As many of you guys know, my dad and I are hardcore fishermen. We run a 2601 Striper Center Console with twin 150 Etecs. From tuna at the canyons, to blowfish in the bay, we do it all.
On our (what was planned to be) last trip of the year, it was abruptly cut shore when a surface crack in the gelcoat started flexing and becoming wider and wider. We made the right call and ended our trip before it even started. What started out as a surface crack turned into a large, 1/2" crack in the corner where the swimladder met the splash well.
As I was looking at Striper boats online to see what options there were for the new boats (just browsing, not looking for a new boat at that point), Kevin, the sales associate at Key Harbor, reached out to me via email and asked if we were interested in a new Striper. I explained our problem to Kevin and Key Harbor came down and took pictures to send into Striper and they discovered a much larger problem. A crack ran inside the whole length of the transom horizontally. This was very scary to find since we have been 50+ miles out in this boat. Kevin and the marina then filed a warranty claim.
We were skeptical on whether it would be covered or not because Striper was bought out by Larson in 2008. After 2 months of anxiously waiting, I received an email from Kevin at Key Harbor in January saying that Striper approved the warranty claim. In March 2014, Key Harbor came and picked up the boat and brought it to the marina.
That's when the work began. The engines were removed, the top part of the transom was cut out, and a new support bracket was installed. They also removed the two small 6" hatches and put in a new 24"x12" access hatch. Key Harbor even went the extra mile and had a custom stainless steel molding piece fabricated to go over the back instead of the old plastic molding.
Fianlly, May 2014, we got a call from the marina saying that the boat was in the water and ready to be taken home. The full estimate was covered under warranty and we paid nothing (except for the engine work we had done).
The repair and service that was done by Key Harbor was top notch. They always kept us up to date with the repairs and really took care of us. As of now, we are back on the water and catching fish! Key Harbor is HIGHLY recommended by us for their great work and outstanding customer service. Big thanks to Kevin the sales associate and Fred the owner!
Looking forward to a successful 2014 fishing season. Tight lines and be safe!
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Joey Mitchell
305 Grady White Express with twin 250 Yamahas
2007 2601 Seaswirl Striper CC with twin 150 E-tecs