''A RANGER PURCHASE STORY ''

[davecook]

On March 24 th 2020 my wife and I looked at a 2018 Claret Red R27 Ranger O.B. Model with approximately 25 hrs on it . The boat was in a unheated boat house on a boat lift . The boat appeared to be very clean . It was advertised as '' LIKE NEW CONDITION BOW TO STERN '' on YACHTWORLD by the Ontario Ranger Tug Dealer . ----- In June 2020 we traded our 2013 R27 Ranger ''BUCKETLIST '' on the Red 2018 R27 . ----- I arranged boat movers to pickup the 2018 R27 with their hydraulic trailer at 9 am July 9 th 2020 ( the boat didn't come with a trailer ) . When the movers got there , the boat was not ready at the launch ramp . They later found the boat at a dock and saw a staff member with a mop & pail , mopping up water in the V birth . The movers questioned this , and where told it was due to '' THE AIR CONDITIONING DRAIN '' . Staff said they would call me right away , which they did . Staff told me the same story and I responded '' I want a tech on the boat immediately to look into the problem before shipping the boat '' ----- The boat was then loaded onto the trailer without my knowledge .I was then told by staff , while the boat was in transit '' to hire a tech at my marina and the dealership would pay for it '' ------ With the boat in the water at my marina , the boat was taking on 12-14 gallons of water per day ( without air conditioning on ) . ----- I was regularly in touch with the Dealership Service Manager and the Ranger plant for advice to try to isolate the problem . For days I followed their direction to find the water source. ------ With all possibilities ruled out , I decided to hire a hydraulic trailer and we pulled the boat out on July 21 st 2020 . ----- 2 ( TWO ) LARGE CRACKS , PORT SIDE LOWER HULL where found by crawling under the boat . No scrapes and no gouges anywhere in the area . ------ I hired a surveyor to do a full survey and he found 40 '' forward and 60 '' aft of the crack , 60 % to 100 % moisture readings . There where other survey issues found as well , that really surprised me . ---- Numerous emails and phone calls with the Ranger plant and the Ontario Ranger dealer has resulted in them, telling me ,to call ''MY INSURANCE COMPANY '' IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 5 WEEKS NOW .......

 

[iggy]

Why did you not have the boat surveyed? Did you go look at the boat before buying it?

Not trying to give you a hard time. But I think before buying any boat you should at least see it for your self.

 

[NEDBETTY]

Most states have a cooling off period but maybe it’s been to long
I’d council for sure

 

[davecook]

click on camera to see pictures of it , at end of the pictures ( posted today )

 

[ksmoth62]

I'm sorry for your difficulties. I sold our sailboat this summer and have been looking at Ranger Tugs for a year now. I have visited a local dealer here in Michigan twice and have had plans to buy a 27 but still somewhat unsure between classic vs ob. After looking at your pictures I also don't see any sign of external damage associated with the cracks.
What did the surveyor think was the source of the cracks. I makes me wonder about the basic construction of the hull. This could be more of a warranty issue as opposed to an insurance issue. I hope you let us all know the final outcome. This actually gives be a bit of a pause on a Ranger as I recall reading one other post in the past about cracks in the hull.

Best of luck and hopefully you'll be able to enjoy your boat next season. Gary

 

[Brian98133]

My cousin had a similar looking set of cracks in his Bayliner a few years ago. In his case, the boat had been anchored improperly (lesson learned, I assume) and sat aground at a negative tide.

Seemed to be ok, since it appeared to be a muddy bottom... but later discovered that a portion of the hull must have sat on a rock or section of a log, which must have supported the large share of the weight. Two large cracks (not quite as craggy as yours) were evident and you could see a 'smudge' between, which led us to believe it sat on a rock (or section of log, etc.). But the type of cracks were very similar.

I'm no expert... but it just doesn't seem to be a 'defect' in manufacturing. It looks like it may have been dealt a similar fate, possibly. Maybe a soggy deadhead, which wouldn't make much of a mark, but can deal a heck of a blow to a hull.

Gary, I would plan a trip if possible to tour the plant here in WA... Once you see how well the hull is made, it'll put your mind to rest.

So sorry for your troubles! Crossing fingers you find a resolution!

 

[davecook]

Thanks for your posts so far , and reading my story . My lawyer has instructed me not to comment any more , at the moment . Thank you again

 

[RichardK]

I was surprised to to that Fluid motion took down my post and the one from the Illinois attorney. That's because we suggested action unfavorable to Fluid motion. They'll probably take this down too. Dave Cook, if they do and you didn't read them, email me at aspenjet@hotmail.com. Hope you get this before they read it.

 

[SaltyDogg]

I hope your attorney is good, I really want to see him go after the Ontario Ranger Tug dealer.

 

[BeaconBluff]

Sure looks like it was dropped. I bought a 2018 used R29S from the Ontario dealer and had a very good experience.
Rodney

 

[vertigo]

On March 24 th 2020 my wife and I looked at a 2018 Claret Red R27 Ranger O.B. Model with approximately 25 hrs on it . The boat was in a unheated boat house on a boat lift . The boat appeared to be very clean . It was advertised as '' LIKE NEW CONDITION BOW TO STERN '' on YACHTWORLD by the Ontario Ranger Tug Dealer . ----- In June 2020 we traded our 2013 R27 Ranger ''BUCKETLIST '' on the Red 2018 R27 . ----- I arranged boat movers to pickup the 2018 R27 with their hydraulic trailer at 9 am July 9 th 2020 ( the boat didn't come with a trailer ) . When the movers got there , the boat was not ready at the launch ramp . They later found the boat at a dock and saw a staff member with a mop & pail , mopping up water in the V birth . The movers questioned this , and where told it was due to '' THE AIR CONDITIONING DRAIN '' . Staff said they would call me right away , which they did . Staff told me the same story and I responded '' I want a tech on the boat immediately to look into the problem before shipping the boat '' ----- The boat was then loaded onto the trailer without my knowledge .I was then told by staff , while the boat was in transit '' to hire a tech at my marina and the dealership would pay for it '' ------ With the boat in the water at my marina , the boat was taking on 12-14 gallons of water per day ( without air conditioning on ) . ----- I was regularly in touch with the Dealership Service Manager and the Ranger plant for advice to try to isolate the problem . For days I followed their direction to find the water source. ------ With all possibilities ruled out , I decided to hire a hydraulic trailer and we pulled the boat out on July 21 st 2020 . ----- 2 ( TWO ) LARGE CRACKS , PORT SIDE LOWER HULL where found by crawling under the boat . No scrapes and no gouges anywhere in the area . ------ I hired a surveyor to do a full survey and he found 40 '' forward and 60 '' aft of the crack , 60 % to 100 % moisture readings . There where other survey issues found as well , that really surprised me . ---- Numerous emails and phone calls with the Ranger plant and the Ontario Ranger dealer has resulted in them, telling me ,to call ''MY INSURANCE COMPANY '' IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 5 WEEKS NOW .......

I dare say that dealership is in for a helluva repair bill after their promise to reimburse you for the major defects discovered before delivery.

 

[Tuggernaut]

Looks to me like the bunks of the lift were to far apart and the weight of the boat sat on the cross beams. I’ve seen similar damage when people use an improper trailer. Just my 2 cents. I wish you luck.

 

[Chimo]

While I sympathize with Dave Cook I also think to analogy. Let’s reconfigure the story using Dennis instead of Dave etc.

Dennis goes to his Mumbly Car dealer and trades his 2014 Model in on a nice looking 2018 Mumbly XL. The dealer tells Dennis that it is a beautiful car driven by a little old lady and has only 3000 miles on the clock even though it is potentially 3 years old. The car looks fabulous so Dennis does the deal. He doesn’t drive the car, check with Carfax to see whether it has been in any accidents or get a mechanic to check it over. The car is delivered to his house and then Dennis discovers that the car has been in a significant accident, perhaps has structural damage that is not immediately visible and may even have been an insurance write-off. Livid and with righteous indignation Dennis complains to the dealer with whom he has a contract. We have no idea what are the details of that contract, whether the car was sold “as is” or with any type of warranty. What we do know is that the Mumbly Car company were almost certainly not a party to the agreement except to the extent that they may have provided a clear limited and transferable warranty to the original owner. Dennis may feel that Mumbly Car is somehow responsible for policing the quality of used cars sold by their dealer and brings his complaint to their attention. He may also feel that the issues with his used car are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. They may feel that, prima facie, Dennis may have a point but they will certainly want time to check the details including taking a look at the contract and asking for a survey of the damage or failure.

Lawyers get involved and in parallel Dennis posts his complaint on a Fudgebook website sponsored by Mumbly and largely dedicated to sharing information about the experience of owning and operating Mumbly cars, old and new. I could imagine that Dennis might put out a warning to others that his personal experience with the dealer was less than satisfactory. Responses indicating positive or negative experiences with the same dealer would seem appropriate. I don’t think Mumbly Cars would have an issue with that but if the message was that Mumbly were in some way liable for the state of the car that Dennis purchased and that fact had yet to be determined they may wish to leave that for the courts to decide and decline to provide the forum for the debate by people who definitely do not know all the facts.

Just my thoughts

 

[RichardK]

The problem with this analogy is that this is a boat and not a car. there are lemon laws in many states and a lot of precedent on these cases. Your assumption is that the buyer has to be responsible for assuring that there is no hidden damage by paying third parties to offer that assurance.Although, I agree you should always get an inspection when buying a boat, it is not a mandatory requirement which would otherwise relieve the dealer of their responsibility to describe the boat as accurately as they can. The dealer sold a boat that had it been put in the water, it would sink. Out of the water, the crack was very noticeable. They knew or should have known the boat was not was not in '' LIKE NEW CONDITION BOW TO STERN ''.

 

[bob daily]

Chimo, thank you for the great written post!
Primo Facie - the Latin term means "at first glance" or "at first appearance" and is generally used to describe how a situation appears on initial observation.
Thank you for your input. Bob

 

[CVX20]

Am I missing something or did the OP buy a 2 year old boat without a survey and apparently without giving it a once over himself?

How is that a Ranger issue?

It appears, sometime in the past two years, the boat was dropped, improperly put on the hard, improperly loaded/unloaded, damaged while in the water or head butted by a mean raccoon.

Looks like a case of caveat emptor(since we're using Latin).