Watercraft Lemon Law Attorney in Louisiana

Over 20 Years Fighting for Watercraft Buyers in Louisiana, Texas, & California

Buying a new boat is a significant investment, and discovering it’s defective is more than frustrating. It can put your safety at risk and leave you stuck with a vessel that doesn’t perform as promised. I evaluate watercraft lemon cases and fight to protect your legal rights. My goal is to recover your financial losses so you can move on and replace the boat with something that actually works.

I’ve been analyzing and handling lemon cases for more than twenty years, and I’m licensed in Louisiana, Texas, and California. These are the three states where most watercraft lemon claims arise.

Is your newly purchased boat performing below expectations? Call Rick Dalton Law Firm, LLC today at (888) 577-8520 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a watercraft lemon law attorney.

Manufacturers Known to Have Produced Lemon Models

Companies known to have produced “lemon” models include:

• Kawasaki
• Californian Yachts
• Yamaha
• PCM Marine Engines
• Fairline
• Jeanneau
• Sea-Doo
• Lagoon

Other companies with documented lemon models include Evinrude, Force Boats, Alumacraft Boat Co., Blue Sea Systems, and others.

Louisiana’s Lemon Law & Redhibition: Which Law Covers Your Boat?

Louisiana’s formal Lemon Law (La. R.S. 51:1941) covers personal watercraft: vessels that use an inboard motor powering a water jet pump and are designed to be operated sitting, standing, or kneeling on the hull, sold in Louisiana for personal, non-commercial use. Think Sea-Doos and similar jet-propelled craft. To qualify under the Lemon Law, the vessel generally must be out of service for 90 or more cumulative calendar days, or the same defect must have been subject to four or more repair attempts within the warranty term or within one year of delivery, whichever comes first. Claims must be filed within three years of purchase or one year from the end of the warranty period, whichever is longer.

Most conventional boats fall outside that statute. Their primary legal remedy is Louisiana’s redhibition law, which covers all things sold in the state and can be an equally powerful pathway. Redhibition requires no minimum number of repair attempts and no minimum days out of service. The standard is whether the seller and manufacturer received reasonable notice of the defect and a reasonable opportunity to repair it. Prescription against a manufacturer generally runs one year from the date you discover the defect. Because the rules differ significantly between these two pathways, knowing which one applies to your situation matters from the start. Identifying that quickly is something I’ve been doing for more than twenty years.

Regardless of which legal pathway applies, keep detailed records of every repair attempt: dates, the nature of each defect, what the dealer or manufacturer did, and how long the vessel was out of service. That documentation is what the court will want to see.

Your Free Consultation: How It Works

When you come to me for your free consultation, I’ll evaluate your case and advise you on the strongest course of legal action. I work on a contingency-fee basis, which means if you don’t recover financial relief, I don’t get paid.

Contact Rick Dalton Law Firm, LLC by calling (888) 577-8520 today to schedule a free consultation with a watercraft lemon law attorney.