This past session there again was a so-called Lemon Law bill for boats in the Legislature.

While there has been some vacillating among dealers concerning the need for such a law, the MMTA Board of Directors at a recent meeting voted not to support it at this time. Instead they suggested dealers implement the BetterBOAT program sponsored by NMMA, MRAA., and BoatUS.

This program commenced on February 17th and will continue on a trial basis for one year. During that time, BoatUS will not support state “Lemon Laws” but may publish and promote those firms participating in BetterBOAT.

A mailing was recently made to all MMTA members concerning this plan. To date there has been a good response from member firms who see this as an alternative to costly litigation on warranty claims. Many manufacturers as well as retail dealers have already signed on.

This is an arbitration process that attempts to resolve customer complaints without the necessity or resorting to more government regulation. We are also looking into the possibility of instituting our own state program based on the past experience of some other states who had good results.