New Achilles keeps delaminating, lemon?

[Shaneschex]

Just hit the 1 year mark on my Achilles hb270ax and it was going great until now.. the entire bottom where the tubes connect to the hull started separating and one part eventually opened up and I was taking on water. Gave it to the dealer and they fixed up the bottom by re gluing it (under warranty course) and I use it not even 2 more times and now the top side has started to show delaminaton. I called Achilles and suggested it could be a lemon cause that’s a serious safety concern to have that happen. Guy said anything on them can be repaired and they’ve never dealt with a lemon. But honestly I do not trust these tubes and the glue holding them together. I am able to use 2 finders and peel the seam back where it connects the tube to the hull. Is this a normal thing for seams to be so weak you can peel them by hand??? This is very frustrating as I use this quite often and paid a very big chunk of change for the “quality” name brand. Any advice/ opinions are appreciated

[User name]

I would definitely be looking to send that back, or at the very least, have all the glued seams redone. There's no point in doing just the small sections that have currently failed. A simple error at the time of mixing could mean all of the glue used on your boat during building could be unsafe and will eventually fail.

[Fenlander]

I'm shocked that Achilles didn't take that straight back and replace. I've had (10yrs ago) two brand new Zodiac SIBs with faults indicating poor quality build and both were replaced immediately. Also a new Bombard (Zodiac owned) with a dimensional error on the air floor which was replaced without quibble.

[Shaneschex]

Yes I was hoping for that, but then again I live in the USA and you know how this place is run, maximum profits over quality and it’s showing in this situation.

[User name]

Originally Posted by Shaneschex

Yes I was hoping for that, but then again I live in the USA and you know how this place is run, maximum profits over quality and it’s showing in this situation.

That's a shame, and I hear nothing but bad things about consumer protection law over there vs here in the EU. This really is a poor state for a new boat and it could have cost you your life.

[Peter_C]

Something is wrong like a bad batch of glue, or the boat is/was stored in an area with a lot of gases/chemicals, or a high ozone area. Was there a hot water heater or heating system nearby?

If it is a manufacturer defect, then they should at the least re-tube it, or replace it.

[Shaneschex]

I had it in a Southern California marina for 7 months that’s when I started noticing it he bottom start to come apart last 5 months have been in the back or my suv

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by Shaneschex

I had it in a Southern California marina for 7 months that’s when I started noticing it he bottom start to come apart last 5 months have been in the back or my suv

Is your SUV black?

[Shaneschex]

Nope , white and I leave the back glass open cause it sticks out

[Peter_C]

Then they should replace the entire boat or re-tube it. Glue failure happening in any joint randomly is not reassuring.

[Shaneschex]

Gonna try and just push them for a refund seems to fall under the California lemon law

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by Shaneschex

Gonna try and just push them for a refund seems to fall under the California lemon law

Good luck with that! It costs them far less to replace the boat as it is a write off, vs actually having to put cash out, when it was most likely purchased from a separate dealer who held the funds. Choose your battles wisely.