scuba tanks storage 11) tires and brakes and lights and blah blah on the trailer, will be converting to torsion axle and stainless discs this winter 12) will be added trim tabs--this winter
Livingwater	posted 05-19-2007 05:17 PM ET (US) quote: I`ve got some play in the wheel. I was wondering about popping the cover cap to see if there`s something to tighten.Maybe its normal? My steering wheel on my 190 Nantucket has play also when I push/pull it. Is this what you are referring to?
Scott Grey	posted 05-20-2007 12:19 AM ET (US) I had a problem with my bow light when i got my 2006 190 outrage. My first trip out it stopped working. I took it to the dealer and it was fixed right away. I agree on the quality of the boat and that it should be held higher than the typical 19 ft boat at half the price. Just my thoughts. P.S. I still love my boat!!!
uidb5298	posted 05-23-2007 12:23 PM ET (US) I received the call that the warranty work on my boat was completed - yeah! Nope - Yesterday I got there and while going over the work I tried the nav lights and nothing. The service dept. told me this was fixed the day before but sure enough after a 1.5-2 hour trip out to get the boat, nothing. I had to leave it there, again, but the service manager was nice enough to say they would fill up my boat tank, too bad it's already got 40 gallons of gas in it. Seems like this navigation light problem is an issue that Whaler needs to address because I see that more than just myself has had the problem.
Plotman	posted 05-23-2007 02:04 PM ET (US) If you are going to own a boat, it beehoves you to own a few diagnostic tools (like a multimeter) and know how to use them. Even if it is under warranty, It would seem to me that it word be worth doing this yourself rather than spending all those hours in the car. It is a pretty simple system. Is there power to the contacts in the light fixture - if so, but they don't work, you have a bulb problem. If not, trace continuity back to the switch, see if you have power there, etc. It isn't hard. With a 12 dollar tool, and maybe a piece of wire and either some alligator clips or a helper, you should be able to diagnose the problem in 20 minutes. Only reason to take it to the dealer would be if the fitting were broken, or there is a break or a short in the wiring.
bkloss	posted 05-23-2007 02:27 PM ET (US) I think troubleshooting and repairing what you can is very important in owning and maintaining a boat. I have a 2007 Denali and I can tell you that if I had a bulb problem, I wouldn't be saving the dealer the time and expense to diagnose and fix the problem. I wouldn't consider it a stretch to compare a Denali to a new Boston Whaler. Both should have functioning running lights and both should have qualified dealers to fix the issue, the first time around. Oh, maybe you may not think so but both shouldn't have this issue, especially within the first year or two. I haven't had this issue in four years of pretty heavy usage in salt and fresh water conditions with my BW, different model, and I'm sure it's not luck. Either way, it has to be just a little frustrating to not have the problem fixed by the dealer on the first go around. Its not easy to just find another BW dealer so you are either going to have to stick it out, be at the mercy of the dealer, or fix it yourself.
uidb5298	posted 05-23-2007 03:40 PM ET (US) Plotman, If you read my first post you can see that I had a slight larger problem than the lights not working. Anyway, of course I would have the dealer fix the light problem no matter what and why would I spend any of my time or money on these problems if it is under warranty...? This would make it the third time the lights have failed and frankly it's a bigger problem than a multimeter can diagnose. Also, I would mention that it was a long trip out to the dealer because I live in Michigan where you can never travel down a road without dodging orange barrels. Normally this trip is 45 minutes. I've owned boats for 17 years now and have more than enough tools and knowledge to fix most problems. People who write and say that with owning a 'new' boat you should expect to have problems and fix them yourself must not understand what the word warranty means. Well, maybe they just enjoy spending their own money for problems that the manufacturer will fix free of charge - no matter how big or small they might be.
Liteamorn	posted 05-23-2007 03:58 PM ET (US) I have fixed quite a few small problems with my new Eastport , I beat the snot out of it running across a 2'chop in the bay most of the time and stuff just comes loose. There's a few things wrong that shouldn't be (a few stripped screw and such)and a few things blatently wrong but I'm not going pull my boat and loose 3 days fishing so a dealer can fix what I can in no time. Drive a Denali exclusively off-road I think you'll find yourself fixing more than a few things if you are capable. In spite of what I have already had to tighten/ adjust or realign I just finished my sales survey and gave the boat an 8 , And I would buy another Whaler.
bkloss	posted 05-23-2007 06:38 PM ET (US) That's just the thing; I wouldn't drive my Denali off road, it's not designed for that. I would take the Nissan Titan that is designed for the off road. Give the guy a break. It's as if everybody here never buys anything new so the expectations may not be so high.
hilob	posted 05-24-2007 05:16 AM ET (US) uidb5298, I've been running my 2007 190 Outrage since March, currently have about 119 hours on it. So far, it been running flawlessly. At first I was skeptical of the 150 hp Verado, but I have to admit it's been a dream to run. Getting 3.1 gph @ 2900 RPM (trolling), and 8.3 gph @ 4500 RPM. Hard to go WOT, most of the boat is out of the water... This is only my second boat, but I am trying to learn to trouble shoot and do as much proactive maintenance that I possibly can, because here in Hawaii (Big Island) service is limited or expensive $$$. Hilob
Scott Grey	posted 05-24-2007 06:46 PM ET (US) The light on the 190 outrage is a poor design. If you take the lense off you will see a little wire that is soldered to the top of the lense and is sonic rivited toward the bottom. This little sonic weld is where mine has failed in turn the wire doesn't stay in place as you push the lense down and turn it to lock in the housing. Mine was broke when i got my boat. May be a bad install by the new guy at the factory. Still, bad design. It has nothing to do with testers and such, its black and white on my boat..nice casting and fit, but function... P.O.S.!!!