Transom Spider Cracks from swim deck brackets 2002 Mobius V. Anyone Else?

[Nobodyrides4Free]

My transom is cracking where the swim deck mounts go into the boat. I know the boats for those years had this issue. I believe I am the second owner of the boat, but not sure. I was not aware the warranty could be transfered either. The swim deck moves or flexes up and down at the transom when you are on it. The cracks on the passenger side of the boat are larger than the drivers side. The screws will not hold in place, they are stripped out. If there is a backing plate on the boat the screws are not threading to it. My concern is they are the bottom screws, an the cracks are very large at the top. It makes me wander if the mount are secure enough to hold with someone on it. I do not let any sit on deck when its out of the water. I have heard that other boats have taken on water through the cracks when they get bigger.

Anyone Else having issues on their 2000,2001,2002 Moomba Mobius V. Online researching and had seen some other Moomba owners talkng about it for these years.
This is a copy, of part of the letter I sent to Roger @customer support at Moomba per his request

Rick, No Worries....Moomba

[bergermaister]

Rick - my 2001 has spider cracks in the transom around the swim platform mounts on both sides but I am quite sure they are in the gelcoat only. I've inspected it very closely and it kind of freaks me out but it has held solid for 5 years running now since I've owned it. It may have been like that when I bought it and I never noticed - honestly not sure.

My limit is 2 maybe 3 smaller adults or roughly 4 kidddos on the platform when it is in the water, usually no one or one only when out of the water. Say 400lb max? And absolutely no bouncing on it no matter where it is. I've seen pictures of others boats with the platform filled with people standing and I can't imagine that... Pretty sure mine would break off and sink to the bottom.

I can't tell you much about the mounting screws as mine are still buried neatly under the carpet and the boat is tucked away for the winter right now.

I'd think a guy could get some gelcoat repair done to fill in the bigger cracks relatively cheap and then maybe have some slightly over sized stainless backing plates made to beef it up?

[Nobodyrides4Free]

When speaking to Moomba Customer support on the phone. They said they had repaired them before under warranty if you were the first owner or payed the transfer fee to the second owner. I was online talking to another Moomba owner and he told me that they had to put aluminum plates in and repair the area because his was leaking water in the boat.He was the first owner of boat and said that Moomba took care of it. I sent pics, serial number of boat and a very long letter to customer that they requested. They are supposed to let me know if they can do anything to help. He sounded concerned to the fact that the screws were stripped out on one side of the boat (2 Bottom screws on left) and would not tighten. My boat had very small cracks on drivers side the first year I had it, now I have large cracks on left side that were not there before. I do not let anyone on deck unless boat is in the water like you.
This was a common problem with Moombas for these years. Moomba just did not do anything unless you were the original buyer or tranferred warranty.
Its like bad paint job from chevy back in the day that Gm did nothing about. Hoping to get repaired this winter.
Love My Moomba........No worries

[ryan_8099]

We have a 2000 Mobius V and I don't believe we have any spider cracks yet. We are getting our boat back from the dealer in a few days and plan to inspect the platform. Our swim platform does however move up and down which is a bit concerning. The dealer said SC doesn't have the parts to replace where it is connected to the boat. I would be interested in hearing what you find out since we don't yet have a solution to fix our bouncy platform...

[bergermaister]

I'll be curious what you find out. I'm at least the second owner and well beyond any warranty I think unless the hull itself is lifetime? My swim platform has some play in it but we're talking like 1/8" of movement and that is just where it slides into the brackets. Just enough that when I first fire the engine I get a little rattle sound when the exhaust bubbles jump up against it. I believe that play is pretty common on a lot of these boats and I could probably shim it like others have and be good to go if it bothered me.

[Nobodyrides4Free]

Berg, The hull warranty is Lifetime. This is kind of Why I am pursuing it . Repairs from what I am told have been anywhere from $800.00 to $2500.00.

The swim deck being loose is common. Mine moves alot. I asked Skiers Choice on the phone if they still had the brackets available. They said Yes and it would be cheaper to order them through a dealership. Now they said the brackets were, but Not sure if they meant the mounts for the boat as well. To get the play out all together you would need to replace both. Alot of people on line shimmed them or drilled the holes bigger where the pins go in and put in larger pins. I will call my friend at the dealer and find out if the mounting brackets are available and let you know. Rick

[DOCDRS]

During the applicable Warranty Period (as defined below), Skier’s Choice, Inc. ("Skier's Choice" or the "Company") warrants to the original retail purchaser (the "First Owner") that the components and parts manufactured by Skier's Choice (the "Covered Components") of each new Skier's Choice boat are free from any defects in material and workmanship, under normal use and when operated and maintained according to boat's instructions ("Normal Use and Operation").



This Limited Warranty applies to all Covered Components other than the deck, hull, floor and stringers for a period of one year (the "One-Year Warranty Period") from the original date of purchase by the First Owner (the "Original Purchase Date"). Exclusions do apply.
This Limited Warranty applies to the deck, hull, floor (excluding carpet) and stringers for the lifetime of the boat (the "Lifetime Warranty Period"). Exclusions do apply.
This Limited Warranty applies to the gel coat for a period of one year (The "One-Year Warranty Period") from the original date of purchase by the First Owner (The "Original Purchase Date"). Exclusions do apply.
This Moomba Limited Warranty may be transferred to a second owner. The remaining duration of the Moomba limited warranty from the first owner's original purchase date is transferable. A nominal warranty transfer fee and a dealer inspection are required. Boats that are damaged or have been abused may not be eligible for the warranty transfer. Inspection and Fee need to be completed within 14 days of the sale to a subsequent owner or the boat will not be eligible for the warranty to transfer.

[vandy654]

I have a 2002 Outback LSV, same hull as your Mobius. I have the same spider cracks in the gel coat around the support brackets when I bought it from the first owner, he beat the hell out of the boat. He was a larger dude, I pictured him using the swim platform as a diving board when jumping in the water. I made some stainless steel support plates to sandwich between the support brackets and the hull, and plates to go on the other side of the transom so all of those forces on the transom would be spread out to a larger area. I will try and stop by the storage area this weekend and snap some pics. Keep us informed on your discussions with Skiers Choice.

[rc5695]

i like your idea vandy, and have been considering doing the same.I just dont' like the bouncy platform. Don't think i've got any spidercracks,if i do, they are really tiny and not very noticable.i just don't like that it feels so un-sturdy :(

[Nobodyrides4Free]

Ok, heard from Moomba. Transferring warranty to second owner did not start until 2009. Great...
Skiers Choice does still have mount and the brackets in stock for the swim decks. They are a Newer upgraded version that has a allen screw that tightens up against the bracket to stop the deck from vibrating. They said that this vibration is part of the cause for the spider cracks in hull.They Think! Also spoke with my Moomba dealership I order parts from in Houston Tx.(10 hrs away) about this issue. He said (Scott in parts) that they repair them on a regular basis and that they charge 4 hrs or $475.00 plus tax. This includes a a backing plate on back side of the hull , bolts all the way through with washer and nuts. They drill through the original plate with a larger size bit for the new bolts. Pull the carpet out to access it and then replace like they were never there. They also repair the gel coat so the cracks are gone. They have been doing them for a while and said that they dont come back after this repair is finished. Before they did them without plate and they came back because they would not hold. Skier Choice is letting me buy new brakets and mounts from them at half price since they cant help with repairs If you look on page 60 in your owners manual, this is what it shows

3. THIS WARRANTY IS IN PLACE OF ANY OTHER EXPRESS
WARRANTIES.
4. THIS WARRANTY APPLIES TO THE FIRST OWNER ONLY AND
IS NOT TRANSFERABLE.
5. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND
YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM
STATE TO STATE.
6. THIS WARRANTY IS EXPRESSLY IN LIEU OF ANY
CONTRACTUAL LIABILITIES, INCLUDING PRODUCT
LIABILITIES.
7. THE DEALER IS NOT THE AGENT OF SKIER’S CHOICE AND
SKIER’S CHOICE DOES NOT AUTHORIZE THE DEALER, OR ANY
OTHER PERSON, TO ASSUME ON BEHALF OF SKIER’S CHOICE
ANY LIABILITY OR EXPENSE INCURRED IN THE COURSE
OF REPAIRING ITS PRODUCTS OTHER THAN THOSE
EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED IN THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. THE
DEALER MAY NOT EXTEND OR IN ANY WAY CHANGE OR AMEND
THIS LIMITED WARRANTY .

If you need Brackets and Mounts Rinkers boat world can get them and have them direct shipped to you
1-800-320-2779 Scott in parts. Mounts $28.50 Brackets $57.00 Wow not as bad as I thought......
looks like I am going to Houston 10 hr road trip. The boat dealerships in my town dont want to help or take your head off!!
hope it helps you.....Rick

[ryan_8099]

Ok, heard from Moomba. Transferring warranty to second owner did not start until 2009. Great...
Skiers Choice does still have mount and the brackets in stock for the swim decks. They are a Newer upgraded version that has a allen screw that tightens up against the bracket to stop the deck from vibrating. They said that this vibration is part of the cause for the spider cracks in hull.They Think! Also spoke with my Moomba dealership I order parts from in Houston Tx.(10 hrs away) about this issue. He said (Scott in parts) that they repair them on a regular basis and that they charge 4 hrs or $475.00 plus tax. This includes a a backing plate on back side of the hull , bolts all the way through with washer and nuts. They drill through the original plate with a larger size bit for the new bolts. Pull the carpet out to access it and then replace like they were never there. They also repair the gel coat so the cracks are gone. They have been doing them for a while and said that they dont come back after this repair is finished. Before they did them without plate and they came back because they would not hold. Skier Choice is letting me buy new brakets and mounts from them at half price since they cant help with repairs If you look on page 60 in your owners manual, this is what it shows



NR4F, thanks for all the great info. How much are the mounts/brackets without the discount? We aren't ready to order quite yet, and we will need to talk to our dealer about install since they originally told us these parts were no longer available. Thanks!

[vandy654]

Good info, thanks for calling Moomba. I'd like to see some pics after you install the new brackets and see what changes they made.

[rc5695]

that pretty much settles it then, i'll be plting ours as soon as I'm up and around again. I was wanting to take the sundeck/engine cover off anyways and fix a couple of loose hinge screws in it too...

[cab13367]

This includes a a backing plate on back side of the hull , bolts all the way through with washer and nuts. They drill through the original plate with a larger size bit for the new bolts. Pull the carpet out to access it and then replace like they were never there.

This is the part that I don't understand. On my boat, there's no way to access the back of the lower mounting points from inside the boat without cutting a hole in the rear locker floor. Does the dealership do that as part of the repair and then patch the hole?

[Nobodyrides4Free]

The price I mentioned on previous post for the brackets and mounts should have said each. Sorry

[Nobodyrides4Free]

The price I mentioned on previous post for the brackets and mounts should have said each. This was the price before discount. Sorry...So like $172.00 plus tax and shipping. Talked to dealer today in houston about repairs for the spring since my boat is in storage already. Said it takes about a 5 to 6 hours to actually complete repair.

Cab13367, Not sure about accessing below rear locker. He said they remove the carpet and the put it back after like they were never there. When I get it completed in the spring I can post pics. 1-800-847-9247 is Rinkers boat World number if want to call Scott for more details.

[vandy654]

Here is a picture of what I did. I didn't undo the carpet on the other side of the transom to show the backing plate, I can do it this spring if you'd like to see it.

12887

[cab13367]

This is the part that I don't understand. On my boat, there's no way to access the back of the lower mounting points from inside the boat without cutting a hole in the rear locker floor. Does the dealership do that as part of the repair and then patch the hole?

I contacted the dealer where I bought my boat (Romoboco in Pueblo, CO) and this was the response:

"Yes the floor has to be cut out, foam removed, new plates installed. The newest method SC is using is to use an access plate instead of reglassing the floor. Depending on which mounting bolts are loose we have also pulled the lower bolts, filled w/ epoxy, re-installed bigger self tapping bolts and then drilled and installed additional self tapers above those. Approx time on self tap, 4 hours- approx time on new plates 12 hours."

I then asked if this is covered under the lifetime structural warranty and this is the response:

"It depends on the situation if it is covered under warranty. Typically, if the bracket on the boat is usable it will not be covered. By the way, gel coat cracking is not covered after 1 year, however if the platform is going to fall off it will be covered under the structural warranty."

I have some slight spider cracking at the bracket mounting holes. I have not checked to see if the lower bracket screws are stripped but my brackets seem to be firmly attached. I will check it sometime this winter.

Al

[Nobodyrides4Free]

Al, The dealer I contacted said they tried using bigger screws, they had some come back with the same issue. Thats why they put the plates on all of them now. The platform will probably not ever fall off, so the structural warranty will never even be used..
I got the new brackets in the mail today...Looks like the new design will work with the allen screw to keep the platform from moving up and down as much. My concern is the the allen screw will wallow out the metal that it tightens too on the platform bracket. Guess I will find out in the spring....

[Shanian79]

Having the same issue and looking to DIY over the winter. Does anyone have photos of the inside plates installed or links to photos and details of the backing plate fix on this?