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For most of you the
boating season is either over or nearly so, but due to the machinations
of the magazine business, here at PMY we’re only halfway through
ours as I’m writing this. And what a season. We’ve already put
more hours on our Fairline 43 than any project boat we’ve ever had.
A few months ago, when I announced that this year’s Office Ours
would be the 43 and be recognizable by her familiar name, beautiful blue
hull, and the Power & Motoryacht logos, I invited you to hail
us should you see us on the water. Many of you did, and we shared a few
drinks and, as boaters always do, a few yarns, too.
All this was not just
fun. It gave me a chance to learn more about boating from you who are
out on the water, and what you taught me ranged from the hilarious to
the shocking. This column is in the latter category.
This is the story of
a Massachusetts couple I’ll call the Winstons, two longtime boaters
and PMY readers I met in Nantucket the Fourth of July week. It
begins last year when the starboard engine their boatyard had recently
installed blew with only a few hours on it. The couple suspected that
a faulty installation was the cause (later confirmed by a surveyor) and
took that matter up with the boatyard. The boatyard categorically denied
any responsibility and offered neither restitution nor assistance.
The Winstons’ options
at this point were limited because the same company that owned the boatyard
owned the marina they were in, and it had a strict policy of not allowing
outside contractors to work on boats. Thus they either had to tow their
boat some distance to another yard to have the work done or take their
chances with an outfit that had already proven to be of questionable competence.
Moreover, the yard told the Winstons that if they did take their boat
out of the marina for the work, they’d be evicted, despite their
one-year lease. The Winstons loved their marina, mainly because of its
proximity to open water, so they reluctantly agreed to let the yard replace
the engine. And that was the extent of their story when I met them.
As I found out later,
the Winstons departed Nantucket for Massachusetts early on the morning
of Friday, July 7. A half-hour out, they noticed smoke coming from the
cabin, and soon the boat was engulfed. They put out a MAYDAY, then abandoned
ship. The Coast Guard arrived quickly, extinguished the flames, and towed
the boat back to Nantucket where a quick inspection identified the problem:
An improperly installed coupling between the exhaust manifold and outlet
had melted, allowing hot exhaust into the interior.
Though not a total loss,
the Winstons’ boat sustained heavy damage and had to be towed back
to their home port, some 60 miles distant. Once there, they again complained
to the yard, and once again the yard denied responsibility and basically
told them to find an attorney. At wit’s end, they took the boat to
another yard, which identified the problem and offered to do the work.
In the meantime, their marina rented their slip and refused to refund
the remainder of their yearly rent. Their boat is currently under repair,
but they don’t expect it to be finished this season.
I wish I could tell
you this was the only service horror story I heard this summer, but alas,
it’s not unique. In fact, judging from what I’ve heard from
readers, there’s an epidemic of incompetence at best and fraud at
worst in the boat-maintenance business. If this continues, you can bet
the Winstons and a lot of experienced boaters like them will leave boating.
People in the boat-maintenance industry would do well to remember that
no one needs a boat and that if they don’t treat their customers
the way they’d like to be treated, they may someday find the boating
boom is suddenly over.
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