But according to the OP's post he is a "first time boat buyer" so I doubt that. The OP has probably heard the "Nitro horror stories" from a guy's uncle's best friend's dad's grandpa's best friend's 3rd cousin.Originally Posted by mnmike59
Nitro makes a good boat and like Berudd said if the deal is right get the boat and dont look back. Most boats have had issue.. lord knows Iv had issues with a Triton that I had before this Triton.
Good luck with your Decision
Triton 19 XS Elite, 225 Mercury Pro XS, Minn Kota Ultrex 112, Hydrowave H2, Twin 8' Power Pole Blades, Power Pole CHARGE, Lowrance HDS 12 and 16 at console, Lowrance HDS 9, Garmin LiveScope at bow, Mercmonitor, Rigid Industries Deck lights and other stuff to come that will make me go more broke
Well where should I start? 2019 z-21 bought August 2018. Gel coat issues, bottom had to be sprayed. Live well pumps leaking. Doesn't sit on bunk boards correctly. Electrolysis due to jump start switch. Back of drivers seat had tear in it. Graphs have interference when using trolling motor. Surge brake reservoir on tongue of trailer leaking brake fluid. Steering helm leaking hydraulic fluid. Oh yeah ruined my carpet it has to be replaced. Plenty of room rides good love the new 4 stroke, but all the shop time is starting to piss me off. 8 months old and it's been in the shop 3 of the 8.
Holy Crap, That's enough to piss anyone off big time! Is there a "Lemon law" in Al.? In Minnesota there is for vehicles but not for boats as far as I know. WOW, you got yourself a real lemon for sure!
I have a 2017 Z21 and could not be happier, It's been flawless for two years of hard use.
Sounds like you bought a boat from Sylacauga Marine.
I would not be happy either. Have not seen any of those issues.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team
Wow, I would be pissed also. None of those issues here.
No comment, but at same time quality control also go back to manufacturer on majority of those items. Dealer is technically only responsible for graph installation. The rest actually goes back on manufacturer.
Last edited by suprtrkr1974; 04-22-2019 at 03:07 PM. Reason: Adding more
The boat is shipped pretty much stripped of everything. The dealership rigs the boat out for the person who is going to buy the boat. Now, if you ordered it with certain options, then the factory may well add those things. Main things like live well add-ons, wiring for certain added options. The boat being sent to a dealership on most boats are stripped and no added options. They leave the dealership to add them when that person wants those certain things on their boat.
Now we come back to Sylagauga Marine, maybe now..properly not but maybe they have hired some people that care about rigging a boat out like it was theirs. Maybe they would put on an engine straight and not crooked. Maybe they now can run wire under the deck and not on the deck down the side tied strapped down. Maybe they now have a guy who uses a dremel to cut out the hole for the depth finder rather than just drilling some holes and knocking the rest out with a hammer. Maybe they know there is a kit to install that electronics in the dash rather than just using silicone to hold it in place. Maybe they now know that you have to adjust the throttle for a hotfoot and not just attach it to it and the engine only runs half throttle.
Thank goodness I have NEVER bought a boat from them. I have had to see for myself boats that they did rig out and it was not a pretty site. You will pay less for a Nitro there,,yea, yea, I know about the same price everywhere but they just throw in some goodies to make it a sweeter deal, but in the long run...no, the short term you will have wished yo had bought it from another place. Like the first time out on the water.
I feel for you and the problems you have had, but If you did purchase the boat from the dealership noted above, I would well be making sure it wasn't them that didn't rig it out.
So far they are making it right. Not like I can really use it anyway right now. Had shoulder surgery about a month ago and just now getting to where I can use my arm. Now if it wasn't for the bum shoulder I would definitely be raising 3 kinds of hell.
I feel your pain there. I had shoulder surgery this past January. Physical therapy for two months and still my bicep tendon tore away from my shoulder. Surgeon said if you can live with a 5 to 10% loss of strength then go fishing......I started back fishing.
Damn. These pop up way too often.
Best thing for you to do is go to your nearest dealership and crawl in/around one. Open compartments, look at the fine details, look at your OTD price for the package and see if it's best fit for you.
I bought a 17' last year, with a decent discount for being a previous year's model - has been a great boat for me in every way. No regrets, and would buy another in the future without hesitation. I believe most of Nitro's bad rep comes from their earlier year models. GL!
2017 Nitro Z18 - Mercury ProXS 175 - 24P Fury - Elite 9 TI2 - Fortrex
I agree with you. I do believe though that a good dealer may have caught some of it or prevented some of it. The electrolysis problem I belive would be dealer rigging. None the less, I hope both Nitro and the dealer make right by you in some way other than just fixing the issues and you get to enjoy your purchase for as long as you decide to keep it.
I had a 2011 Nitro Z7 for 8 years, I heard all sorts of crap from others about this is gonna happen and blah blah B.S. I had absolutely ZERO issues with the whole package. These boats are well built and well thought out. When it came down to trading in for a bigger hull I went with the dealer that gave me the best deal on trade and options, So instead of a 2019 Z20 I went with the 721 Phoenix. I would not detour anyone from Nitro ever, if your find the one you want with the right deal GO FOR IT, you won't regret it.
721 ProXp
I have had a Z18 for three years...love it but wish I could have gotten a little bigger boat, then again it wouldn't fit in my garage. It was my first real bass boat!
The one issue is that Z18 they only come with a 2 bank battery charger...I thought since it has 3 batteries it would be a 3 bank charger...WRONG!!! When I took my boat out for the first time this season...dead cranking battery.
I just purchased a new NOCO 3 bank 30amp charger...but then I find it won't fit into the available space back near the batteries.
One option is to mount it on the bottom inside hull...would use adhesive as I don't want to drill holes that could penetrate the hull...or...return the 30amp unit and get the smaller 12amp unit. The smaller unit could fit/replace where the existing 2 bank charger is currently located.
Everyone makes a nice boat these days, heck everything cost to much not too. Im a 15 year Champion guy but I absolutely love my New Z19. No issues at all and if I do I have a 7 year warranty on everything.
Phil 4:192018 Nitro Z19, 200Pro Xs, Lowrance, Minnkota
Thanks for your input everyone! I appreciate all your opinions as I look forward to purchasing my first boat.
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