New Boat experience has been a complete Trainwreck. Need advice.

[Fishing_Fool_NC]

Not quite sure where to start on this post but I have a TRX20 Elite ordered in Jan 2018 that I took delivery on 4 May 2018 (one of the last 2 strokes out of the factory)with a laundry list of things that were wrong like some of the posters above from keelguard not glued down in the middle plus: both pump out switches wired backward, all 12v receptacles wired backward & the automatic bilge came on every hour. However the biggest problems were that the 250XS 2S went into guardian mode after a 4 mile run cuz the motor mounted oil reservoir wouldn’t refill, after idling for 5-10 minutes the motor would quit, and the trailer was built wrong. My 2018 trailer was built by Triton, but my 2019 replacement trailer was built by EZLoader....they had the trailer built by Oct 2018 but had to wait for Flippan to build the fiberglass fenders and it was May 2019 (over a year) when I finally got the new trailer. Took the dealer and Mercury about 30 days to finally find the $2 piece causing the problem that the reservoir wouldn’t refill. My selling dealer no longer sells Triton but was great to work with and corrected most of my problems. My new dealer Anglers Choice just last week installed a new low lift pump to fix the fuel problem, and I’m apparently not the first to have that problem. Anglers Choice is great to work with as well and has gotten the new laundry list of warranty issues solved last week. Having said all that, my 2018 Triton was built in Missouri (Clinton I think) where I assume all 2018 Tritons were built before moving to the old Legend plant for 2019. So I’m convinced that my boat is the result of lack of quality control in a mfg. plant only used one year for Tritons....and it certainly wasn’t tank tested when the auto bilge came on every hour. I respectfully submit that my boat has a bumper to bumper warranty and dealers report warranty issues to Triton so Triton can use that information to address the quality control problems at the factory AND with the vendors....the buck stops with Triton!! Even after over a year’s frustration, Triton has delivered a new trailer, and the two dealers now have fixed the other problems so I now have a boat that performs the way my 2013 20XS did. It’s just going to take a little while for the pride of ownership of to wash the taste of frustration out of my mouth.

[fieldstream13]

Update: After getting triton involved, boat went back to dealer and I was told everything fuel related including hoses were replaced all the way back to the tank. That was what triton (corporate),was very confident in the issue being based on similar issues on the past. Boat was at the dealer 1.5 -2 weeks and I just tested it out. Ran good most of the day, then the wheels fell off. But wouldnt go on plane and stalled and wouldn't re start. It took multiple attempts and prayer to get restarted. To add insult to torture, now one of my live Well pumps stopped working. I'm beyond words and terribly disappointed in this entire situation and the brand I thought I.was getting.

[jtef270]

I had something similar with my 2017 19 Trx 225 pro xs, turned out to be the fuel pump in the mercury

[itsahog]

I definitely understand your frustration, and I would feel the same way. That said I don’t think it is Triton as much is it’s probably a problem with Mercury.
In your situation, when it started raining it definitely poured. Nothing will probably give you any confidence in your boat at this point, but I still think once they figure out the problem you’ll find out it will be a good boat. Never should’ve had to go through what you did, that’s for sure. Best of luck.

[cobracrazed]

First of all you have one of the best boats ever made. Does it have problems yes . That said you half to give the Dealer a chance to fix all the issues. You would take a huge hit to sell the boat now. That to me is not an option. Fix the boat no matter how long it takes. I understand your frustration believe me. We all have went thru something similar & we got past it. So will you. And when all is said & done & fixed to your satisfaction you will end up with the boat you always wanted & dreamed of.

hate to be the one to be blunt about it, but the boat has been a hunk of shit since day one. No, it’s NOT the best boat ever made (several ppl in here bitching). I agree, all brands have lemons. this boat has been in the dealers garage more than in his own garage I guarantee that. The original poster is a friend, and occasional tournament partner and I’ve been on this boat when it does this quitting and non-start. It’s been back 2 the dealer umpteen times to be taken care of and when they couldn’t figure it out they had Triton give their very specific instructions because they have “seen this before”. Then after getting the boat back, crap being wired wrong and the thing screwed up again and left US stranded (yes I was with him). The dealer has failed him, Triton has failed him, and it’s time for both to come to the solution that the guy should get a buy back. That would be the only respectable answer at this point. If I had to explain the boat in a word, it would be “nightmare”..... folks don’t realize that the original poster not only has cancelled tournament trails that he was doing well in, but also has cancelled fishing trips, and put hundreds of miles on toting this thing all over the country side.

The boat needs to be bought back PERIOD or replaced with an equivalent worth what he paid for this garage ornament.

sorry to be sour, but until you write a $50k check and have burned up all your vacation time/days hauling a boat back and forth for 6-7 months you may simply not understand the level of frustration involved. You say stick it out, let them fix it. They have had their chances(s) and plenty of them.

[cobracrazed]

I definitely understand your frustration, and I would feel the same way. That said I don’t think it is Triton as much is it’s probably a problem with Mercury.
In your situation, when it started raining it definitely poured. Nothing will probably give you any confidence in your boat at this point, but I still think once they figure out the problem you’ll find out it will be a good boat. Never should’ve had to go through what you did, that’s for sure. Best of luck.

ive been giving him the same advice....... But after being on the boat with him time and time again and it failing, the poor guy is just done. He bought this boat as an upgrade from a 17.5 ft stratos that ran perfect. Because he wanted to get on bigger water. Places like st. Clair, for instance or Erie. He’s NEVER going to trust that boat on big water for fear of no start at this point.
Sucks. Hopefully Triton and the dealer doesn’t hose him. It’s time they pony up and either buy it back or give him an equivalent new boat.

[Riccochet]

Contact the BBB. They offer free lemon law services. That boat should be bought back or replaced at not cost.

[Judson1]

You would think as much as boat manufacturers charge for their crafts these type issues would be very rare if not non existent. How they can charge 30-40k for something with no engine is beyond me.

[itsahog]

ive been giving him the same advice....... But after being on the boat with him time and time again and it failing, the poor guy is just done. He bought this boat as an upgrade from a 17.5 ft stratos that ran perfect. Because he wanted to get on bigger water. Places like st. Clair, for instance or Erie. He’s NEVER going to trust that boat on big water for fear of no start at this point.
Sucks. Hopefully Triton and the dealer doesn’t hose him. It’s time they pony up and either buy it back or give him an equivalent new boat.

Sounds to me, given the information you provided, it might be time to get an attorney involved. After reading everything, this boat should be returned and fully refunded or replaced, I agree completely with that. Nobody buying a new boat should have to go through all this, and sacrifice that much time. I had very small issues with my new Triton when I bought it which were quickly resolved and were very minor. But after reading all this, it’s a little unsettling. I understand things can happen, and I completely agree the dealership and manufacture should have a reasonable chance to fix things, but this is beyond ridiculous.

[fieldstream13]

I had the boat out again yesterday with another issue losing power and falling on its face. Took several tries and finally got back up. I have not been on the water one time since I bought the boat new in July without this issue. Summer it was happening 5 times per trip. Fall and winter usually 1 per trip. It is undoubtedly fuel related. Could be an electrical issue with fuel pumps but I almost feel like its tank related. Multiple merc mechanic s said fuel pumps are perfect...?
My dealer is trying to take care of me and push triton to step up. And I appreciate that. I don't want to go down the lemon law path, I'd like to handle this professionally and fairly. I just want a reliable new boat that I can get back to fishing again. I really just hope triton does what is right and either replace the entire rig or let me move on. Once they figure it out, I'm sure it would be a good boat. But it has already taken a huge toll on me.

[19trx Patriot]

This going to sound dumb, but did u make sure your connections on your perko switch are tight. I had a similar problem with my 2018 19trx losing power and all my dealer did was tighten the connections on my perko switch. I hope this helps

[jbh3]

Does this boat utilize a electronic dash pad w/ a push button system to start/stop the engine? If so, I would look closely there. If not, the connections at the key switch or the switch itself would be a possibility. BEST of luck getting a resolution. That should be a great rig.

[BassCatBrad]

Check all the engine wiring harness connections. When I bought my new 2004 TR196 I had my engine cut off 3x during my initial break-in going across the lake. I took it to the dealer and it did the same to them. It ended up being a bad engine wiring harness connection, someone put excess grease in the connection... seriously. It was a 5 second fix once the problem was found. They checked fuel lines, pumps...etc.

[DaveTTN]

Total bummer. Thank you for keeping us posted.

[fieldstream13]

Thanks for the input, they already checked the main switch and replaced the main breaker. That failed shortly after I got it. Ill have to have them check the harnesses. The fact that it seems to be dependent on the temperature leads me to think it is pressure related in the tank? Could be coincidence though. Is it possible that there is a glitch in the electrical signal to fuel pumps?

[Riccochet]

Faulty kill switch maybe?

[Savage]

FDV. Fuel Demand Valve.

[fieldstream13]

FDV. Fuel Demand Valve.

That has been changed twice I believe. Every hose and valve from the motor to tank has been replaced. We originally thought it was a kill switch issue, but mechanic determined that it wasn't the case.

[Barbless]

Run it on a remote/portable fuel tank see if it still acts up while having the boats fuel system taken out of the equation.

[opaleski]

I have had this issue with the fuel tank. A sticker, or tape was inside it. Replace the fuel tank.