Gill wellies not good after one season

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 Jul 2009
Messages
3,311
Location
Bristol Channel
Visit site
It is annoying that my Gill tall wellies developed a spilt and now fill with water only after one season of very infrequent and light use at the cost of £55. I wished sailing wellies were as durable as my Dunlop country wellies. Any similar problems?
 
My Musto leather ones are still great after 2 seasons with heavy use at the cost of £150. I don't think it's acceptable that your wellies have split, but there are more durable alternatives available at what would seem a reasonable extra cost.
 
My first wellies were cheap-ish Gill ones. Don't know when it happened but after a year I worked out that my feet were getting wet not from the top but from a break in the bonding with the sole. My expensive musto HPXs are looking a bit scruffy but work as well as they did when I bought them 6 years ago
 
I'm on my fourth pair ,first was good for years, second died in a year and were replaced by Force4.
third are still in use but have now split, fourth were up for a good price so I had them, but they also now leak.
The surface colour degrades early on, the sides fold at the ankle, then leak, and the vertical seams split.

trouble is no other is as tall for tender launching etc, and they all seem too wide a fit for me.

I need a good pair for next season.
 
Gill have an excellent after sales policy. Basically it's a lifetime guarantee. I've had 3 pairs of oilskin trousers and 2 jackets from them.
 
I bought a pair of Gill wellies at force 4 in mid 2012 season and they had deteriorated to the point of letting in water when I put them on this season. Took them back and they were replaced by Gill. By the end of this season the left boot was leaking. It was along the part where the sole fits to the upper and creases for toes. Have done a repair using rubber glue. Season now over so will see how long they last next season. I bought them because they are high boots for launching the dinghy but will not do so again-too embarrassing to keep going back to F4. Have back-up green wellies which may be no less durable but cost less than £20. Have you thought of fisherman's waders for launching dinghy?
 
I too had a "one season" pair of Gills. Seams broke. I repaired the breaks / splits with bicycle puncture repair kit (quite effective), but they soon split elsewhere.
Replaced with Musto leathers and they're a dream - comfy, warm, waterproof and no signs of split leak after 2 heavy duty seasons.
 
I had 3 pairs in a year and got fedup of taking them back. My Dunlop yellow ones lasted for about 10 years before the rubber started to crack, the surface on the gill ones just disintegrated very quickly and cracked.
 
Reading the above posts and with my own experience I reckon Gill ought to be "on the case".
I'm happy to contact them direct (mentioning the general comments here above) but knowing our wierd consumer laws Gill will probably demand I/we go back to the retailer(s). If that is the case I don't think our individual retailers will make much of the "class action" type approach.

Whadya all think?
 
Robert Wilson said:
Reading the above posts and with my own experience I reckon Gill ought to be "on the case".
I'm happy to contact them direct (mentioning the general comments here above) but knowing our wierd consumer laws Gill will probably demand I/we go back to the retailer(s). If that is the case I don't think our individual retailers will make much of the "class action" type approach.

Whadya all think?
Click to expand...

Frankly I found F4 most suspicious - as if I had put the hole there myself.
 
Robert Wilson said:
Reading the above posts and with my own experience I reckon Gill ought to be "on the case".
Click to expand...

In fairness my boots weren't expensive (for sailing boots) and when I worked out that water was coming in from a flaw in the bonding rather than from getting inside the (cheap and rubbish) oilies I was using then and going down the top it was over a year since I'd bought them and I assumed any "guarantee" would be up so didn't tell anyone about them, just chucked 'em.
 
After having had three pairs of expensive Dubarry boots replaced FOC as they leaked, my local chandlery gave me a full refund and a pair of Gill boots for half price....two years light use and they are still fine!
 
I was prepared to buy one of the Force4 leather breathables, but it just fitted horribly.
I told Force 4 of my concern over buying another pair of the Gills and Force4 said bring them in and see what happens with the warranty, so I took 2 pairs of prob. 3yr old leaking Gill tall Boots into F4 last weekend.
By Wednesday they had received new replacements for both pairs from Gill.

3 of the retiring boots had leaked from the top of the crease that forms up the side exactly where the the heel reinforcement stops.
The fourth had cracked horizontally in the thinner fabric of the boot sides, away from any reinforcement, where a fold forms if put into a kit bag.

I'm sure my first pair lasted longer years ago, so I think they may have changed production methods, but if they keep replacing them I'll live with that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top