After many months of searching for the perfect boat after not being able to make a deal on a 38’ Donzi ZR here locally with Performance Boat Center, I saw this awesome Nor-Tech 3900 SuperVee at Lake Cumberland Marine early this February. It was priced over my budget, but I figured what the heck I’ll shoot an email to see if we can get closer. They countered my offer, I countered back and sure enough, Dan Candido, a salesman at Lake Cumberland Marine replied back and we were in business. All I needed was a survey to ensure the boat was as “sweet” as Dan kept telling me it was as I’m in Missouri and the boat is in Kentucky. Dan would routinely tell me how the previous owner, Matt Garland, was super anal and kept everything in tip top shape, whatever the cost. Dan ended up hooking me up with Bill Burke from Northwood Marine Services, a local surveyor who had just happened to survey this boat for another perspective buyer about 30 days prior, whose finances fell through. Bill was nice enough to send me the survey free of charge and I was excited as Bill is an accredited surveyor. I was so thankful to Bill for saving me $750. The survey told the story I wanted to hear, basically the only flaws were a couple missing screws on the helm and it didn’t have fire extinguishers and the appropriate personal floatation devices. Man was I stoked, especially when I read in Bill’s report that the hull of the boat lacked any nicks or scratches and was near “pristine”. Let’s make the deal!

So I drive to Kentucky to pick up the boat about a month later. I see it in person and sure enough it looks great. They fire up the engines for me and man did it sound awesome. I was so excited to finally have my dream boat and seeing it in person made it so much better because it was actual right in front of me and it appeared just as everyone told me it was. I signed some papers and hooked it up and drove it back to Missouri. I dropped it off in a garage my Dad owns and waited until I had enough time off work to put it in the water and drive it. I counted down the days, there were nearly 50 of them. Then finally came the day to put it in the water. My wife and I couldn’t wait, we backed in the trailer, fired the boat up and we were off! After an hour or so of driving, we took it back to the dock and put it up on the boat lift. I looked at the hull when it was up and thought, man, we must have hit something as chunks of gel coat were coming off, down to the fiberglass. The more I investigated the more I didn’t think I did hit anything. There were cracks in the gel up and down both sides of the lower hull. At one crack at the top of the starboard chine, I was able to push on it and water started coming out of the boat.

Man, I was freaking disappointed and depressed as all get out. We pull the boat back out of the water and I take it to Terry’s Marine, a fiberglass repair shop here at the lake. Terry looks at the boat and tells me that not only do I have issues that are obvious (gel coat falling off), this boat has had a terrible cover up repair job utilizing white paint and clear coat. Basically, the boat had the ¼” of gel-coat applied, smoothed, painted and cleared so it looked awesome. But you put it in the water and this awesome looking gel-coat does not stand up to the stresses of a boat this size driving down the lake, so it started popping off. And where it popped off, water was allowed to enter the hull because the fiberglass repair it needed was non-existent or so poorly done it was worthless for structural integrity. I have no idea what Matt Garland hit with this boat or if Lake Cumberland dropped it moving it or what. I do know this damage must have occurred after October 2015 because I know Matt participated in a Florida Poker Run around that time and there’s no way it was with the hull in this dismal condition. So it was an obvious, cover up repair/sell deal. I just can’t understand why anyone would put such a crappy “cover-up” patch job on such a nice boat. I paid $140,000 for this boat and Matt purchased a 412 Skater to replace it, so he had money to fix this correctly one would think. I’m guessing he just wanted to screw somebody to save a buck or he got screwed on the repair himself.

I have been in contact with Dan from Lake Cumberland and Bill the surveyor requesting help and both basically said “not my problem”. I’m curious if maybe Lake Cumberland did the fiberglass repair work, then sold me the boat without letting me know they just shoddily repaired it. Maybe not, I’ll never know because I can’t get any answers. Regardless, I’m just sharing my story so maybe others can learn from what has happened here. This will end up costing me thousands and at least 2 months of boating this year. But, the boat is currently getting repaired by the best in the business, so it will be done right and it will again be an awesome boat. I do have pictures of the junk repair job and a video of me pushing on the chine watching water come out for anyone interested. Buyers be overly cautious, of course, not sure what else I could have done except take it on a test drive for an hour on a rough water day, then pull it out and inspect it again prior to buying it. 1st world problem here I know, but pretty bummed about it.

Man that sucks. Sorry to hear. Who's doing your repair work on the Hull?

Terry's Marine in Lake Ozark. He's a one man show, but he is awesome at it.

http://s1226.photobucket.com/user/nu...u.jpg.html?o=1

That truly sucks. Any boat I buy, I always sea trial it before I hand over the check..... Have you talked with your attorney? Good luck with your situation.

Excuse the french. Fuk me ! Damn !

By the looks of those pictures, Helen Keller should have spotted that junk repair from 50 feet away. That is one of the biggest quickie hackjobs I have ever seen. The marine surveyor should have his license revoked. Rule #1............NEVER EVER use a surveyor/inspector that the seller of anything recommends you use.

That is Truly a nightmare , sorry for your troubles. You are doing the right thing just making it right again and moving on. Legal action could just end up leaving you right where you are now minus legal fees. Someone did you wrong for sure. Beautiful boat tho. As stated above , that is some ****ty cover up job, someone knows the real story.

Wow. I have seen fiberglass repairs done by some of the worst. This one qualifies.

I thought lake Cumberland Marine was a pretty reputable dealer?

Another reason I say surveyors are bs and have someone who actually knows boats look it over