Poor fitting cowling on a 2020 DF60A?

[RiggedRight]

A friend of mine brought me his boat to do some stereo and lighting. It has a new DF60A.

When it got here, I noticed the cowling wasn't on all the way, so I tried to re-latch it. I've fought this thing for an hour, and it will not fit! It's almost like the lower cowling is bowed out on the starboard side, or the main upper cowling is elongated/stretched.

Has anyone had this problem?

If I hook the forward keeper into the catch, the cowling hangs over about a 1/4" on the rear. It is about 1/2" too narrow on the stbd side, with a clear view into the pan near the battery cables. And it is probably 1/4" too narrow on the port side, just barely resting on the gasket.

It's under warranty...but figured I'd ask if there's something simple I'm missing.

[Murray]

Mine fits snugly around the gasket and tight when the latches are secured.

[Moonlighter]

Never seen one like that, every Suzuki I have seen the cowl fits very snugly.

I’d take it back.

[RiggedRight]

So I got to looking a little closer, and figured it out.

Apparently, someone had the jackplate all the way down, and tried to tilt the engine all the way up. When doing so, the hydraulic steering ram contacts the transom, which puts pressure on the pivot arm of the outboard, and bent it up into the lower cowling. The lower cowling flexed up just enough to throw the whole shape out of whack.

I was able to straighten the pivot/steering arm, and the plastic cowling sprung back into it's normal shape. Now, all is well.

I wonder if the boat has the incorrect Seastar mounting kit on it? If the jackplate is all the way down, you can't turn it very far without making contact with the rigging tube. Seems like there may be a better option for the steering cylinder.. I'll have to inspect further.