Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I am new to this, but i have i believe i have a serious problem with my PB. Shes a 2011 party barge 24 with 115 merc 4 stroke. Toon has maybe 40 hrs on it bought it brand new Aug 2011 . First off since first time out the floor leaks terrible up thru carpet. A factory problem for sure but now, discovered this morning a new and bigger problem. Back by stern where shims are used for leveling ( i will say the keel section, where gas tank sits in} the last cross member where shims are bolted down, has completely snap thru and broken thru aluminun cross member on both sides and the cross member it self is serperating and spliting in half the whole lenght in side where the gas tank sits. I am certain this a structual failure and shud be warrenty work by tracker dealer and 100 % covered. Also i would think the floor would have to comejust to repair that cross member as well to fix leaky floor and carpet whick also facorty defect PB is srill under 5 yr warrenty!!!!! any thoughts on this issue be much appreciated tnx 53 POWELL steve

First off, photos always help with problem solving.

Wet carpeting is not normally a failure. Pontoons with no underskinning are notorious for what you described. The crossmembers are at the wood floor joints and water will get pushed up and through to the carpet.

The back issue is a whole 'nuther story.

Tnx for reply yes water coming up over cross members and getting pass wood floor at seam and then carpet in middle of boat is a problem and yes under skinning would fix this problem. The water thru the floor and carpet shud not be happening and tracker shud repair under warranty i think anyway. The last rear cross member being snap and broke in half two sides, and splitting apart and seperating, well to me tracker, certainly shud warranty that repair. Crossmembers are not suppose to crack, snap in two, or strart seperating. Crossmember is 4 1/2 " top to btm and is seprating at bout the 2 " mark and running length ways side to side. If not removed and repair could lose bak half of keel and cud lose motor if snapped clean off. Big problem!!!!!

Don't do anything to it until Sun Tracker has had a chance to look at it. Call them tomorrow (Monday) and tell them what you told us.

If it IS a warranty covered issue, your messing with it may give them grounds to deny coverage.

BoatCop wrote:Don't do anything to it until Sun Tracker has had a chance to look at it. Call them tomorrow (Monday) and tell them what you told us.

If it IS a warranty covered issue, your messing with it may give them grounds to deny coverage.

Yep I would be on the phone to the dealer first thing in the morning and go from there.....

Good luck and welcome to the club.
Lots of good advice here.

When pontoon boats are new, it seems most warranty work is minor. Things like ground wires going to the dash not being connected--small things.

But when you see how much weight these things carry and the waves they absorb, pontoon and tritoon boats are really durable hulls.

Sorry you've had a problem with your engine pod. I'm sure your dealer's service dept. can handle it. Watch them try to trade you into another boat--since it may take awhile to get yours fixed.

I've had 2 Tracker pontoons and I boat on some rough water in the Chesapeake Bay. Never had issues that you describe. A word of advice and I hope you take it - have your boat fixed at a private Tracker dealer and avoid Bass Pro Shops at all cost. My '06 Tracker Party Cruiser was heavily damaged in a storm in 2011, Bass Pro Shops sent it out to a subcontractor and ended up having my boat 6 months, sending it back to me with MANY issues. I had the make threats until they sent out certified techs to correct the issues the sub caused.

My current Tracker was purchased at a local, private dealer and I can't say enough positive about them.

And yes, call Tracker Marine today, don't mess with it yourself. They have an excellent reputation for resolvig complaints as long as you call Tracker and not Bass Pro.

Tnx for the advice to all I took my PB to Sun Tracker dealer in Lake Havasu yesterday. Tracker Marine in Missouri said ok. Dealer said he take pics and send Tracker Now we wait and see what Tracker do. I will keep you guys informed tnx again

Well I have news on 2011 Party Barge 24 with a 115 Merc with 40 hrs . Dealer called and advise me Tracker Marine wants my boat back in Missouri. Tracker also requires dealer to de-rig my boat for trip back to Missouri. Motor to come off , gas tank emptied, and all customers personal items on boat to be removed ( fenders,ropes,fabricated downriggers plates etc.). I will make an inventory list. Dealer told me Tracker not sure they are going to do to repair my boat, they just want it back there, and then they will decided what to do. Dealer sent pics and thats what came back from Tracker Marine, so doesnt look like we are going to have boat this summer. Not happy bout that but sure glad i saw this big problem before something really bad happen, and glad to see Tracker stepping up. Notice how Tracker doesnt want any weight on back of boat!!!! for trip back, which is very smart on their part (liability issue and insurance). Sure hope they dont plan on repairing the same as it was originally. That will NOT be acceptable to me!!!!! I am trying to figur out how to post pics so u guys can see the problem the boat has. When i say a STRUCTURAL FAILURE I MEAN IT. Anyone give instructions on how to post pics i will post so you all can see problem.

Glad they're looking at your boat! Seems like something they've got to fix. Here's a thread on posting pics.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5565

When replying or writing a post, under the section where you type you message, there is a section labelled "Upload Attachement". Click on the "Browse..." button to the right of the word Filename. Then select the picture you want. When it selected, you will see the file name next to the browse button. then click "Submit"

Easy peasey!

Tim

Well 53, glad to hear that you may get your issues fixed. However, it isn't so much that they don't want any weight on the back of the boat, as much as they don't the responsibility of removing and reinstalling the engine. Their job is repairing what went down the assembly line. If the motor pod has to be removed, my guess is that may have to basically disassemble the rear portion to remove all the various screws holding it on. And also understand that your boat will be sitting outside in a big open lot, both before and after whatever they will do to resolve your issue. So the less stuff that might "walk away" the better for both parties.

Pictures would be a great help. It might be a stressed area, where all of us should pay attention to.

As an engineer, I can see why they want the motor off. Not for liability, or because they don't want to mess with it, but because they can tell a lot about the root cause by determining the length/width of the failure and microscopic analysis. The motor bouncing on the back as they ship it back to Missouri could create a fatigue condition that would not have been present, and could distort the findings. If they have any engineers worth a damn, they will want to know the truth of what happened as bad as you do.

Tim