4 Most-Common Problems With Stingray Boats (Explained)

Stingray Boats have been one of the most trusted and popular brands in the industry for more than 40 years.

They focus on better manufacturing, precision design, and high quality at an affordable price.

If you are shopping for a Stingray Boat, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will share the most common concerns faced by boat owners.

We have searched through all the Stingray information to find the issues you might face with a Stingray Boat.

Before we start check out our article about how reliable Stingray boats are and how long they last.

1) Thin Fiberglass Hull

Many Stingray Boat owners discuss the thinness of the hull. They state that the hull flexes a lot, and many believe it flexes too much. However, there are many owners that love their Stingray and never have any problems with it.

Delamination To Core:

However, there are many throughout the forums listing problems related to the thin hull. For some, the fiberglass around the transom has cracked. The area where the plywood is bonded to the hull suffers from large cracks.

Some Stingray owners have had delamination to the core. While this seems to be an error by the laminate technician, it is a large problem. In these cases, the technician did not mate bond the entire port side transom panel properly before the second ply member was installed.

It has been widely noted that not all of the Stingray Boats have problems with the fiberglass. However, if you have an older model or plan to purchase a used boat, you should consider thoroughly checking it for cracks.

Gel Coat Cracks:

Many owners report problems with the gel coat as a result of the flexing of the hull and it being such thin fiberglass. The flexing of the boat is worse when in rough water, which causes deeper cracks in the gel coat or more significant problems with the fiberglass.

Depending on the severity and location of the gel coat crack, you may be able to repair it yourself. However, you want to ensure the crack is only a cosmetic issue before you attempt to repair it.

Once you determine that the gel cracks are only cosmetic, you can take these steps to address the cracks.

1. You want to ensure that your boat is completely clean and dry.
2. You want to use a grinding tool to open up the crack.
3. It would be best if you gouged out small cracks to make them wide enough to fill in with the gelcoat paste.
4. You should lightly sand the area.
5. After you are finished sanding the area, you want to clean it with acetone.
6. You must match the color of the gelcoat to the gelcoat on your boat.
7. Then it would be best if you mixed up a batch which you will fill into the areas you gouged with a putty knife.
8. You want to make sure there are no air holes and overfill the hole.
9. Be sure to wrap the area to keep out all air to ensure that it cures properly.
10. Once cured, lightly sand the area again and finish it with a high quality polish.

2) Performance on Rough Water

Many Stingray Boat owners comment across the forums about the ability of their boats to perform in rough water.

Stingray Boats are designed for speed, which means they are lighter. However, many owners feel that these boats are often pushed around by larger and rougher waves.

Stingrays have a hull design with a deep-V which makes it narrow.

This often causes it to be unstable while speeding through the water, especially rough water. This rough water can also cause cracking in the inner part of the boat. However, the outer shell usually remains intact.

3) Other Considerations

Overall, previous and current Stingray Boat think this is a solid, reliable, and well constructed boat.

However, there do seem to be some considerations you should make when deciding if this is the right boat for you.

Where You Plan To Ride:

As mentioned above, the Stingray can ride rough, especially in large waves.

However, if you plan to ride on a lake, this is a great boat. It does not have a dead rise, and that works against you in pounding surf.

Keeping It Clean:

Stingray Boats come in various colors, including white, red, and yellow. The red model looks sharp and reminds some boat owners of a Corvette. However, the red color is challenging to keep clean. When it was not cleaned or polished, it did not look as nice.

Rattling During Heavy Chop:

Some owners have mentioned that their Stingray rattled a lot in choppy weather. It rattled so much that screws fell out of cabin doors and came loose on the dash. The rear seats also fell apart after being hit by some big waves.

4) Ability To Get Old Parts

Stingray generally only has parts for the current boat models. If boat owners need parts for an older boat model from the past ten years, they recommend using the dealer network.

Anything that is ten years older than the current model is often difficult to locate. So while the dealer network is your best bet, it does become substantially harder to find parts that old.

There may also be repair shops that have stored up old parts over the years that can be helpful.

You may be able to find older parts on eBay or Amazon. There was a Stingray owners’ forum that was once supported but no longer active.

You may be able to find assistance through the large and very active FaceBook Owners Forum.

They provide assistance to those looking for unique parts. The forum is private, but it is easy to join.

General Pros and Cons for the Stingray Boat

Pros:

Stingray has been successful for almost five decades. They provide consistent performance and useful features, making them a trusted name in the industry.

While Stingray is an affordable option, they remain ahead of its competitors in areas such as manufacturing and technology.

They have a reliable boat design, including the design of the Z-Plane hull, which gives them the ultimate in speed.

Cons:

• Stingrays are constructed with thin fiberglass.
• They have a lot of flex in their hull.
• Stingrays tend to get tossed about by rough waves.

What Do the Reviews Say?

Stingray is focused on building an affordable boat that does not compromise quality. In addition, they want their boats to be light and fast.

“I would consider Stingray to be a bit better than Bayliner, but they are known to be light in their construction, offering better speed and economy than heavier boats.”

[Source: iBoats forum]

There is often some concern about Stingray’s ability to handle rough waves because of its light weight.

“Stingray’s manufacturing is very consistent, but they build to a design that is far from optimal for rough conditions; and I’m talking freshwater conditions.”

[Source: thehulltruth.com]

What is the Resale Value on the Stingray Boats?

Stingray boats have an average rate of depreciation on the resale market. They run about the middle of the road, which means the depreciation is not great but not so bad, either.

The Stingray Boat is considered a middle to low-end boat at a more affordable price. However, that does not seem to impact the resale value.

In 2015, a brand new 212SC deck boat was $43,695 as its base retail price. Today, its resale price is $31,970. This is a 27% depreciation. It is an average deprecation. It also is in alignment with the depreciation percentage of more expensive boats.

In 2015, Stingray sold a 250LR sport deck hybrid, which was their largest boat and had a starting price of $64,194. Today, that same boat has a resale price of $47,640. This is a depreciation of 26%.

Year	Price
2015 212SC deck	$43,695 (new)
2015 212SC deck	$31,970 (used)
2015 250LR sport deck hybrid	$64,194 (new)
2015 250LR sport deck hybrid	$47,640 (used)

Sources:

iBoats.com,

thehulltruth.com