Issues With New Skeeter Boats

Im in the market and really like the ZX models, however I hear a lot of people having issues with the cosmetic things. Screws backing out, carpet glue coming thru, and other "minor things. I say minor, and maybe this is common to all new boats but when you pay 50-60,000 dollars for a boat you expect more. Thoughts?

Skeeter is a well built boat (and has been for decades) with what seems to be a really strong network of dealers. All boats have issues from time to time, even new ones. The best companies are the ones that will stand behind their product and fix it to your satisfaction......which I am quite sure Skeeter would. ZX is a sweet platform. Don't listen to hearsay and go find what you want and can afford.

Bought a new 2017 ZX250 a year ago.

Been a great boat with no issues.

I know the build quality on my FX20 is excellent. I have crawled all through it and it is built very well. Have not found one flaw at all. Love the fact they went to a really great rod strap system, much better cooler, and all machined aluminum bow, dash and trim plates. Wiring is nice and clean, everything is done right. Not a single complaint here.

Skeeter has spent a lot of time, money, and resources revamping its quality over the past 3 years. Skeeters are true man made works of art.. I don't think you will be disappointed with a new Skeeter.

Here, let me help you ....... https://www.bulletboats.com/21xrs-fishing-boat.html

This is a known fact...Not just hearsay

You're running a Skeeter again?

Yes sir. Bought a FX20 in September. Good to be back in a Skeeter though I loved that Ranger. Ran it for 5 years and it was a great boat. Was not really looking for a new boat but had one catch my eye so I bought it. Love that SHO. Should have bought one long before now.

No issues with my FX21. Bought it in December of 2016 and have had zero problems with it. I've crawled around the ZX250 and they seem to be built very well. I've not heard of any of the things you mentioned. You should really consider the ZX models! Don't let anyone tell you differently!

I ran 4 different Skeeters over the last 10 years. 3 of them I had no issues with, but 1 had the problems you are talking about. Boat was built solid on the outside, but it was like it was falling apart on the inside. But with that said, Im in a Phoenix now and love it. But I would own another FX 21. Loved the boat.

I bought a new ZX200 this time last year. Have not had a single problem with it. I will say that during boat show season the rumors always start to fly about various brands of boats. It’s typically sales guys or even pro staff saying things about competitors that gets to floating around. We have all seen this on the forums over the years.

The only thing on my Skeeter that has come apart in the first year was the floating key chain. Other than that I’ve not found a single issue. I also just had my annual service done and they found nothing wrong.

Found a few problems with my new Skeeter. A little sanding a little polishing a little silicone all was good. They did have to replace the windshield due to scratches and I chose to repair a busted trolling motor instead of waiting weeks for them to repair. All minor stuff.

Been in sales for over thirty years. I've been in sales management for the last 15. I train my reps to sell the advantages of our company, product quality, customer service, our attributes and to never talk the competition down. The customer is usually well aware of the shortcomings of their current supplier, so we don't need to point out the customer's stupidity in doing business with our competitors. I just bought a 2018 ZX250. I was treated professionally by all at the dealership, the boat was everything it was promised to be, the parts department was top notch and explained all of my added options, salesman took a tremendous amount of time to explain the features of the boat, the break in process, made sure I was happy. NOT ONE time did anyone say anything negative about any other boat manufacturer. I guarantee if any of them started down that road, I would have walked out quickly. There will always be lemons in any product line. All new products with moving parts are going to have issues on occasion. I tend to believe you can find 1 in 10 owners of Skeeters, Rangers, Bass Cats, Phoenixs, Stratos, Nitros, etc. who will be happy to tell you all the issues they've had with their boats. Often, it could be that they leave the boat out in the elements, they run it hard and take no time to run Ring Free, Stabil, quality gas, etc. but are more than ready to tell you how it's all the manufacturers fault. My Dad taught me to take care of all of my tools and I seldom have issues with homes, cars, motorcycles, 4 wheelers, trucks, from many many manufacturers. In fact, can't think of single "lemon" product I've had in 30 plus years.

K.D., I am very sorry to hear about your floating key chain. LOL!

I am with K.D...my floating key chain failed as well.

Sure hope the Skeeter dealers take note and get to the bottom of the problem...

I agree with this guy for the most part but I do think a Lemon gets through every once in a while.

I am on my 9th Chevy Suburban in the last 30 years. In between a few of them I have also owned a Ford Explorer, a Dodge Durango, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I always go back to the Suburban because it fits my needs best.

Since I have owned so many different cars & trucks over the years I am confident there is a difference between a car or boat that comes down the assembly line on a Monday or Friday as opposed to a "Mid-Week" car or boat.

The Suburban I am in now was one of the very early 2015's that hit the lot when they started trickling them into the dealers. I have had a myriad of small to medium issues with it. My 2015 had more issues (covered by warranty) in the first year than my last one had in 120K miles.

I think boats are similar. There are only a small fraction of the number of boats made each year compared to trucks but it is food for thought.

2014 zx200. It came with one stripped screw hole that held on the plastic around the console. No major issues though.

I had a girl friend in high school that owned a skeeter metro, might shoulda kept her around, just sayn

Ken A. I actually said that there will always be lemons in any product line. Just think the generalizing is a little strong. Makes it sound as if many new Skeeters are having issues and I know that's far from the truth. Saying there are "a lot" of issues is relative. A lot of issues? Someone hears of 3 boats with issues and all of a sudden, there are a lot of issues. Of the thousands of any boat model sold each year, 3 with issues doesn't equal "a lot" in my opinion. Not sure how many are in the poster's sampling.

My wife has a Land Rover. Had to replace the turbo after 50,000 miles, still leaks oil, had electrical issues. I won't buy another one, ever. But, I'm not sure it's a lemon, just not as reliable as a Ford IMHO.

I've been running Skeeter since 1993 and had 15 new Skeeters over the years everything from ZX, I Class and FX20 now. I can say I've never had any major problems with any of them. Yes there has been a few times I've had to tighten a screw a few times but I am very anal about making sure everything is tight too. Heck it's probably my fault from rigging my own boats and not giving them the proper tightness.
BUT I can say without a doubt that I have been in, road in and rigged just about every brand of Bass Boat out there and there is only one brand for me...that's a Skeeter. To me there is not a more all around better boat for my needs quality, construction, engineering, ride and fishability. Skeeter is the boat that fits all my needs. Give them a look they build a great boat and great people stand behind them too.

I've seen multiple Skeeters with stress cracks and there are plenty of stories about the trailers. I spent a good bit of time in a 2010ish ZX and the 3 out of the ~10 latches were not functioning properly.

As for the Land Rover--It is completely reasonable to call them unreliable pieces of trash. They have been crowned the least reliable vehicle on the road for a while. Hopefully, you are able to switch vehicles down the road without taking too big of a hit $$$.

I have nothing but excellent reviews to give with regards to my Skeeter. It's the best I've ever owned for reliability. Even better than the dozens of cars I've owned. My Skeeter has NEVER BEEN in the shop for a manufacturers defect. Nothing.....ever. I have done the servicing on the motor myself...so, since it was purchased, it hasn't seen a dealership since then for routine maintenance either.

But.....God doesn't build Skeeters, so I'm sure their can be a few each year with issues.

Oh.....mine has 9 latches.....all work perfectly.

Does your keychain float?

Not bagging on Skeeters at all. You need to re-read my post.

Skeeter quality gets better every year

Ah, the back compartment that holds the batteries, fuel tanks, etc, hasn't ever latched closed for me. Something I can fix by bending/moving the latch around.

Key chain quality just isn't what it used to be. My floating key chain has lasted through three boats dating back to '98...and it was used then. Probably aftermarket though...

I have to disagree with those above that tell the OP “don’t listen to hersay”. While opinions can quickly become unfounded and based on no real life experiences, word of mouth” and reputation are the American way and a real tool for examining and considering products the consumer has limited/no prior experience with. Skeeter has alway been a quality “high end” product for many years. Unfortunately they have been a quality product sitting on a completely inferior trailer. For years that has been the weak link. Not hearsay! Coincidence that several of my friends beautiful Skeeters were sitting on EZ Loader trailers with broken welds and beautiful matching fiberglass fenders falling off the trailer? Reoccuring trailer problems literally kept me from considering one of my favorite boats during my last purchase. I would buy one in a heartbeat now because the good news is that weak link has apearently been removed from the “bundle”: http://boatingindustry.com/top-stories/2...ation-strategy/

Skeeter makes their own trailers now, so no more EZ-Loader's.

That's a great story and all but Skeeter doesn't use EZ ruster trailers anymore. The new Skeeter made trailers look nice.

My local Skeeter dealer Sales Rep was a TOTAL liar and scammer (I have the recorded phone calls and texts as proof ) and when I reported him to the Skeeter Factory Sales Rep, nothing was done. I finally found a good dealer to purchase a new 2016 ZX190 from, they jumped thru hoops to get it off of the Boat Show floor before it opened. But then I found multiple screws from the Battery Trays coming out thru the bottom of the hull after getting it home. Luckily I saw them while putting my trailer license plate on before I ever put it in the water. Skeeter offered a replacement ZX200 at a discount and included a custom cover and engine cover for free. But then they completely screwed up the deal between them, my bank and the dealer costing me 6 weeks of down time from initial purchase. The replacement boat arrived with a broken trailer brake cable and no latch on the glove box lid (single console). Then the Dealer that I purchased from completely screwed up getting me my replacement plates and registration. After I took off the HDS 7 at the Console to install an HDS 12 I saw major shortcuts on wire routing inside the Console where it will result in rubbing and possible shorting out in the future. Then the Dealer that I purchased from Parts Dept was a joke. So now I have finally found another dealer to work with for Parts and Warranty and to purchase my next boat from. They have been great but again Skeeter has screwed up multiple times sending incorrect parts. The ice chest lid hinge broke off and I am currently waiting on a new Trim Switch for the throttle handle and a new Battery Charger plug receptacle. That is my real world direct experience from June 2016 until now, for what it is worth.

The plastic cover for the power switch blew off one day on mine while running across the lake. The trim gauge wiring was poorly installed and it would occasionally disconnect itself, though I fixed it for good.

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you got one of those rare lemons Ken A was talking about.

You are right, it is a great story with a happy ending but you you have to read it till the end. Try again. Real good ending especially the part where “I WOULD buy one in a hearbeat now” and a link to a report on how they got the trailer nightmare fixed but you have to finish the book before doing the report! :-)

Maybe not so rare considering Skeeter discontinued the 2016 ZX190 design and replaced it with a rebranded older TZX190 design for 2018. They also pushed me very hard to not replace my lemon with another ZX190 but to accept the discounted ZX200 which is why they included the covers for free.

as long as it's in the keyhole.

I have the same boat and motor as Steez and no problems here either. I do all my maintenance and any add on I do myself, not because I don't trust the dealer, I just don't want to wait the time for them to get to it. I just installed a new HB Helix 10" and Saturday I'm installing a new Ultrex. I like my Skeeter but don't get me wrong, if I could afford it I'd have me a brand spankin new Phoenix 921 and I'd be doing all the maintenance myself on it too.

All of your comments are all correct. Throw in stress cracks and you hit the trifecta...

Add in busted live wells, two friends of mine within weeks of each other had their livewells bust during a tournament. Skeeter fixed them no questions asked and in a timely fashion. One of those guys had a wrap and when selling he took the wrap off to reveal cracks like a busted eggshell. Skeeter fixed them but botched the color so he has several different colors of blue.

I've owned many skeeters and have never had any issues at all that weren't normal wear and tear or something caused by me.

My new 2018 is flawless, knock on wood haven't noticed an issue.

I don't know how many boats Fun N sun has sold last year, but when I getting ready to buy my new boat this year They had only sent one boat back to the factory for repair and it was a Phoenix for what it's worth

jeez.....leave it to a Skeeter owner to put too big of fishnin a live well. We won't ever learn ...will we?

every boat builder has a problem here an there its amazing that the boats stay together as good as they do. the big companies like skeeter ranger triton nitro an phoenix build 10 or more boats to some of the other builders one so you are going to have the opportunity to have more problems. pretty much everybody that is still building boats have figured it out. the ones that built not as good boats are gone an some that built good boats but were lousy managers an they aren't around anymore .

Man..... lots of Skeeter jelly in here

A company that built good boats,but had lousy management and aren't around anymore is CHAMPION Boats!

Skeeter... on my 3rd one since 84... it's a damn boat, I run it hard, in big water and small, she's got 1750 - 1800 hrs, original power head. I got a few stress cracks around cleats or rails. I'm not worried about it sinking. My ZX225 is tweaked enough to rival any compareable newer rig. Give me a couple miles to wind it up... big red is a badazz boat, I got real lucky, some boats are blessed. On the negative I am on my 4th lower lower unit...

The people who worry about a few stress cracks or other little imperfections spend more time rubbing on their boat with a soft frilly towelette than the do fishing from it. It's a damn boat!!

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If three 2lb fish is too big then something is wrong!