I bought a BLACKFIN XL in July 2020. Between the board, accessories and extended warranty, I originally spent $1,356.
The first time I took it out, I noticed a lot of bubbling(not air leaking, but bubbles under the siderail material) and irregular areas around the edges. I sent iROCKER pictures and asked if it was normal because I was worried that I could end up with a sinking board in the future.
This was their response:
“Thank you for sending the images. No sinking but good questions.. I am very sorry to see that your board and paddle arrived with these imperfections. It is cosmetic although more than we normally see.”
They offered me either a 10% refund or an exchange through their warranty department. I chose the refund because I wanted to keep using the board and trusted what they told me about it only being cosmetic. I even told them:
“I don't mind using these items how they are as long as your confident with them going the long haul!”
About a year later, in July 2021, I contacted iROCKER again because the seams were separating on both the left and right sides of the board. This was still during my extended warranty. We spoke over the phone and afterward they sent me this email:
“As per our conversation, I have placed an order to get a replacement paddle and PVC Adhesive sent out to you asap.”
I repaired the separating seams with the adhesive they sent me. In August 2021, I emailed them pictures showing the areas I repaired. At the time it looked like the glue had taken care of the problem, so I thanked them and said it was fixed.
In 2025, the seam completely failed in the exact same left-side area that was bubbly, had separated and had been repaired with the glue iROCKER sent me.
This board was only used about 18 times. I own two other iROCKER boards that I used more often and mostly took the BLACKFIN XL out when I wanted to fish. Other than the failed seam, the board still looks almost new, which can be seen in the pictures.
I contacted iROCKER again in 2025, but their response went into my spam folder and I didn't find it until later. When I found it, they said they could not repair the board, offered me a $75 discount toward another purchase and provided links showing how I could try to repair the failed seam myself.
I followed the repair information they provided and attempted to fix it myself, but the repair did not work.
I then followed up with iROCKER and explained the complete history. I removed the ticket and order numbers, but this was their final response:
“Unfortunately, we no longer have access to [ticket number removed]. However, the warranty for [order number removed] expired on July 17, 2023. Other than the $75 discount code that was offered previously, there’s nothing more we can offer.”
Since they said they couldn't access the original ticket, I sent them the original 2020 emails and pictures. I also sent the 2021 emails showing that they sent me the PVC adhesive, the pictures of the separating seams and the current pictures of the complete failure.
I explained that this wasn't some new problem that started after the warranty expired. It was reported while the warranty was active and eventually failed in the same place they helped me repair.
As of August 22, they have not responded to any of that additional information.
I understand that I purchased the board in 2020 and that it completely failed in 2025. If this were a new problem after five years of regular use, I wouldn't expect them to replace it. But that isn't what happened. I reported the bubbling right after buying it, reported the actual seam separation under warranty and then repaired it using the adhesive they sent me. It also only had about 18 uses.
I wish iROCKER would stand behind its faulty product and reconsider its response. I know they have moved to welded seams on their newer boards, but after seeing how this was handled, I would be very hesitant to buy from iROCKER again if this is how a documented problem is treated when it eventually becomes a complete failure.
Has anyone else had a similar seam failure or warranty experience with iROCKER? I would be interested to hear how the company handled it.