So Frustrated with Sanger!

so 6 weeks ago I took my boat out (Sanger V215). After about 3 hours on the lake I hit a submerged, unmarked rock at a low speed and had to get towed in.

I took the boat to Semper Speed and Marine here in Fresno, CA (Sanger Dealer) to get it checked out. Semper told me that only the prop was destroyed and that everything else was fine...had them put a new prop on, picked up the boat, and thought all was well. Took it out a week later and have a very noticeable vibration at low throttle. This time, rather than taking it back to Semper, I took it into Bohner Lacefield Marine. In 5 min they were able to determine that the prop shaft was severely scratched and the strut was bent. How in the world Semper missed this is beyond me...wont be going back there ever again! Semper is a bunch of morons.

So now we are talking 5 weeks ago...Bohner got the shaft from Sanger, but they were told that the strut was on order and should be in in a few days. A few days came and went and they were told by Eric at Sanger that the strut would be in on July 5th. Never came in. I called Sanger a week later and Eric told me that he had no idea where the struts are, or when they would come in.

What kind of company has this poor of a supply chain? They really have no idea where or when their supplier will send them more struts?

Before I got my boat, all I ever heard was how Sanger stands behind their boats and how their customer service is the best. In my experience, this couldn't be more wrong.

I think it's pretty safe to say that won't be getting another Sanger when I decide to upgrade.

Parts can be hard to come by sometimes. A few years ago our Malibu struck a submerged log and we had to have the rudder, prop, wedge, strut, shaft all replaced. Had to wait a while for the rudder. Luckily our mechanic found one back east and got the boat back and running in a couple of weeks.

That totally sucks. If I were you I'd be scouring the internet looking for people who are parting out their boats.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/2487506756.html

Or finding out if your part is the same as on any other boats in existence. Since it's not manufactured by Sanger I doubt your boat is the only one that uses it. I understand your frustration.

Try Skidim they carry struts.

Get in touch with these guys http://elberts.com/underwatergear.htm I would bet money they have a strut for your boat in stock.

I can vouch for Cecil (owner) at Elbert's. He hooked me and fast. (not on a strut)

It happens. Outside suppliers are out of Sangers control. Do you think they just crap parts out? Sell it and buy another brand then. Your loss! Lol

Every manufacturer relies on suppliers and problems with them can arise. It happens aaalll the time with us at Ford and we are obviously a huge company. The tsunami in Japan has messed us up big time on our electronics and even paint. There are unforeseeable problems that arise and are out of the manufactureres control.

I think the op is upset as well that all the problems were not caught the first time. We spend a lot of money on our boats and expect that our dealers are going to fix our boars issues as they are supposed to be the experts. Yes the parts delay sucks, but I'd be upset as well thinking the boat was fixed properly, then come to find out these other issues were there. Especially if they told me they inspected everything

Exactly right! it sucks to know that I can't even take my boat to the dealer for service.

Sorry to hear your frustration. If you live in the valley it might help to stop in and speak with Eric in person. Only sometimes does things get moving quicker when you are in person and he writes it down. "The "I have no idea where the strut is " answer is not good and he needs to follow up with the supplier and give you a resonable update. I have had success by taking the time to head in there.

Bohner is a great shop and knows the Sanger line very well. Lots of folks with Sangers never return to Semper for many reasons...

I hope it all gets worked out for you soon.

I can't speak to the particular strut you are looking for, but I will add this: I own a service shop, and can honestly say that I have never seen so many supply chain issues in over 20 years in this industry. We have lost so many distributors, manufacturers, suppliers, etc....parts that used to be had in a matter of one day now take weeks to locate. Combine this with the fact that dealers have to be careful about how many dollars they can commit to shelf stock and you have the possibility for excessive delays for the customer.

I would not bring a wakeboat to Semper to be worked on and I bought my boat there. Now a blown big block 502 would be right at home @ Semper as this is there specialty. Mark Semper was outstanding to deal with and I am sure he would like to know about your experience with his shop. He can not be everywhere at once watching everyone but he will certainly try to make things right....if he knows about the issue.

I love my Sanger, on my third one, but I try to avoid boulders.

Nice crack on a guy for his unfortunate experience of hitting a submerged rock.

I had a bad parts experience last summer when I hit a submerged rock in my 04 SAN. The strut was out of stock from nautique and on back order for atleast 5-7 weeks. Basically the rest of the season.

You'd figure this would be a common part what with all of that era Nautiques out there. I was freaking out and called about every dealer with a decent parts shop across the country, hoping someone had a strut sitting on their shelf. Found one at N3 boatworks in IN. SUCH A RELIEF! I would do the same in your position. Just sit at a desk with a computer and call every Sanger dealer with a parts department.

Coop~ Watch out, you might hit a rock anytime. You can name it Karma!

I think the OP needs to settle down. Most boat companies went through the ringer recently with their dealers. Here in Sacto we had Ultimate Watersports(Malibu) and I think it was Capital Watersports (Mastercraft)

Those 2 dealerships would have made you think that Malibu and Mastercraft were the worst boats ever...if you were dumb enough to blame the manufacturer for bad dealer ethics. Sure, it would be nice if the manufacturer had such control over a dealer as to impose their way of doing business, but the reality is, they just want dealers because they need to sell.

This is a dealer issue...and hopefully Sanger will see this thread and try to change some things - if they are things that can be changed. Some things just are out of their control, though. There have been posts here of reps from Sanger flying to different states to help guys with issues they are having. For being the smallest, least advertised wake boat company, they are definitely one of the most stand up as well.

The reference to how bad suppliers are is definitely a way of the times. Nobody is stocking anything because it costs money. There is almost no such thing as a stock room anymore.

Take a deep breath. Realize that some things are very tough to control, and try to understand everyone else's struggles. The fact that the dealer missed the bent shaft doesn't surprise me at all. I do feel your pain, though. Summer is here now, and you want to be able to enjoy every second of it.


Just remember this in your own work life. When someone needs something from you, drop everything and make sure they are incredibly happy and taken care of every time...even if it means pulling some back-ordered, hard to get part out of your never region...

I have to agree with a couple other guys here. Mistakes happen and the dealer happened to miss the strut and shaft being dinged. It sucks that they did and they should of looked at it closer but then again I am not sure it would of helped your solution one bit. If the part isn't in stock anywhere you weren't going to get it fixed regardless. Did you talk to Semper at all about them not catching it the first time? Do they even know that they missed the problem? Did you give them any chance to try and fix it or fix something in their service center so it doesn't happen to you or someone else again?

As for Sanger not having the part would you like them to pull it out of their Arse? Again, like others have said getting parts from OEM suppliers is getting harder and harder. No one stocks anything anymore and basically mans they build to order. Considering most of the components come from across seas it F's everything up as you are probably 90 days or so from time of order till you receive anything. Again, they can't just pull the part out of thin air.

In all honesty their is one person/company that should get most of the blame here and it is yourself. If you never hit a rock you wouldn't be having any problems right now. Keep trying to blame everybody else because you made a mistake. Although this doesn't surprise me as our world is becoming a world of pass the buck and blame someone else. Never take responsibility for your own actions.

In all honesty they may be lucky if they don't have you as a customer. Let another dealer/boat company make a few bucks and have to deal with your blame game.

Knowing the reputation of Sanger and how they handle things I wouldn't be surprised if they pull soem strings and make you happy though.