New 210 Montauk Order

A conversation among Whalers
BW Enthusiast
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New 210 Montauk Order

Postby BW Enthusiast » Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:04 pm

I an a Boston Whaler enthusiast and longtime lurker of the Continuouswave forum. I owned a 2018 190 Montauk, which I used on Lake Michigan for three full seasons and sold back to the dealer in October 2021. I sold it because I had been eyeing the 210 Montauk and developed a case of two-foot-itis. Plus, I wanted some of the other features available on the 210 MONTAUK. I ordered a new 210 MONTAUK, and the boat is scheduled for roduction in mid-July 2022. I look forward to taking delivery of the boat sometime late in Summer or in early Fall 2022; the 210 MONTAUK really suit my needs well.

BUILD QUALITY CHANGES

I'm familiar with the pre-pandemic build quality of Boston Whaler boats, which has always been top notch. The build and finish quality of my 2018 190 Montauk was second to none. It really was a solid boat and it was delivered to me in mint condition. I'm anxiously awaiting my new build, but I am sometimes concerned about quality control after reading on other forums about a small handful of new owners who have had manufacturing defects on their brand new Boston Whaler boats such as gel coat defects, scratches, damaged screws, and loose hardware.

I don't want to exaggerate: I have only come across four or five such cases in the last year. I also realize that there can be random and isolated quality control problems in any company.

Q1: in your experience, has Boston Whaler maintained its build quality and product since 2020?

Other boat manufacturers have struggled in this arena since the pandemic struck. I obviously don't want to pay what I'm gonna pay for something of lower quality. My suspicion is that manufacturing defects have been isolated incidences and that Boston Whaler has maintained its new-boat build quality and product--although I would like to know your experiences.

2023 NEW BOAT PRICING

My dealer told me last October that my new 210 MONTAUK would be a 2023 model because the earliest build=slot available for a new order was in July 2022. The dealer would not lock in the pricing at the time because Boston Whaler had not yet set pricing for 2023 models.

Q2: when does Boston Whaler typically determine pricing for a model year?

I'd expect pricing to be available by July if the boat is scheduled for production then. My dealer has not given me an answer.

Thanks for your insights.

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Phil T
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby Phil T » Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:35 pm

Build quality has suffered and will continue until the build demand slows. The key is to closely inspect the boat prior to signing and payment. Photograph and document each item.

The model year starts in July.

Dealer pricing has become even more closely held in the last year or two. Last year Whaler removed pricing from its website so there is no method to know what each dealer is selling their boats for compared to MSRP. In the last four to six years there were no discounts from the factory, only on dealer add-ons. With Covid, these discounts are gone.

Personally, I would not order or put down a deposit on any boat without a signed sale agreement with the price in writing.

You are better off buying a used 210 Montauk. They range from $35,000 to $65,000, depending on options.
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Jefecinco
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby Jefecinco » Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:50 am

I would expect a dealer to demand a substantial deposit to place a special order and use a build slot for a 2023 boat. Generally a sales agreement will be executed and signed by the dealer and buyer at the time a deposit is paid. Perhaps that is no longer the normal way to do business.

Bad news travels quickly and with the proliferation of internet boating sites and blogs it travels exceptionally fast. Someone who buys an expensive product with a sterling reputation is inclined to be very disappointed by even a minor defect and to share that disappointment far and wide. Those who are not disappointed go on about their business without comment. I don't recall any significant defects on new Boston Whalers being discussed on this forum. I don't doubt Phil's comment as he is always very well informed. I agree with his advice. Don't complete your purchase before a very careful inspection of you new boat and correction of any defect you may discover. Many dealer service departments are extremely busy and any warranty service needed after a purchase will often be delayed. If the final payment on your boat depends upon a defect being corrected it will probably receive quick attention.
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby jimh » Wed Jun 15, 2022 10:17 am

Regarding the Boston Whaler new boat quality: many years ago I was given tour the Boston Whaler Edgewater, Florida plant. The last part of the tour was the end of the production line, where new boats were about to leave the line and get prepared for shipment to dealers. There was a boat--maybe a 24-footer--at the very end of the assembly line, completely built, and ready to leave the production area. There were one or two grease pencil circles drawn on the hull. I asked about those circles. My tour guide--the legendary Chuck Bennett--said the grease mark circles were put on by inspectors to identify areas where there was a small defect in the hull finish. I walked over to look more closely at the area inside the circles. I could not detect anything wrong. However, if I leaned closer so my eye was just a few inches above the hull gel coat, I could see a very tiny flaw. Chuck explained that the boat would be moving off the line to the final clean-up and polish area, and the marked areas would get special attention and be buffed out before the hull was waxed and wrapped for shipment.

That is the sort of quality that has been the benchmark at Boston Whaler.

In the past few years the Boston Whaler company has grown significantly in the number of people working at the Edgewater plant. They are building more boats than ever, more expensive boats than ever before, and employing more people than ever before. At the same time, the methods being used have advanced over time, and boats being made in the modern era are probably better designed, stronger, and more uniformly constructed to the highest standards than ever before.

A Boston Whaler dealer delivering a boat is also part of the quality chain. A good dealer would never deliver a boat with loose hardware--hardware that might have become loose during a several thousand mile ride on a truck on rough highways.

Even with 99.9-percent perfection, there will be one defect in 1,000. In the past two years I would expect that Boston Whaler has probably built at least 2,000 boats per year. That's 4,000 boats. That there were four defects reported by customers means the boats are 99.9-percent perfect.

BW Enthusiast
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby BW Enthusiast » Wed Jun 15, 2022 6:23 pm

Thank you for your replies. They are very helpful. Yes, Boston Whaler has always had a sterling reputation for product quality in my opinion. The pandemic and its associated complications in the supply chain have introduced some unknown variables. I have come across several very happy customers who took delivery of new builds during the last year and a half, so my suspicion is that these incidents of poor quality control are isolated events. Yes, I will carefully inspect the boat from top to bottom and inside to outside prior to completion of my purchase.

In July 2018 I ordered a new 190 Montauk and put several thousand dollars down. Eight weeks later, I took delivery of the boat. There was apparently a cosmetic defect in the tow pylon, so the dealer called me and told me that they had already contacted Boston Whaler and that a new one would be shipped so it could be replaced. I had to wait an additional two days to take delivery as a result, but when I did the boat was perfect.

I used the boat every March to October on Lake Michigan and sold it back to the same dealership last October for nearly as much as I purchased it for. My dealer informed me at the time that Boston Whaler did not have any more build slots available for 2022 and that any new orders would be for a 2023 build. This was consistent with what I had been hearing from other customers during the pandemic. He also told me that Boston Whaler had not given them the 2023 pricing yet and warned me that there was likely be a 5-to-10-percent price increase for 2023. Since I was a returning customer and because of the unusual circumstances, they did not ask me for a deposit. The dealer informed me recently that the boat was scheduled for production this July. I emailed him today about pricing and am waiting to hear back.

We'll see how things unfold.

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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby PhilD » Thu Nov 03, 2022 2:37 pm

BW Enthusiast:

Q3: did you take delivery?

Q4: how did the delivery go?

raaron
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby raaron » Wed Dec 21, 2022 10:55 am

Another data point: I purchased a new custom-ordered Montauk 170 in Spring 2022. The order was placed in September 2021. I took delivery in New York in May 2022. The deposit was ten-percent of the base price before options. There was no price negotiating--MSRP or nothing. But there was no mark-up either.

The new 170 MONTAUK Boat arrived perfectly at the dealer--at least as far as I could tell. I took ownership 18 hours after the dealer received it from the truck. After a season of 65-hours use, the boat remains perfect.

I am a very happy customer. This is my third Boston Whaler boat.

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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby BW Enthusiast » Thu May 18, 2023 8:29 pm

I wanted to update the forum about my experience ordering a new 210 Montauk. This isn't my first rodeo ordering a custom build Montauk. I had ordered a 190 Montauk in 2018 and took delivery of a flawless whaler 6 weeks later. I'm a fan of the Montauk line and traded it in to the dealership in October 2021 only because I regretted not getting the 210 Montauk in the first place. I ordered a custom build 210 Montauk and took delivery one year later in October 2022 just in time for winter storage. Unfortunately my experience since taking delivery has not been at all positive because of several cosmetic defects and a problem with the new 200 hp Mercury V6.

My new 210 Montauk was delivered to the dealerships with the following cosmetic defects:
  • deep vertical scratches and gashes in the gel coat where the trailer bow stop meets the hull near the bow eye;
  • two visible gel coat defects on the port and starboard sides of the hull measuring approximately 12-inches x 6-inches where the gelcoat appears unpolished;
  • gel coat cracks along the outside corner of the live well;
  • small pinhole punctures along the sides of the vinyl helm seat cushion;
  • defective port side rail with built-in rod holders with deep scratches in the 316L stainless steel;
  • jagged razor sharp edge on the built-in rod holder;
  • a long very visible scratch measuring several inches long on the inside of the console windshield;
  • two deep gashes (not scratches) on the starboard side of the cowling of the Mercury 200-HP V6 engine

Besides that, Boston Whaler neglected to install the transducer for the SIMRAD multifunction display even though it was part of the build order. The missing transducer was discovered when we took it out on the water for a test run and tried to turn on the multifunction display.

The dealership worked hard to correct each and everyone of these (cosmetic) defects:
  • they repaired the gel coat near the bow eye, on the port and starboard sides of the hull, and gel coat of the live well;
  • they asked me if I wanted to replace or repair the defective port side rail;
  • they thought the sharp jagged edge of the stainless steel rod holder that's built into the side rail as well as the deep scratches could be ground down;
  • they brought the metal guy back three times to grind and polish the area, after which the side rail appeared essentially flawless. The windshield is acrylic so the scratch was able to be polished out, although they offered to replace it if I wanted. That wasn't necessary since the scratch was completely buffed out;
  • they also ordered a new vinyl helm seat cushion; and
  • they replaced the cowling of the Mercury 200-HP V6 engine.
The Boston Whaler dealer did all this at no cost to me. The dealership fixed these defects to my satisfaction and even installed a SIMRAD autopilot system that works flawlessly.

On May 16, 2023, I took the boat offshore on Lake Michigan. I noticed a significant amount of oil leaking from the Mercury 200-HP V6 engine when I came back to port. I docked and discovered nearly a quart of engine oil in the engine splash well and and oil pouring out of the oil drain on the engine. I only have 13 hours on the engine

I called the dealership. To their credit they immediately responded and picked up my boat the very next morning. They updated me on May 18, 2023, and the dealer told me that the O-rings and gasket were defective and that they were replacing them. Their service department spoke with Mercury and was apparently informed that this is the second Mercury 200-HP V6 engine with this defect.

I'm extremely disappointed with Boston Whaler and Mercury. I feel like they build my boat at 5 p.m. on a Friday. I've already asked my dealer if they would do a buy-back. I know I'm going to take a financial hit, but I don't want this boat anymore. I don't know if I'll buy a new Boston Whaler again.

Boston Whaler quality control and craftsmanship has taken a turn for the worse. These boats simply cost too much have to deal with everything I've had to deal with. I even feel bad for the dealership because they had to go to extreme lengths to deliver me a new boat in "good" condition. This has been my experience, unfortunately.

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Phil T
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby Phil T » Thu May 18, 2023 10:19 pm

It reads as though your dealer has been very responsive to correct factory problems.

Given the stories of problems with dealers, I think it important to include the dealer's name as a favorable dealer story on how efforts to correct defects should be handled.

If you do pursue a buyback I would not expect to take a financial loss rather be reimbursed the full purchase price.

Please keep us apprised on how events transpire.
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BW Enthusiast
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby BW Enthusiast » Fri May 19, 2023 12:55 pm

The dealer for my boat was Gull Lake Marine. I really can’t blame them. Gull Lake Marine have been more than responsive to me. Gull Lake Marine haven’t turned a deaf ear to me or minimized any of the problems. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy my next boat from Gull Lake Marine if I decided to buy another one because I know they’ll take care of me.

I’m not sure what the outcome of [my new boat order] will be just yet though, but I will soon see. My disappointment lies with Boston Whaler.

The problem is that if Boston Whaler do a buyback, which is what I want, and I decide to order another boat, I’ll have to probably wait another six to 12 months to take deliver on a boat that MAY VERY WELL have more quality control defects.

I’m particular about what I want and am very disappointed that after waiting a full 12-months I get a boat that is very flawed and has several defects including defects with the engine

I think Boston Whaler should CREATE a build slot for me now since I’m a current customer if I decide to try ordering another one.

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Phil T
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby Phil T » Sat May 20, 2023 1:15 pm

The entire 2023 build schedule was sold out months ago. With demand slowing, there may be some flexibility in 2024 but I would not have high hopes.

There is a chance they will have their quality control problems under control next year.
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Masbama
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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby Masbama » Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:01 pm

It had to be heartbreaking when you finally received your new boat and your biggest fears came true. Buying a first class and expensive brand such as a Boston Whaler should be a positive experience not one of worry.

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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby fno » Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:32 pm

I cannot imagine why Gull Lake Marine did not detail your boat before delivery and correct—at the least—the most obvious defects before they even let you know that the boat was on-site.

I have purchased two brand-new Boston Whaler boats, and both of them were detailed by the salesman right before I took possession. One defect I discovered after delivery was that the fuel tank cover screws started backing out. Turns out they were not long enough and Boston Whaler immediately shipped longer screws to the dealer and they replaced them all.

It seems that your dealer was operating under the same principals as mine.

I understand your disappointment to some degree, but why did you let Gull Lake Marine complete all these repairs in good faith and then turn around and ask them to buy the boat back?

Given that Gull Lake Marine fixed all of the defects that you described in a timely manner coupled with your short boating season and delivery delays by Boston Whalers production schedule, I would keep this Boston Whaler for two to three years like the 190 Montauk.

I wish you luck in whatever path you choose with Boston Whaler and Gull Lake Marine. And don't forget about the two happiest days of owning a boat.

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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby BW Enthusiast » Sat Jun 17, 2023 11:17 am

Why did I let the dealership make the repairs to the boat in good faith and then turn around and ask them to buy the boat back?

I asked them to repair the cosmetic defects, which they did, and was perfectly happy to take possession of the boat at that point. The motor sprung an oil leak after I took possession. Yes, they “repaired” it but we all know that new motors shouldn’t malfunction and motors than manifest problems early on are often problematic motors. I lost confidence in the motor.

Ultimately, I decided to keep it and am using it despite everything. I just hope the motor has been truly fixed and I don’t have any problems with it for the next two seasons.

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Re: New 210 Montauk Order

Postby fno » Mon Jun 19, 2023 9:53 am

Glad to hear that you decided to keep the boat. While it is unexpected and unfortunate that the motor sprung a leak, it is fortunate that you have a responsive dealer that got you fixed up in order to enjoy the rest of your boating season. I doubt that you will see any more leakage problems as it seems that Gull Lake Marine was in contact with Mercury and resolved the problem to Mercury's specifications.