asteven221
Well-Known Member
Whilst lying in the sun on holiday last week, just passing the time reading the monthly boat magazines cover to cover, I became aware of something I had not really thought much about before. For no reason whatsoever, it suddenly dawned on me that almost every article relating to using a boat for what it's designed for e.g. sailing, ARC, cruising, motoring etc.... had the same repeating theme. The theme being that boat equipment just breaks all the time. As someone who has spent (still does spend) most of my boating life fixing things on my boat that should not have come as any surprise. I think I just take it for granted that boats are always breaking. I think we all do and just shrug it off as "hey that's boating"! But really, should it be like that?
That led me to ponder over the question of why is it that manufacturers of boating equipment can't make stuff that's fit for purpose? Think about it for a second. Why is it that we are always fixing faulty equipment on our boats? Yes of course it's a tough environment, but hey Mr Manufacturer that's the way it is, so please go away and make something that is fit for purpose in that tough environment, not some half baked bit of kit that isn't even sealed against dampness!
The boat builders themselves seem to be able to build a reliable hull over the long term, with faults being really unusual no matter what nature can do to break them, yet the kit attached to the boat always breaks. Nothing really lasts. Whether it's furling gear, electronics, spars, steering gear, static or running rigging, cooking, toilets, plumbing, you name it and it will likely break pretty quickly - if you actually use it. Winches appear to be a good exception however, as does the core parts of engines, although the peripheral parts to the engine fall apart regularly, as do gearboxes and sterngear. Still, I would like to forgive engines, as they are a bit more complex than say a marine toilet for example - which is pretty useless at being a toilet after a relatively short period of time.
From what I can tell, boat builders have always used the same equipment manufacturers. The chances are that virtually every one of us will have equipment on our boats from the same handful of manufacturers, regardless of the age of the boat or who built it. I would assume that's because few companies make boat kit, so the builders have few options. Hmmm, that's probably answer as to why they can't be bothered trying too hard to make kit fit for purpose.
So am I being unreasonable on the equipment manufacturers and I should be grateful for their fantastic and reliable equipment? Or do I have a valid point and we are being fleeced, as we have to keep fixing and replacing their badly designed products which are not fit for purpose?
Over to you folks, what do you reckon?
That led me to ponder over the question of why is it that manufacturers of boating equipment can't make stuff that's fit for purpose? Think about it for a second. Why is it that we are always fixing faulty equipment on our boats? Yes of course it's a tough environment, but hey Mr Manufacturer that's the way it is, so please go away and make something that is fit for purpose in that tough environment, not some half baked bit of kit that isn't even sealed against dampness!
The boat builders themselves seem to be able to build a reliable hull over the long term, with faults being really unusual no matter what nature can do to break them, yet the kit attached to the boat always breaks. Nothing really lasts. Whether it's furling gear, electronics, spars, steering gear, static or running rigging, cooking, toilets, plumbing, you name it and it will likely break pretty quickly - if you actually use it. Winches appear to be a good exception however, as does the core parts of engines, although the peripheral parts to the engine fall apart regularly, as do gearboxes and sterngear. Still, I would like to forgive engines, as they are a bit more complex than say a marine toilet for example - which is pretty useless at being a toilet after a relatively short period of time.
From what I can tell, boat builders have always used the same equipment manufacturers. The chances are that virtually every one of us will have equipment on our boats from the same handful of manufacturers, regardless of the age of the boat or who built it. I would assume that's because few companies make boat kit, so the builders have few options. Hmmm, that's probably answer as to why they can't be bothered trying too hard to make kit fit for purpose.
So am I being unreasonable on the equipment manufacturers and I should be grateful for their fantastic and reliable equipment? Or do I have a valid point and we are being fleeced, as we have to keep fixing and replacing their badly designed products which are not fit for purpose?
Over to you folks, what do you reckon?
