Stacer Rampage

[StacerRampage]

Hi all

Just got my first bream boat for the collie/blackwood rivers.

Been up and down the collie for the last few days testing the boat out.

The stock setup from the dealer was with a cv30hp yamaha. The first thing i noticed was vertical spray from the outboard and impossible to steer while planing. Obviously the motor was way too low.

Here it is stock, about 3" too low:



There is only room at the top of the transom to raise it an inch with the clamps:



I decided to bolt it on:



Seems to work well but doesnt look great and maybe not the strongest structurally.

Anyone else have this issue with stacer transoms?

They advertise their boat as a 20" transom but its only 18.5" and the yamaha has a 21.7" shaft.

Bit of a disappointment from a new boat.

Interesting to hear other peoples stories about this boat and similar.

Thanks

[sexton]

Have you taken the boat back to the dealer and explained the problem to them?

[StacerRampage]

I have emailed the dealer and sent numerous pictures.

The boat simply did not steer left or right when on the plane because the outobard was too deep. It had a huge vertical spray that would get in the boat. The transom measure 19" and i told the dealer and he said he went out and measured all 4 rampages on his yard and says they are all 20".

This is his response today:

"The 429 Rampage is built to take a 20� shaft engine. The Yamaha 30HP is the perfect engine for this boat.

When we spoke at hand-over, depending on weight distribution, the motor may be needed to raised to accommodate water heights.

As I cannot see the boat in motion, I cannot suggest the reason for the vertical spray.

This combination is very common and we have sold many units in this category.

At high speed, tiller motors do seem tight in manoeuvring as you are combatting the vertical forces sustained in motion."


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From his point of view, he and other dealers australia wide have sold thousands of rampages with yamaha 30s and he doesnt see a problem. I am surprised no one else is talking about it either. Its an entry level boat used by mostly beginners so most of them probably dont even realise its too deep or that the vertiacal spray shouldnt be blowing into the boat and that you dont need steroids to turn a tiller on the plane.

Bottom line, the dealr is a useless salesman who doesnt think a problem exists so i have to fix it myself.

[CK]

Originally Posted by StacerRampage

Bottom line, the dealr is a useless salesman who doesnt think a problem exists so i have to fix it myself.

Whilst I dont wish to tar all salesman with the same brush, that statement above is pretty much right in my experience also.
If you get no where with the dealer, Stacer / Telwater should be your next point of contact. Dont give anyone an opportunity to void your warranty by doing anything that might jeopardise it.

[StacerRampage]

Thanks CK

Well, my recent email regarding the warranty implications of bolting the outboard where it is has been met with just ignoring me. I will give him a day or two to respond then i guess i have to contact head office.

I dare say the outboard is fine where it is but if it does come off and sink to the bottom of the sea, i would rather have some piece of writing that ensures my warranty.

Cheers

[scubascott]

Yeah having the engine that way isnt the best for it structurally, you have given the outboard more ability to tension the aluminium by taking away some load distrubution mounting points. As a general rule for intially mounting the outboard the cav plate should be inline with the bottom of the hull. From there it can be moved to fine tune it but it normally does have to move much. I grabbed an image off google which shows it on your boat. If the transom is incorrect get onto stacer, its very poor workmanship for their product to be so poorly manufactured and it is not manufactured to specification and not fit for purpose. Dont try anything that could void your warranty because its not your problem to fix so dont give them a reason to say no. Plus if the measurements are out moving the engine wont fix that. If you can take some measurements on another hull at the dealer and try to prove your point. Adjust the rear trailer roller too so its taking the weight of the boat, looks like its got a decent gap.

[StacerRampage]

Thanks Scuba

Well i tested it in the new position this morning fully loded with passengers in big chop and it worked perfectly.

The dealer has agreed to weld a transom extension and supplied yamaha bolts so it has all worked out for the best.

Will get onto that roller adjustment also.

Cheers

[CK]

Good to see that it has worked out for you mate and that the dealer has agreed to do the right thing. Shouldn't have had to go through such BS though.

[StacerRampage]

Thanks CK

Its obvious now that the boat was designed for an 18" medium shaft vortex. My raise involved a 3.5" lift to accomodate the yamahas extra 3.7" on its 21.7" shaft.

Dealers should automatically do a transom extension if they want to package it with this outboard.

The amount of BS the dealer gave me with lie after lie when he knew full well about all of this to get out of doing the extension was unbelievable.

It will take 10 days for the transom extension to arrive then i have to drive 3 hours to the dealer and back, wait a week for the work to be done then drive 3 hours to collect it, all the while he ignores the question of whether my boat is currently covered by warranty with the motor bolted where it is in the meantime.

Not what you want when you lay down nearly $10k cash for a new boat.

Should have done my research to begin with but the fact that the stacer website calls it a L/S transom didnt make me question it.

[pipnosis]

Thanks for the report. Very helpful to newbie boat buyers like me.

[sexton]

Glad to hear you are getting it sorted. Sure isn't the type of start wanted for any new or old boat owners!

[scubascott]

Originally Posted by StacerRampage

Dealers should automatically do a transom extension if they want to package it with this outboard.

The amount of BS the dealer gave me with lie after lie when he knew full well about all of this to get out of doing the extension was unbelievable.

It will take 10 days for the transom extension to arrive then i have to drive 3 hours to the dealer and back, wait a week for the work to be done then drive 3 hours to collect it, all the while he ignores the question of whether my boat is currently covered by warranty with the motor bolted where it is in the meantime.

Not what you want when you lay down nearly $10k cash for a new boat.

Should have done my research to begin with but the fact that the stacer website calls it a L/S transom didnt make me question it.

Yeah the dealer should know better with the setup, or if they dont they should admit the mistake and fix it. My yamaha manual has a section on mounting the engine and im sure a dealer should be familiar with the process. Sounds like they arent the best with their service, which as you said for 10k they should make your first boat experience much better. Making you wait a week to fix their mistake is a bit rough too. Welding on an extension cant take long, then there is the question of the quality of the install. The dealer probably only has experience in welding cracked props. They probably wont have a 5k pulse mig or an experienced welder like the factory uses. I'd be contacting Stacer and let them know whats happening with the dealer and your boat. Its a step in the right direction from the dealer but I'd be pushing for more. I'd be careful asking them about things your doing voiding your warranty too, all they have to do is prove you went outside the terms and they can void it. If the answer to your warranty question is yes then they have proof to deny any claim. It may be a bit pessemistic but dealers can make money 2 ways - being good at business and getting lots of sales, or by screwing people out of things that cost the dealer. I think your dealer might be in the latter

[Master Baiter]

Can you pm me the dealer details please so I don't deal with them when I buy a new boat soon.