Having been in a sales oriented business most of my life I’ve been amazed at how far customer service can go to make a customer not only very happy but a spokesman for your business.  Having had such bad experiences with canvas people made this experience all the better.

We had stopped in Daytona Beach for a 2 day visit with friends.  I awoke one morning to see a couple of guys installing canvas on a yacht across the dock.  I asked them if they could give me an estimate on a bimini.  No problem and they were over as soon as they finished what they were doing.  I explained what I wanted so they measured and prepared an estimate right then.  It seemed fair (compared to what I had been getting) and they explained that if I made a decision real soon they could get it done in a week and half if I extended my stay. I told them I wanted to check around a bit and see what their customers had to say.  No problem, and they pointed out some jobs they had done.  I checked with these folks and they gave rave reviews.  Yes, they were more expensive but they delivered on time and as promised.

I gave the go ahead.  As promised, the job was installed ahead of schedule. The craftsmanship was excellent and it has held up well in the last six months. 

After a thorough analysis of a lot of different systems, we chose EZ Kold.  Very affordable and great people to work with.  The units are well built and we have had no problems with the unit itself.

Although we have 4″ of insulation all around, the placement of the box itself is not conducive to cooling.  Wedged between the hull, engine room and the stove, it is hard to keep the freezer side cold enough to really freeze anything other than on the very bottom.  We now use the refrigerator side for perishables and the freezer side for drinks and highly perishable items that don’t require freezing.  This scheme works great.

An Engel MT27 was added as a freezer.  Energy efficient and compact, we use it to keep meat, make ice and even keep ice cream on occasion.  We have installed it where the head use to be in the aft cabin.  Atlanta Solar (use Engel link above) is the best price we found and has great service.

August 2007

We installed a Garmin 3206 chartplotter with GPS and radar.  Radar unit is the GMR18.  Installation was very easy and setup was even easier. Very intuitive and easy to use while underway.  I set up a buss bar to handle the NMEA interface.

While underway in Lake Huron the chartplotter froze up.  We turned around and went back to our anchorage since it seized in heavy fog.  Garmin customer service was relatively easy to get a hold of but could offer no real help.  It’s either working or broken.  No fixes available.  Send it back and they will evaluate and replace if under warranty.  Sounds ok but can take weeks that most cruisers don’t have.  They consented to send one out immediately if I purchased it from them right then.  They would refund as soon as they received mine and evaluated it.  I managed to get them to move me up to priority status.  I sent the defective unit out Priority Mail and traveled several days further before receiving a replacement.  The replacement had no maps installed.  After another week they managed to get me a new unit and finally refunded my money from the purchase of the second unit.

My advice is to bite the bullet and buy from West Marine and get the replacement insurance.  That way if it breaks, WM will replace on the spot.

Our Garmin GPS76 handheld continues to work like clockwork after five years of use.

May 2008

No other issues have been experienced other than a brief power outage as a result of a loose cable. Still learning radar capabilities.

August 2007

Wherever you go, boaters can be overheard complaining about customer service in regards to their toys. Can’t get anyone on the phone and when they do the techies have no idea what’s going on. Well if you want a switch, try the Navico West companies of Brooks and Gatehouse and Simrad.

First off, you get a real person answering the phone! Then when you get the techs on the phone, they are helpful? If they don’t know the answer the switch you to someone who does. All this without an hours wait listening to elevator music. Very helpful people and I can’t recommend them enough.

May 2008

No complaints.  Everything has worked fine with no glitches.  It would be nice to have the depth only display have the nice BIG digits that the speed display has.  Added the wind transducer to the masthead while in Marathon.  Nice to know how hard the wind is actually blowing.  Direction was a little hard to get used to as it’s relative to boat position only.

The autopilot is phenomenal.  Not a bit of trouble holding its heading no matter what kind of seas.  It has become my best friend.

As if I hadn’t learned my lesson with Sailcovers and More, I once again entered the realm of mailorder. This time it was a dodger for the 40 that was needed.

I had started by talking to Boat Tailors in Racine. I was ignored the first time and the second time, but did manage to get them to measure the boat on the third try. Then it was like they disappeared. I’m guessing I didn’t match their customer profile.

I found Genco Marine on the internet and emailed for more information. Nat stirred some interest so I gave him a call. Price was right, product looked good enough and he did guarantee it would fit so I bit. It was ready for delivery pretty close to the promised date so I was excited. The excitement soon faded.

The freight estimate of about $200 turned to $386! It was next day air (still don’t know why) but I didn’t get it for five days. Genco was totally disinterested in providing an explanation other than “it’s not our fault”.

Well I unpacked it and couldn’t wait to install it. I was told the instructions were very complete and call if I had any questions. It was to be mounted on the cabin top but the main tube was too wide by six inches or more. The instructions were vague at best. I called and was told to mount brackets as told (on top) and bend tube to fit. Lo and behold, it worked! Their stock was going up. I fitted the top and the front glass. So far so good. I positioned the tubes with the webbing supplied. Looking good! Now to fit the sides.

Oh, oh! The sides cover the ports and drape around the winches. I email pictures to Nat. He will send me pictures of a local O’day 40 but it’s still covered. A week later it’s still covered and still no explanation of how anything short of recutting the sides will cure the conflict.

Stay tuned …

Well, I guess when all else fails, dispute the charges on your credit card! That got their attention and Nat actually called me. I marked up the canvas and sent it back (at my cost!) to have it resewn. I got it back about a week after it was promised and it fit. Well, sort of. I had to redrill the holes for the snaps so I now have about 12 or so holes to fill when I get around to fixing gelcoat.

May 2008

So far the dodger has held up well.  When the bimini was made and installed by Marine Seam in Daytona Beach, they managed to get the dodger tighter.

About four years ago, I bought a sailcover for the 23 from this mom and pop outfit in Phoenix. I bought it off eBay and used PayPal so I didn’t really fear getting ripped off. It took quite awhile to get it but was I surprised when I saw what quality was built into it. What a bargain!

Well, several years later I needed a sailcover for the 40. I returned to Sailcovers and More. I should have seen the clues but basically I’m a pretty honest guy and see most evryone else as pretty straight too. They were no longer on eBay. They no longer took Paypal. So like a dumb ass, I sent them a check. The rest is pretty easy to figure out. No sailcover, no money, no Sailcovers and More! The Attorney General’s Office did nothing and the Better Business Bureau could only tell me I wasn’t alone.