Rodney Tuttle 0 Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 So my seats in my 2017 226 stated getting sticky this past winter and I recently found out that Robalo had a bad run of material. So my dealer sent the warranty manager a couple of emails trying to get it fixed under warranty, but they didn’t care to answer him. So I called them myself and was told that it couldn’t be repaired under warranty because of warranties expiration date. They did offer a discount on the cushions at around 1700 dollars. So my thinking is , they knew there was a problem with the material for the seats and therefore they should fix them no matter when the warranty ran out for this defect, so what do you guys think, by the way I’m a newbie and love my Robalo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SaltySoul 0 Posted August 27, 2020 Report Share Posted August 27, 2020 I have the same issue and apparently they stopped replacing cushions. It seems sunlight makes the issue worse and I keep my boat covered so unfortunately it did not fail before they stopped correcting a known issue. Very disappointed that Robalo is leaving owners to cover the cost ($2887.14 plus crating, shipping and labor for a 246 = approx. $4500). I own a Chaparral and a Robalo (same company) and have never had anything bad to say about either boat, but as a loyal customer it seems Robalo no longer values our loyalty. Will definitely be a factor in my next boat purchase. If you happen to find any information that they will stand behind their product, please share and I will do the same. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodney Tuttle 0 Posted September 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 Thanks Salty I appreciate your reply, but I was told that they would replace mine for 1400 plus the crate and shipping, I’ll put them on but I shouldn’t have to pay for something that they knew was bad and could start at any stage of ownership. I also keep mine covered most of the time. I am considering talking to my attorney about this situation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
frankdbx 0 Posted September 10, 2020 Report Share Posted September 10, 2020 I have 2016 226 with the same issue. I contacted my dealer this past Spring about it, and Robalo's response was it was "out of warranty". I wasn't even offered replacements at a discount. It's a known vinyl defect. Robalo should be stepping up for its customers affected by this known issue. Surely, a bad move in the long run for a company trying to reinvent itself as a higher quality boat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bmcnu207 0 Posted September 25, 2020 Report Share Posted September 25, 2020 I have a 2017 207 dual console. Same problem. Started as a small area in the colored portions of the cushions that were exposed to sunlight. It has rapidly progressed over the past few months. Now the cushions are unusable as the sticky material will stick to your clothing. I sent pictures to my dealer who sent them on to Robalo. Understand my boat will be 3 yrs old next month so as far as i am concerned, any factory defects should be covered under warranty. Based on this forum, it is obvious this is a factory defect. Somewhere i read that Robalo has changed to another vendor, the makers of Naugahyde if i am not mistaken. So my dealer said the best they can do is to get a new cushion set at cost....for $2340 + freight(?$) + installation(probably $750). This seems outrageous! Over $3000 for a factory defect in a boat that is still under warranty! On a $50000 "luxury" high end boat?! I just found out that Robalo is abandoning its customers this week. So I came to the forum to find out how others were treated with the respect they deserve from the company they trusted. And then I see that no one has been treated fairly! I would think it would be reasonable for Robalo to provide the replacement sets for free. Then the customer could decide to try to replace them by themselves vs. using a professional. I am really disappointed in Robalo's response. If anyone has found a way to contact Robalo directly or found a more reasonable solution to this problem, I would appreciate hearing about it. Brian McNulty bmcnu@aol.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EberspacherDY&MJ 0 Posted September 30, 2020 Report Share Posted September 30, 2020 I bought my 2016 Robalo 207 in March of 2017. Five of the cushions started leaking adhesive in the Spring of 2020. I contacted the dealer and asked for help. Today I sent an email to my dealer inquiring about the status of their efforts to communicate with Robalo. I received an email today advising that Robalo will sell me the cushions for $4800.00 plus tax and shipping; a discount from $7800.00 normal price. If anyone consults an attorney, be sure to ask about a class action, as the only way a law firm will have any interest is if there are enough claims to make if financially feasible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Diaz 0 Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 Wow this is crazy! I recently purchased a “new to me” 2017 R180 with little to no hours on water (36) boat is in 95% showroom condition yet the helm seat and console seat cushions have all started to deteriorate with this sticky nastiness. I was told by dealer that back when boat was being built 15-16’ under the Obama Admin. Robalo was forced to use a cheaper adhesive chemical as per some BS epa law. Which later turned out to be what we are being subjected to now. I think a Class Action would be the way to deal with this as we are paying top dollar for known crap! I love my Robalo and find they make the best vessel on the water in comparison to similar boats. But this issue is a hard NO! fix it ROBALO and do the right thing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodney Tuttle 0 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2020 Ok ours was settled with us paying $1,400 for the seats cushions and another 400 for crates and shipping, that’s all they would do , and I have to pay my dealer 550 to install. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodney Tuttle 0 Posted February 18 Author Report Share Posted February 18 Ok here’s an update on my cushions, I picked them up after Christmas and I got to talking to my dealer and he said i needed a special tool to install these seats, upon further conversation I figured out he was talking about putting the snaps on the front deck cushions. Which i didnt need to replace these in the first place. The charge for putting one snap on is 12 dollars. So $264 was just for those snaps. Ill post some pics of my new cushions when i install them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jim osullivan 0 Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 I also had the sticky problem with my cushions on my 2019 Robalo 160 even though I kept them covered. I got no satisfaction from my dealer or Robalo even though they admitted to a quality control problem with the material. When did they know this and what action did they take to notify boaters which would have put us in the warranty time frame. Robalo is hiding behind their material material which is useless. I ordered the replacements around $1700 with packing and shipping to Boston. This is not good customer relations or service. Therefore I am reviewing legal action as well as involving the US Consumer Protection Agency and my Ma. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodney Tuttle 0 Posted February 22 Author Report Share Posted February 22 Well let me know sir Im on board. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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