170DC hull damage

I went by Merritt Marine today to see how they were coming along on my 2006 170DC when I noticed what I thought was a hull deflection on the starboard side near the bow. I asked Dick to look at it and he suggested that Carl look at it too. Carl was with some customers at the time but when he finished with them we looked at the “deflection”. It turns out it wasn’t a deflection after all but what Carl believes is a damaged spot that someone at the factory tried to repair, although they did a lousy job.

Carl stated this was unacceptable, especially for a Q1 boat. He told me I had two options; accept the boat as a blem at a discounted price, or have the factory make a new boat. I opted for the latter. The bad part is the boat was close to being finished. I hope that Triumph will at least reimburse Merritt Marine for their labor.

Carl said he would call one of his contacts at Triumph and let them know what was going on and to get them started on a new boat. This does not, however, turn me against purchasing a Triumph, these things happen. We’re both glad we found it before I took possession of the boat.

I can’t say enough about Carl, Debbie, Dick, and everyone at Merritt Marine. They have treated me exceptionally well throughout the whole boat buying process and have always taken the time to answer all of my questions, and I’ve had more than my fair share of them. They are, in my mind at least, a great example of how a dealership should be run. They are professional, friendly, courteous, patient, and knowledgeable about their product. I would recommend them to anyone that is in the market for a Triumph boat.

I’m waiting with baited breath, pun intended, for the new boat to arrive so I can get it on the water and fish.

Tom

[MolarBoater]

Quality Control.
The pulse of any company, there's always room for improvement. I have seen some good checklists produced about buying a new or used boat but until laws are passed to bring boats to the realm of automobiles in terms of safety, VIN# on hulls etc they will continue to hurt themselves, the manufacturer's that is.
Think the latest BoatUS mag addresses this issue and the lack of implementation of a coherent plan by the Coast Guard to get the ball rolling, now years overdue after congress passed.
I still think Triumph is actively trying to improve quality control but some individual probably dropped the boat off a fork lift and tried to cover up his mistake. Could have been after the "quality control" inspection and in transit, etc.
Glad you caught it and shows how important a pre-purchase detailed inspection is.....although I didn't even do that! Did have two old "salty" fishermen inspect the boat and caught a blemished motor the dealer was going to pass on to me.

[Cincinnati]

Sorry to hear but glad that Carl and Dick are working with you to resolve.

As MolarBoater pointed out, you really need to go over the boat with a fine tooth comb because it's a whole lot easier to resolve these issues before you own it. Merritt Marine has been great to work with, I've been to other boat dealers before deciding on a Triumph and I have a feeling they would not have been so helpful with a problem like this.