What Boat Warranty Does NOT Cover
Are you curious about boat warranties? Are you wondering what warranty does not cover? We get lots of warranty questions at our both of locations, L&M Marine in Baldwin County, Alabama and Day Break Marina in Pensacola, Florida, and we’re here to help. We have nearly 40 years of warranty experience and after reading this article, you should have a better understanding of what your boat warranty does not cover.
There are a lot of pros to having a warranty, including they’re a one-time fee, and are transferable. For major outboard repairs, you’re looking at spending at least $4,000-$5,0000, which is when having a warranty can really come in handy. What’s covered under manufacturer, engine, and extended warranties always vary by brand and by boat. For example, Yamaha doesn’t cover corrosion and Skeeter will typically cover a flat rate of one hour of labor.
When you purchase a boat, you’ll get a manufacturer warranty on the engine (for example: Yamaha), and a manufacturer warranty on the boat itself (for example: Cobia), and your extended warranty goes into effect after the manufacturer’s warranty expires The age, make and model don’t affect your warranties. For a warranty on the boat itself, the average coverage term is five years.
Boat Boat Warranty Does Not Cover Corrosion, Misuse, or Negligence
No warranties, whether it's for the boat, the outboard, or an extended warranty, will cover corrosion, misuse, or negligence.
An example of corrosion would be if the propellers or other stainless steel components on your boat began to rust.
An example of misuse would be if you abuse your boat while using it by hitting stumps or not doing service.
An example of negligence would be if you don’t clean your boat properly.
Warranty Does Not Cover Accidents
Your warranty does not cover anything if you are involved in an accident, that’s where your insurance comes into play. Another example of when your insurance comes into play is if your is in a natural disaster, has water damage, or is stolen. Make your insurance policy cover things like theft or if you hit something, being aware of what your warranties cover can help you pick the right insurance policy for you.
Warranty Does Not Cover Maintenance or Cosmetic Damage
Your warranty also won’t cover maintenance, including work on your belts, hoses, impellers, zinc anodes, and oil changes aren’t covered. Each manufacturer has an owner’s manual that has a list of items that the customer is expected to perform.
As far as cosmetics go, if there’s a defect in the mold process for fiberglass boats,(and aluminum boats too which may have busted welds) the manufacturer will cover it. Manufacturers will either pay us to take the boat to get it rewelded/repaired or we can send the boat back if there’s a defect. But if you hit something or something or someone hit you, the manufacturer won’t cover that. Normal wear and tear is also not included in your warranty.
Factory Versus Extended Warranties
For certain manufacturers such as Yamaha, your extended warranty covers even more than your factory warranty, as an incentive to continue to keep the warranty on your outboard. Yamaha’s extended warranty covers travel and recreation interruption, is transferable and has no deductible for covered repairs. We recommend opting for at least a 36-month (three-year) coverage term for your extended warranty.
Warranty Levels
There are different levels of warranty and what’s covered by your warranty sometimes depends on the level. For example, we’ve experienced times when a customer’s extended warranty won’t cover the taxes, shop supplies, and oil disposal fees. In this situation, the customer would be liable for that cost as well as the deductible.
We’ve also seen extended warranties that will only cover the engine, or because a customer has a particular level of warranty, the livewell pump isn’t covered. What’s covered under a warranty can also depend on whether it’s a factory warranty or an extended warranty. Mercury has different levels of warranties and here are some examples of what they do and do not cover:
Mercury:
Mercury Gold Level Warranty: The extended warranty doesn’t NOT cover the ECM (engine control module), but the factory level does.
Mercury Platinum Level Warranty: The fuel pump is covered under the Platinum level, but not under Gold.
Additional Warranties: Battery, Trailer + More
Manufacturers using third-party vendors affect warranties as the manufacturer’s warranty and the vendor’s warranty may differ:
For example, Skeeter’s T-tops are provided by a third party and Skeeter doesn’t install their own T-top, the dealership does. Skeeter provides a three-year warranty on the boat itself, but the T-top is only covered under a one-year warranty.
Warranties may differ for different parts and whether the part is covered under the manufacturer’s warranty or the part’s warranty:
Batteries have warranties through the boat manufacturers which are typically for a year. The battery itself may have a year-long warranty, but the warranty doesn’t pay the labor to install a new one therefore the customer is responsible for the cost.
A lot of bilge pumps and live well pumps have a one to two-year warranty but it doesn’t cover labor unless it’s under the manufacturer’s warranty. Boat manufacturers will reimburse us for parts and labor, but if there’s a warranty on the part itself, it won’t cover labor.
Modifications + Warranties
Similar to car warranties, mods would void your boat’s warranties too. Some people have retuned their own ECMs which voids their warranty - doing anything outside of the manufacturer's specifications can void the warranty.
We recommend you keep all of your receipts if you’re doing your own work, which is all dependent on the type of work and your skill level. For example - if a dealer did the rewiring on your boat it wouldn’t void the warranty, but if you rewired it, it would void the warranty.
It’s important to take your boat to an authorized dealer, who is authorized to make repairs that meet a manufacturer's (whether it’s Pathfinder or Yamaha) guidelines, and we recommend that if you ever have any doubts while doing any work on your boat, we recommend you bring it in to avoid voiding the warranty.
Getting Your Boat Serviced Under Warranty
Depending on your warranty, you may or may not have a deductible. For example, with Yamaha’s extended warranty, there is no deductible on covered repairs, regardless of your coverage term or if you purchase a new or used motor. For Mercury, the Gold and Platinum extended warranty levels require a $50 deductible while the factory warranty does not require a deductible.
If we find more issues while servicing your boat, we’ll let both you and the manufacturer know about the additional problems and submit another claim for the additional work to be approved. If you’re within the manufacturer’s warranty period, then labor and parts are covered.
For example, if we installed a battery with a one-year warranty and six months later you have issues with the battery, the battery itself is covered but the labor isn’t.
We do work on a lot of boats at L&M Marine and Day Break Marina that aren’t under warranty and if we fix something such as a livewell pump, the pump itself might have a warranty but it won’t cover labor.
Transferring Warranties
If you wanted to sell your boat to someone else, which we’re happy to help you with, you could transfer your manufacturer, outboard, and extended warranties to the buyer. Most people don’t keep their boat forever and as a buyer, no one wants to purchase something with potential issues which is why being able to transfer your warranty is so important.
Summary
Warranties are a one-time fee, they’re transferable and they can help you avoid potentially high costs for unexpected repairs. What’s exactly covered under manufacturer, engine, and extended warranties always vary by brand and by boat. Overall, things that the warranty does not cover include:
Corrosion
Misuse
Negligence
Accidental damage
Cosmetic damage, including normal wear and tear
Modifications outside manufacturer's specifications
We’d love to answer any of your warranty questions and help you choose the right boat with the right coverage for you. Take a look at our current inventory and stop by or call L&M Marine (251-937-1380) or Day Break Break Marina (850-434-9022) for more information on warranties, boats, service, and storage.