Newbie- That's part of my issue. It's brand new. I didn't notice it at first, but I'm guessing it's always been there. The boat is now 8 1/2 months old, or at least I've had it for 8 1/2 months. Probably nothing to be concerned with as far as failure goes, but cosmetically it is a bit of an eye sore. It's something you look for and at when buying a used boat, but not something that you even think about when picking up your brand new one. It'll be gone at the end of next season anyway to make way for an 09'