Alumacraft rowboat - 12 foot length - purchased in 1999 from Dickerson's Marine, Mattituck, Long Island, NY - in 2003 boat bottom corroded and full of holes

Alumacraft rowboat - 12 foot length - purchased in 1999 from Dickerson's Marine, Mattituck, Long Island, NY - in 2003 boat bottom corroded and full of holes

From: Email User

Alumacraft Boats--DO NOT USE IN SALT WATER!!!

We purchased a 12 foot Alumacraft rowboat in the summer of 1999 from Dickerson's Marine in Mattituck, Long Island, New York. The boat was on the beach the first summer except when in use. During each of the summers of 2000, 2001, and 2002 the boat was in the water for 2 months, for a total of six months.

New bottom paint of the type recommended by the dealer was applied every year before the boat went into the water. We were unable to use the boat in the summer of 2003 because the bottom was completely corroded and full of holes. We took pictures of the boat and the dealer sent them to the manufacturer for us. We got no response from Alumacraft.

When I called Alumacraft and spoke to "Vern" in the warranty department, I was informed that the company would do nothing about the defective boat (but would take 10% off the cost of a new boat). I was told that "the boat could not be used in salt water unless it was taken out of the water after every use and washed inside and out".

After my conversation with Vern, I contacted the company via e-mail. They wrote back, said a file had been opened, an inquiry would be conducted, and that I would be contacted by a Customer Advocate. That never happened. When I e-mailed them back, they replied that "this inquiry has been closed." When I asked what the inquiry consisted of, they replied that Vern Myers had talked to me.

When I explained that I had talked to Myers before I ever e-mailed them, they forwarded my e-mail to him. Vern Myers sent me the following e-mail, which is the last I heard from the company: "As per our phone conversation alumacraft will not do anything more on this issue."

These boats are being marketed in a place where virtually all the water is salt water. If we had known the boat would rot after only a few months in the water, we never would have purchased it in the first place. Please make everybody you know aware of the fact that Alumacraft boats cannot be used in salt water, unless you plan to remove them from the water and wash them inside and out after every use.

Kate Williamson

The above message is Complaints.com Consumer Message # 6 January 13, 2004