Ray Marine, Anatoly and Hey Kim have you seen this

[mikeb]

Re: And I thought it was just mine....

Bought a 10 year old Starlight 35 in February with ST50 instrumentation. Since then I have spent a small fortune on one instrument after another as faults became apparent, I was beginning to feel unlucky but perhaps I am just an average Raymarine customer. I think I'll stop repairing and start thinking about replacement with another make.

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[aod]

It\'s only my experience based Opinion BUT!

I am not sure what Charles Reed is going on about with his banging head ananolgy but there is enough evidence on this forum alone that the Raytheon/Ray Marine products aren't fit for purpose.

It defies belief that some forum users advocate the use of a spray hood to stop ST instruments getting wet ! It's also absurd to say that 'Yes, they leak, but that's to be expected'

These things cost enough not to leak and unless Ray Marine repaired any instruments which suffer from water ingress corrosion free of charge it's a bum deal.

Synthesised down, the facts are that they sell/have sold instruments meant for outdoor mounting which are not weather proof. When these Non Weather Proof instruments leak and corrode they charge the earth for repair.

By definition this cannot be good value, this connot be good service but this is exactly what they do.

I never leave the pontoon for a yacht race without thinking that the ST50s and 60 may let me down. From a safety perspective this may not be a bad thing in that I cannot rely on these products to give me the information that they were designed to provide.

However sailing single handed with an autohelm set to wind and then the wind instro fails doesn't help prevent a wild broach. Nor when the autopilot control unit fails when you are sailing alone and on the foredeck trying to do a headsail change in 35 knots of wind off the western approaches do you ever think. 'Ah well, it only cost three hundred quid and I understand that the poor designers cannot make it weather proof so that's alright, the mast is level with the water and I am clinging on for dear life but it's not their fault the poor dears'

If they sell an instrument, autopilot intended for outdoors use on a sailing yacht it should be fit for purose and be able to withstand, rain, spray and short immersions.

If you disagree with that you deserve to be ripped off/let down and expensive repairs that shouldn't be necessary in the first place so go ahead and buy Ray Marine.

If not buy something else that IS fit for purpose.

Richard

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[aod]

Re: Haven\'t gone down that route

I am not sure what Charles Reed is going on about with his banging head ananolgy but there is enough evidence on this forum alone that the Raytheon/Ray Marine products aren't fit for purpose.

It defies belief that some forum users advocate the use of a spray hood to stop ST instruments getting wet ! It's also absurd to say that 'Yes, they leak, but that's to be expected'

These things cost enough not to leak and unless Ray Marine repaired any instruments which suffer from water ingress corrosion free of charge it's a bum deal.

Synthesised down, the facts are that they sell/have sold instruments meant for outdoor mounting which are not weather proof. When these Non Weather Proof instruments leak and corrode they charge the earth for repair.

By definition this cannot be good value, this connot be good service but this is exactly what they do.

I never leave the pontoon for a yacht race without thinking that the ST50s and 60 may let me down. From a safety perspective this may not be a bad thing in that I cannot rely on these products to give me the information that they were designed to provide.

However sailing single handed with an autohelm set to wind and then the wind instro fails doesn't help prevent a wild broach. Nor when the autopilot control unit fails when you are sailing alone and on the foredeck trying to do a headsail change in 35 knots of wind off the western approaches do you ever think. 'Ah well, it only cost three hundred quid and I understand that the poor designers cannot make it weather proof so that's alright, the mast is level with the water and I am clinging on for dear life but it's not their fault the poor dears'

If they sell an instrument, autopilot intended for outdoors use on a sailing yacht it should be fit for purose and be able to withstand, rain, spray and short immersions.

If you disagree with that you deserve to be ripped off/let down and expensive repairs that shouldn't be necessary in the first place so go ahead and buy Ray Marine.

If not buy something else that IS fit for purpose.

Richard

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