hurricane recall notice

maxbird

I had a similar issue with a Stratos fish and ski some years ago.  Dealer stuffed long sheets of foam into the cavities  surrounding the bilge area on both sides. I don't see much space back there in my SD 195 OB (similar hull) for doing that.  4 cubic feet of foam is 4 boxes, 1 ft x 1 ft by 1 ft.  Like was mentioned, they will probably drill an access hole and pump foam into the hull.

BoatGuru

To put this in perspective if the boat was 1 foot longer the coast guard doesn't care about flotation is there and it can sink like a rock.

sullmate

Called my dealer yesterday. They said no flotation repair kit has been sent from Godfrey Marine, yet. Has any hurricane dealer received the kit and has anyone had the repairs done? It seems Godfrey doesn,t want to deal with this issue. Frustrated !!!

Skipper

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Godfrey Marine as many Hurricane boat owners have stated in this forum. 
I contacted my dealer as well as another close by dealer and neither have any understanding when the repair kits will be provided to resolve this issue. It is fast approaching 90 days since we received the initial notice of the problem.
We were notified that we were at risk of using our boats and we were instructed not to sell our boats. Then Godfrey Marine has become silent with information. I also contacted Doug, who is supposedly responsible for managing the repair process, by phone and email. I ask
only that he get back to me with some estimate as to when the repair kits will be available to make the needed
repair. It’s been almost three weeks and I’ve heard nothing. Not sure what our next action should be, but
anyone considering buying a boat from Godfrey Marine should be aware of the poor customer support and defective products. 

steddyfretter

So today I paid a visit to the dealer where I bought the new boat from to find out if they had heard anything. It had been well over a month since they told me they were going to order the foam floatation 'kit' required for this recall. According to the service people I spoke with this morning, there are no such kits as of now and Hurricane has put a hold on this thing until they can figure out exactly how this much required foam can be installed in the very limited space of the 187 hull. Once they come up with the proper repair procedure, I was told that the factory will send out 'teams' to each of their authorized dealers to instruct the techs how this will all take place and they will then call the boat owners to set up a date. I am now on a waiting list with no definite timeframe. Hopefully I am not number one as that job could end up being full of problems. In a couple more weeks the boat is coming out of the water and will be on a trailer in my yard. They can come and get it whenever they want. That's where we are at this point in time.

sullmate

we deserve a repair and a refund or credit from Godfrey Marine for this poor response to "their" flotation problem. I think we should receive a least $5000., for our troubles. REMEMBER DON'T SELL YOUR HURRICANE UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE, Per original notification letter.

steddyfretter

This text is from the United States Coast Guard Boatbuilders Handbook revised 11/2003 that boat manufacturers must comply with and covers the Hurricane 187 OB models built in the affected years 0f 2009-16

1.2 Subpart G — Flotation Requirements for Outboard Boats Rated for Engines of More Than 2 Horsepower

FEDERAL LAW:

183.201 Applicability.

(a) This subpart applies to monohull outboard boats that are:

(1) Less than 20 feet in length; and

(2) Rated for outboard engines of more than 2 horsepower.

(b) This subpart does not apply to sailboats, canoes, kayaks, inflatable boats, submersibles, surface effect vessels, amphibious vessels, and raceboats.

Discussion: 

Monohull boats under 20 feet in length and rated for more than two horsepower must comply with the more sophisticated flotation system called Level Flotation. The Level Flotation system requires that the swamped boat, loaded with certain weights representing weight capacity, part of persons capacity and some equipment, must float in an approximately level position and not heel past a certain angle, even when part of the passengers’ weight is on one side of the passenger carrying area. Section 5.0 covers the requirements and tests to perform.

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Attached is a photo of the certification sticker on my 2014 Hurricane 187 OB which clearly states that the boat supposedly passed all CG requirements on the date of manufacture not to mention being NMMA certified as well. (National Marine Manufacturers Assn.) Apparently not true according to the recall letter we all received.

Ripcurrent

Steddyfretter, I too bought my boat from NJ Outboards and the first I heard of this recall was when they called me today.  I never received a letter.  They wanted to know where my boat was and if it was wrapped yet.  They told me the manufacturer is sending an engineer next week.  It is still sitting in the yard waiting to be winterized.  I have a 187 OB and I have serious concerns on how they can properly install these foam blocks without cutting up the interior deck.  has anyone else heard anything further or had the actual repair made yet?

steddyfretter

Ripcurrent.....If you are on the recall waiting list at NJ Outboards you should be getting a call from Ray Ellington who is the Hurricane representative handling the scheduling of this recall. His number is 423-519-0840. According to Ray the job takes a couple hours to do and involves installing a new access plate somewhere to shoot floatation foam thru and also they shoot thru one of the cupholders. It can be done at my house where the boat is on a trailer. I don't need to tow the boat to the dealer at Pine Beach. All they asked for was access to electric and the boat being uncovered. After all this is done I want some sort of written documentation from the manufacturer that this repair procedure will enable the boat to be current with all Coast Guard floatation requirements. Otherwise it might affect the resale ability.

sullmate

steddyfretter, do you know where the access new plate is? I don't like another access hole to be cut. There are two already in the deck. Perhaps they can use an existing access plate?? I haven't heard a word from my dealer in Ct.

steddyfretter

Sullmate....My boat was done this week. They put a small access plate under the stern ladder on the starboard side. Can't be seen when the lid is stowed. I was told that this is how these particular boats will be identified as having the recall completed properly. The port side entry was thru one of the cupholders which also can't be seen. There were two guys from the factory in a white van who came to my house to do it. According to them they are travelling from state to state. The job took about two hours to shoot the foam in. My impression is that this is a totally factory operation and the dealers are not involved with it at all which might explain why you haven't been contacted by yours. NJ Outboards where I originally bought the boat 4 years ago at least kept me advised as to the status of the recall. You might want to call this fellow Ray Ellington 423-519-0840 and see when the recall techs will be in your area. 

sullmate

thanks steddyfretter. 
I appreciate the update. Much appreciated!! It would have been nice if Terry Gipson or someone  from Godfrey Marine sent owners an update but this is probably asking too much !

steddyfretter

Abosolutely Sullmate. This is a major public relations disaster for Godfrey. First they send out letters saying we could end up drowning because of their manufacturing screwup if the boat gets swamped then they keep everyone in the dark for months including their dealers. Now they have to deal with cranked up concerned boat owners who simply want to be kept in the loop concerning the seaworthiness of their vessels. We're only a small minority on this forum. How many others are out there scratching their heads wondering where they stand? Should they continue to use their boat as it is or should they not? Forget trying to sell it without having the floatation issue resolved. I'm sure Godfrey will feel consumer repercussions from this for years to come and they only have themselves to blame for this mess.

sullmate

Steddyfretter, I spoke to Ray Ellington, today. Seems like a nice guy. He was very helpful He said some of the recall work will be handled by the dealers, depending on the size of the service dept. at the dealership. The weather in the northeast will limit the amount of boats that can be fixed this year. Ray is calling my dealership to see the status of the repair kits and if the dealership service people have been trained on the fix. I will keep you all posted on what transpires, Sullmate

steddyfretter

Sullmate, the guys who came to my house to do mine did say that the outside air temp can affect the curing of the foam. They got here at 9am and had to wait a little until the sun got higher. Here's hoping everything goes good for you and that next boating season will be better weather wise than this last one. Only put 50 hours on the boat this summer which is half of normal. Every time I wanted to go out either the wind was blowing hard making the bay rough or there were just a lot of other boats out there creating big wakes. I found that the 187 is great up to a medium chop but anything over that the ride gets a little rough. Smart tabs on the stern helped somewhat tho.