Death of a dinghy

[PLEIAS]

Down here in Greece almost all the recent years models are failing exactly like this i would say regardless of maker's name.Me i payed 5 years ago 600 euros for a 220 LALIZAS HERCULES which started falling apart after 18 months with no more than 30 hrs of use.I started regluing everything untill the transom started failing as well.Took it to the chandler and 3 months later got a new one with a reinforced transom. 18 months later it started the same way with rowlocks etc.It seems that the glue everyone is using now is s**t, or might i say chinese.Meanwhile an old zodiac (30 years for all i know) that i got for 50 euros is still going strong.Go figure..

 

[awol]

A week has gone by and not even an acknowledgement of my mail. Speaks volumes I suppose.

As I understand it, you have sent a snail-mail letter from Greece and are complaining that Seago have not managed to get a reply to you 7 days later. Patience is not your strong suit, is it?

My dealings with Seago have all been very satisfactory and I have found them easy and responsive to communicate with - but then I (and they) used the phone and email. Their behaviour over the LJ recall was close to exemplary and certainly impressed me.

 

[DaveS]

This is entirely speculative, but a change in glue formulation may have happened for other, well-intentioned, reasons.

Last winter I took my genoa in for repair when I discovered that much of the stitching holding on the UV sacrificial strip had broken. The UV strip had been replaced not very many years ago, so this suggested to me that the thread used then was not up to the job. My conversation with the sail maker was interesting. Apparently, the UV proofing that used to be applied to terylene thread had been discovered to be harmful to those handling it (maybe causing dermatitis? I didn't ask.) The formulation was changed to cure this problem but resulted in a proofing that was much less effective against UV, hence the shorter life expectancy. Different high-tech threads are apparently now available that will withstand UV without causing health problems but, surprise surprise, at a much higher price. Now assuming the above is accurate and not just BS (and I have no way of knowing), might something similar have happened to dinghy glue?

 

[nimbusgb]

As I understand it, you have sent a snail-mail letter from Greece and are complaining that Seago have not managed to get a reply to you 7 days later. Patience is not your strong suit, is it?

My dealings with Seago have all been very satisfactory and I have found them easy and responsive to communicate with - but then I (and they) used the phone and email. Their behaviour over the LJ recall was close to exemplary and certainly impressed me.

No I sent an email to their sales contact on their website now 8 days ago. Their offices are near home in Sussex. I will drop in there next week. I expect a reply within 48 hours of a mail sent to a web contact address.

And why should I be patient anyway? They have my money?

 

[nimbusgb]

Follow up!

I have just got off the phone with Seago yachting.

After some discussion they have offered me a significant discount off a new dinghy. Seago explained that a lot of manufacturers had had trouble with PVC boats in the past couple of seasons in the med and due to the age of my boat a warranty claim would probably go nowhere.

As a gesture of goodwill I have been offered what amounts to almost 50% off the retail price of a new dinghy.

Bravo Seago! I am impressed with your customer care!

 

[Flapjack]

Follow up!

I have just got off the phone with Seago yachting.

After some discussion they have offered me a significant discount off a new dinghy. Seago explained that a lot of manufacturers had had trouble with PVC boats in the past couple of seasons in the med and due to the age of my boat a warranty claim would probably go nowhere.

As a gesture of goodwill I have been offered what amounts to almost 50% off the retail price of a new dinghy.

Bravo Seago! I am impressed with your customer care!

Glad they have offered you a good discount on a new dinghy but I’m still a little worried that they seem to think that 5 years is an acceptable lifespan for a dinghy, especially as I have one which is now 4 years old

 

[dunedin]

So far we have been very pleased with our Seago - now circa 6 years old

The price was peanuts compared to the equivalent Avon and we reckoned even if we binned it every 4-5 years we would be ahead - and saves worrying about mistreating it. So far been much better than hoped - though appreciate may ot last forever

 

[yachtorion]

When you can get a new 2.3m Seago Dinghy for 235 quid (as I did recently)... if it only lasts 5 years that doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.

I chose the Seago because it was relatively cheap and because I've been happy with some lifejackets I've had for a few years. Well made and well featured again at a good price.

I've also got one of their liferafts which I think came top in a PBO group test at about the time I bought it.

Glad to hear they are prepared to back up their kit when something goes wrong, but for me at least so far I've been happy

 

[aluijten]

Having bought a dinghy recently myself, I've learned the more expensive versions are "welded" together instead of glued. This implies that gluing PVC is sub-optimal compared to welding (=melting the PVC). It may mean that the glue is indeed susceptible to aging.

Cheers

 

[nimbusgb]

Having bought a dinghy recently myself, I've learned the more expensive versions are "welded" together instead of glued. This implies that gluing PVC is sub-optimal compared to welding (=melting the PVC). It may mean that the glue is indeed susceptible to aging.

Cheers

Yup i understand the same thing. My purchase will be a welded version not their eco line.

 

[Plevier]

I chose the Seago because it was relatively cheap and because I've been happy with some lifejackets I've had for a few years.

Yours may be OK but please read thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315928&highlight=seago

 

[yachtorion]

Yours may be OK but please read thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315928&highlight=seago

Thanks. Pleased to say mine are ok - and are regularly test inflated (every few months in fact).