Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hey All
I recently bought a new 2013 Crest II 250 from a dealer and I have a few issues with it that I am trying to address. The dealer I purchased it from is over an hour away, so bringing the boat back for service is not a great option. I figured I would ask the group if anybody has some ideas that I can try before bringing it back to the dealer. I contacted Crest, and they forwarded me to another dealer (kinda lame...).

1) The ignition turns too far to the right when starting the engine about 1/2 of the time and won't start the boat. It does work some of the time.

2) The gas gauge bounces around from empty to 1/4 tank constantly. The dealer put in $30 worth of gas, so I am guessing that it has around 1/4 of a tank.

I would really appreciate any help ya'll could give me.

-Pete

Did your boat come with any type of warranty? If not, I would not return to the dealer for service. As with cars, dealers will overcharge you at $100 an hour. I suggest your finding a marine service shop in your area. Ask for recommendations from friends or strangers who they take their boat to for repairs.

Have you checked any of the wiring yourself? You may have a short or a loose wire somewhere. If you investigate a bit before taking the boat in, you may save yourself some money.

There is a real possibility the ignition switch itself is loose and everything is actually turning when you turn the key. If so it's easy enough to fix yourself. As far as the gas gauge bouncing around unless the tank is full they all seem to do their share of bouncing around. Look at it this way as long as it's bouncing you've "got fuel" it's when it stops bouncing you need to start being concerned.

PS when mine stops bouncing on E I know I've got five honest gallons left in the tank, which is also a good thing to know.

Thanks for the replies. I honestly have spent an hour total on the boat so far (which is killing me!). I tried to quickly tighten up the ignition, and it seemed ok, but I will give it another shot. It is more mechanical than electrical I would say. The key keeps turning, and sometimes it just turns like normal.

I do have a warranty, but it was a full tank of gas getting back from the dealer, so I am trying to fix as much as I can before I trek back up to the dealer.

This is my first pontoon boat, and I couldn't be happier, even with the few issues. I can't wait to get it out on the lake this weekend!

-Pete