Slagging off marine companies

RichardShead said:
And as for those magazines ....

The British Marine Industry is one of the best in the world just look at every component on your boat, the clothes you wear and just about every other element to do with boating and it will be British. ..
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Looking at my boat inside and out:
Clothes: XM Ocean - French - excellent always keep me dry and warm
Blocks: Rutgerson - German ? - Do their job
Spars: Selden: Swedish? - Excellent
Clutches: Spinlock XAS - British - cheap plastic, clips break off, very hard to open under load, had to replace all of them
Winches: Lewmar CST: UK - Do their job, but the chrome finish wears off and tends to form rust spots
Portlights and Hatches: Lewmar - UK - cheap build, hinges break off, handles lock broken, leaking all over the place
Raymarine - Instruments and Autopilot - UK - Absolute nightmare: Autopilot S1 had component fitted wrong way round. Fixed but replaced with SPX-30 and found software bug. Issue open with Raymarine and still unresolved. Chartplotter - AIS integration issue logged with Raymaine still unresolved.
Engine: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Excellent workhorse
Folding Propeller: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Serious defect found with hub not aligned to shaft. VP is sending replacement.
Bow Thruster: Vetus - Italian - never let me down
Steering Wheels: Lewmar - UK - Never seen one looking straight, always with wonky spokes
Fridges: WAECO: UK - cheap build, plastic breaks and cracks, expensive replacements or even not available for fridge still in production (internal light case not available as replacement!)


I wonder, where did you get the impression that the British Industry was the best?
 
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haydude said:
Looking at my boat inside and out:
Clothes: XM Ocean - French - excellent always keep me dry and warm
Blocks: Rutgerson - German ? - Do their job
Spars: Selden: Swedish? - Excellent
Clutches: Spinlock XAS - British - cheap plastic, clips break off, very hard to open under load, had to replace all of them
Winches: Lewmar CST: UK - Do their job, but the chrome finish wears off and tends to form rust spots
Portlights and Hatches: Lewmar - UK - cheap build, hinges break off, handles lock broken, leaking all over the place
Raymarine - Instruments and Autopilot - UK - Absolute nightmare: Autopilot S1 had component fitted wrong way round. Fixed but replaced with SPX-30 and found software bug. Issue open with Raymarine and still unresolved. Chartplotter - AIS integration issue logged with Raymaine still unresolved.
Engine: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Excellent workhorse
Folding Propeller: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Serious defect found with hub not aligned to shaft. VP is sending replacement.
Bow Thruster: Vetus - Italian - never let me down

I wonder, where did you get the impression that the British Industry was the best?
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With all those bits breaking I was wondering if your boat was an AWB :D
 
This thread that started out as a thread about not slagging off marine companies.....has turned into a thread about slagging off marine companies.

Roll on spring. :p
 
jonic said:
This thread that started out as a thread about not slagging off marine companies.....has turned into a thread about slagging off marine companies.

Roll on spring. :p
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Most threads tend to drift................do they not ?

Just a pity we cant name those that need slagging off.
 
haydude said:
Looking at my boat inside and out:
Clothes: XM Ocean - French - excellent always keep me dry and warm
Blocks: Rutgerson - German ? - Do their job
Spars: Selden: Swedish? - Excellent
Clutches: Spinlock XAS - British - cheap plastic, clips break off, very hard to open under load, had to replace all of them
Winches: Lewmar CST: UK - Do their job, but the chrome finish wears off and tends to form rust spots
Portlights and Hatches: Lewmar - UK - cheap build, hinges break off, handles lock broken, leaking all over the place
Raymarine - Instruments and Autopilot - UK - Absolute nightmare: Autopilot S1 had component fitted wrong way round. Fixed but replaced with SPX-30 and found software bug. Issue open with Raymarine and still unresolved. Chartplotter - AIS integration issue logged with Raymaine still unresolved.
Engine: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Excellent workhorse
Folding Propeller: Volvo Penta - Sweden - Serious defect found with hub not aligned to shaft. VP is sending replacement.
Bow Thruster: Vetus - Italian - never let me down
Steering Wheels: Lewmar - UK - Never seen one looking straight, always with wonky spokes
Fridges: WAECO: UK - cheap build, plastic breaks and cracks, expensive replacements or even not available for fridge still in production (internal light case not available as replacement!)


I wonder, where did you get the impression that the British Industry was the best?
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Cant be bothered to argue my case any more...

Laters...
 
RichardShead said:
Then you have the proof.

But I still maintain we lead in innovation regardless where it's made. Which don't really help ...
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LOL

Like with the Austin Allegro's square steering wheel?
Or the Beagle Mars probe that never returned a single beep?

One idiomatic sentence can summarize British innovation and quality: "That'll do!"

You have got to get credits for trying at least!
 
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haydude said:
LOL

Like with the Austin Allegro's square steering wheel?
Or the Beagle Mars probe that never returned a single beep?

One idiomatic sentence can summarize British innovation and quality: "That'll do!"

You have got to get credits for trying at least!
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To be fair if I really got stuck into this argument I could list a whole load of companies...but I am about to jump on a plane so don't have time....

But a couple for starters.....Tacktick, Williams Jet RIBS, Halyard....oh that's three
 
haslemere_harry said:
As someone who is agonising about a possible switch from an older Swedish boat to a new(er) French one, you've just made my day!

Mark
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Thanks for your comment - but the choice is a complex subject and there have been many threads. Firstly nearly all make of Yachts use the same group of component manufacturers. Obviously the size of components at the bottom end is the minimum acceptible for the length of boat /sail area but are adequate but the quality of these fittings varies little between boat makes - only the size.

For any one manufacturer it is not even fair to compare their older boats with the newer ones as better understanding of existing materials and new materials has resulted in lighter but adequate construction. Hence many adverts claiming the age of say a older Bavaria as being a positive benefit!

There are also threads on the relative qualities of certain makes with Oyster near the top. We can all debate who is at the bottom!! Some suggest that only a heavy construction is OK as a blue water boat yet others point out how unsuitable they are for hot climates with inadequate ventilation and light. Other point out that the vast majority of boats that cross the atlantic in recent years are AWB's and the majority think length is more important than weight.

The one question that only the individual can answer is the value for money. Many argue for a production AWB and the remaining money invested would easily pay for its upkeep but like cars its nice to have luxury and it appears that those that can afford it buy the much dearer boats but the majority also accept that while a better boat, for twice the price its not twice the quality, nor twice as good. Like many things its the law of diminishing returns!!

The one consistant theme in all the threads is the prejudice and that some love MAB's and others AWB's and that finally whatever is written few if any change their opinion.

Me - personally if I had the money I would have bought a Malo/Acona/X boat but for my balance of priorities I make do with a Jeanneau (owned from new for 6yrs now) and bought properties, motorcycles and silly expensive holidays!! But what do I know!!

WRT slagging off British Marine Industry having had 3 new French AWB's fitted out in the UK by the distributors/suppliers I would now buy it from the factory, take delivery and have it fitted out in the UK but by the reputable/quality suppliers working directly for me. These do exist but cannot work for some distributors for the price they are prepared to pay. While Portway have gone bust the 2 new Dufours that I bought through them were fitted out OK but the last boat gave me the most problems getting the quality of work (eg a bow thruster that did not leak) completed but I anticipated these problems once I visited the Jeanneau factory and saw the boat with a number of the factory fitted extras that I had specified deleted by the distributor for Bob the Builder to fit more cheaply in the UK. Be warned!
 
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marine suppliers

The thing is that today all the marine suppliers in the world are trying to the same thing and that is to supply the boater with a product that meets his needs at a price he is prepaired to pay. If you the boater decide that you dont want to buy the best equipment at the price then dont blame the marine supplier for you making the wrong choise. As a marine consultant and boat builder of 40 years experience I can say hand on heart that we all blame someone else when we make the wron decision its nature. I have had the pleasere to work with some of the best boatbuilders in the world and can tell you that most of them were in the UK. but you ask them what the reply was when they asked a customer, do you want teak and the reply was have you got anything cheaper. When the cheaper broke they blamed the builder. I have just finnished prepairing a yacht for a client that is going on an Atlantic circut this year. I searched some 265 companies to buy 13 pieces of equipment. The result was that I have procured the best equipment and not always at the top price and all bought from UK companies. ALL the companies were courteous and very plesant to deal with and service was second to none. I must say though I asked alot of questions and weighed all the answers before I purchased. So in the end my client only has me to blame if I got it wrong.
 
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