Poche v. Bayliner Marine Corp.

632 So. 2d 1170, 1994 WL 34062
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 9, 1994
Docket93-CA-721
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 632 So. 2d 1170 (Poche v. Bayliner Marine Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Poche v. Bayliner Marine Corp., 632 So. 2d 1170, 1994 WL 34062 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

632 So.2d 1170 (1994)

Kenneth POCHÉ and Scott Key
v.
BAYLINER MARINE CORPORATION and Wagner Marine, Inc.

No. 93-CA-721.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

February 9, 1994.

*1172 Robert C. Lehman, Mandeville, for plaintiffs/appellees.

Wade A. Langlois, Daniel A. Ranson, Harvey, for defendants/appellants.

Before KLIEBERT, WICKER and GOTHARD, JJ.

GOTHARD, Judge.

Plaintiffs, Kenneth Poché and Scott Key, filed this action seeking recision of the sale of a recreational watercraft. Defendants are Bayliner Marine Corporation (Bayliner), the manufacturer, and Wagner Marine, Inc. (Wagner), the retailer, of the boat in question, a Bayliner Trophy Convertible 2560. Defendant, Bayliner, answered with a general denial. Wagner answered and filed a cross-claim against Bayliner for full indemnification or, alternatively, contribution, in the event judgment is rendered against Wagner.

After a trial on the merits the trial court rendered judgment, supported by extensive, well written reasons for judgment, on October 14, 1992 in favor of plaintiffs and against Bayliner, rescinding the sale of the boat and awarding damages in the amount of the full purchase price of $46,799.91. Further, the trial court awarded $14,433.04 in damages for various expenses incurred by plaintiffs resulting from their ownership in the vessel, $20,000.00 in consequential damages for inconvenience, aggravation, and loss of use, $20,000.00 for attorney's fees, and $1,000.00 per expert in expert fees. The judgment dismissed other claims made by plaintiffs.

Wagner filed a timely motion for new trial, or in the alternative, an amended judgment seeking a judgment on its cross-claim against Bayliner for all attorney's fees and costs. Bayliner also filed a timely motion for new trial. The court denied Bayliner's motion. However, on February 4, 1993 the trial court amended the October 14, 1992 judgment to award Wagner $5,555.33 in attorney's fees. Bayliner filed this appeal on both the October 14, 1992 judgment and the February 4, 1993 amended judgment. On appeal, Bayliner assigns seven errors:

1. The trial court was manifestly erroneous in finding that the plaintiffs carried their burden of proving a vice or defect in the boat which rendered it either absolutely useless or its use so inconvenient and imperfect that it must be supposed that the plaintiffs would not have purchased it.
2. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous and committed an error of law in awarding expenses occasioned by the sale or incurred for the preservation of the thing sold.
3. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous in finding plaintiffs entitled to nonpecuniary damages for inconvenience, aggravation and loss of use, and/or the amount of nonpecuniary damages awarded are excessive.
4. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous in awarding plaintiffs $20,000.00 as reasonable attorney's fees.
5. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous and committed error of law in awarding interest from the date of the purchase on the purchase price of the vessel.
6. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous and committed error of law in awarding interest from date of demand on all attorneys and expert fees.
7. Alternatively, the trial court was manifestly erroneous and committed error of *1173 law in awarding attorney's fees to Wagner Marine, Inc. on its cross-claim for indemnification against Bayliner when Wagner was dismissed from this case.

Evidence introduced at trial shows that on April 29, 1988, Kenneth Poché and Scott Key, both avid sport fishermen, purchased the vessel in question from Wagner Marine. The men wanted to purchase a boat for offshore fishing and scuba diving. Both men, who are also business partners, have owned several boats and wished to purchase a larger boat capable of taking four or five friends blue water fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana shore. After considering several vessels they decided on the Bayliner. They first saw the boat in Houston when they were in Texas on business. They received statistical information on the boat from the manufacturer which suggests the boat is suitable for their purposes and they were assured by employees of Bayliner that the boat would be perfectly suited for offshore fishing. The advertising literature showed the vessel could be expected to attain speeds of 33.1 mph and cruise with a normal load at 26.8 mph @ 3500 RPM.

However, after taking delivery of the vessel the plaintiffs found the performance to be severely lacking. The vessel would not attain a speed near that represented even at full throttle, and it was necessary to keep the vessel at full throttle to come up to plane. The first fishing trip had to be abandoned as plaintiffs ran out of fuel trying to get enough power to get out into the Gulf.

Thus began extensive correspondence with both the manufacturer and the dealer about the problem. The assertion is that the boat is severely underpowered and totally unsuitable for offshore fishing. It takes a full tank of fuel (104 gallons) and about 10 hours to make the 70 mile round trip from the boat's dock in Lafitte to the blue water fishing grounds of the Gulf of Mexico at the slow speed attainable at full throttle.

In an effort to correct the problem, Bayliner engaged Sol Gilligan, a marine surveyor to ascertain the cause, nature and extent of the problem and to recommend repairs. Mr. Gilligan determined the vessel was severely underpowered and due to its lack of performance was not suited for the intended purpose. Bayliner replaced the original 260 Horsepower O.M.C. motor with a larger 270 horsepower Volvo-Penta motor at some expense to the plaintiffs. Also the propeller was changed on several occasions. Nonetheless, the boat still would not perform satisfactorily and was not used for fishing as was contemplated by the plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs hired Mr. Gilligan to complete a second survey of the boat after it had been repowered. Mr. Gilligan found little difference in the performance and concluded the vessel would not come to plane except at full throttle and was underpowered.

Mr. Gilligan observed that the rate of fuel consumption was exceedingly high causing the vessel to have a short range making it unsafe for use as a blue water fishing vessel. He further stated that the boat would only plane at full throttle.

Plaintiffs also presented evidence from a second marine surveyor, Ken Helmrich, who testified that the boat did not perform satisfactorily and failed to attain speeds as advertised. He agreed that the boat would only plane at full speed, causing excessive strain on the motor and excessive fuel consumption.

Defendants expert, Clark Scarboro, also inspected the vessel. He admitted that the maximum speed attained by the vessel was 28.3 mph which is less than advertised. However, he testified that if speed were not important the boat would be suitable for offshore fishing. There was also testimony concerning the condition of the bottom of the boat. Mr. Scarboro testified that if the bottom were scraped, it could reach speeds of 29 or possibly 32 mph. Mr. Gilligan opined that the bottom had been scraped and pressure washed, and that would not significantly affect the speed of the boat.

Representatives from Wagner testified that the boat did not perform as it should have given the assertions by Bayliner, and that Bayliner offered little cooperation in addressing the problem.

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632 So. 2d 1170, 1994 WL 34062, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/poche-v-bayliner-marine-corp-lactapp-1994.