Before I start, I'll start by saying I should have known better. Sorry for the long read

I decided to purchase a SeaArk MudRunner 180 from a local dealer (who I know and have had good experiences with on other purchase before). I placed my order for the boat (plain no frills boat and trailer) the first week of March and was told the boat would arrive middle of May.

I called at the end of the first week of May to check on the status of the boat and was told they had some issues at the factory and the new date was first week of June. I wait a few weeks and call to check again...only to be told about a new June 10th delivery date. So again, I wait and call a few days before the 10th and was told June 23. At this point I was pretty upset decided to contact SeaArk about the issue. I send them an email essentially repeating the series of events/delays and specifically told them I was now concerned about the quality (welds, paint, etc..) of the boat based on the fact that they couldn't make a commitment date. I received a call from SeaArk and they apologized, offered some free hats and shirts (which I told them to keep) and assured me that I would be impressed by the quality (especially the welds) of the boat if I would just be patient with them.

Fast forward to last week - I get a call from the dealer saying the boat arrives late Wednesday. I swing by to put my eyes on it before we did paperwork the next day. I first notice the boat is set way back on the trailer (bunk boards were 18" from the back of the boat) and told the dealer that is no way to haul a boat. He tells me they were going to adjust it, but it had to be moved in order to do a tandem haul. There was no damage, but I let him know I wasn't a good thing to do in the future.

I began to walk around the boat to inspect the quality and immediately noticed a weld about 4" long on the huntdeck to transom that wasn't tied in to the huntdeck. This left a nice place for water to leak into the hunt deck each time water splashed up when slowing/stopping. I then noticed 1 of the 2 drain plugs was filled with the expanding flotation foam and the drains were bent/dented on the outside of the boat. The dealer told me all these things would be fixed by them and ready for purchase the next day. I explained to him that wasn't the point...the point is that I don't feel good about buying a boat with this many issues before I actually bought it. What was next? More bad welds? Chipping paint? I specifically told them my concerns before it ever shipped and yet the boat left the factory with 2 serious issues.

Needless to say, I took photos and sent them to SeaArk explaining that my concerns about quality based on their inability to meet delivery commitments were true. Their response for the drain plug didn't even make sense and the weld was just plain missed. After it was all said and done, I decided not to purchase the boat or trailer based on all the issues I had ran into. I was told by a few folks on here to steer clear of that boat, but the price was hard to beat because I knew the dealer and it seemed like it would fit my needs of running on the coast.

In summary, I wouldn't recommend a MudRunner or buying from SeaArk in general. Maybe others have had good experiences, but I didn't and felt like others who may be considering a similar purchase should know before buying.

So....I guess I'm back to square one on looking for a boat now. I know what I should do (just order a Prodigy and be done) but I may keep my eyes open for a good used mud hull. Right now I'm still frustrated with the whole process and don't feel like starting all over after I already had my mind made up....nor am I excited about waiting another ~12 weeks for a boat.

Like you said...lesson learned. Smartest thing you did was back out of it.

Hate it for ya. Good luck though.

Can't recommend prodigy enough though.

Yep I got one of those boats they're not tough as they make them out to be bottom is 5052 instead of 5086 among other things I wouldn't reccomend them get a custom hull and be done


Sent from denda this

What engine? If GTR, you should get a GT hull to match. It'll be the best running combo...

You always get what you pay for. Cheap price is a cheap boat. Quality always suffers. Custom boats such as Prodigy are well worth the investment long term.

Yes sir i tried all that mixed up shit for years and finally went with a GatorTail rig and love it.good luck with whatever u do bro