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Very Good Vendor Thread

34K views 114 replies 88 participants last post by  NICHOLSON58 
#1 ·
We always have threads complaining about this or that or this product or that marina, etc. How about a thread where we thank some of the vendors that do a good job and take their customer service seriously.

I will get it started with a few that I would use again in a heart beat.

First:

Catalina Yachts​

If you pick up the phone and call them, right now, they will take your call and take the time to speak with you. If you have a problem, they get on it. Warren and Gerry Douglas take a VERY personal interest in helping people and being involved in their products. I am not going to speka for Catalina or all issues here, but let me just tell you that I have witnessed many instances where Catalina took responsibility for fixing things that were NOT their problems and in my opinion that they did not need to fix.

Maybe they do not make the best boats in the world. Maybe they are not Oysters or Hinckleys. But they take their products seriously and they take customer service seriously. For that reason alone I will put them on the very top of this list of Very Good Vendors.

Next...

Mastervolt​

I have owned both Mastervolt and Fisher Panda. First, regarding Mastervolt, they have replaced items out of warranty for me and reply to my questions within 24 hours. Now, I have had problems with my generator. However, they took an interest in getting them resolved and did it without concern. I would buy one of their products again.

Fisher Panda Generators​

Let me tell you about a very recent experience with Fisher Panda. There was an owner (it is on Sailnet) that had an out of warranty FP generator. Fisher Panda could have just let him deal with it himself. Instead, they offered to fix it for free. That is a classic example of taking pride in your products and standing behind them. Generators and engines in general are things that can and will break. Nothing is perfect. What seperates good manufacturers from the bad ones is not the breakage, but the customer support and being there for the customer afterwards. Good job Jtill.

Others members, feel free to post your POSITIVE experiences here and manufacturers that you would reccomend to others.

- CD
 
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#61 ·
Super LED Anchor light vendor!

Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)! .... based out of an island in the Fiji group...these guys are....

Pros it seems and their OWL anchor light is superb and really cheap...check their site for sure if your in the market for an anchor light...I got mine about 10 days ago and it's doing great on my batteries....the shipping is cheap...the LED anchor light I got was warm white...15 LED's mounted in a smart PVC end cap casing...had a light sensor option ...and with shipping from Fiji arrived quickly and hurt me to the total tune of about 40 bucks!...They have a great lil' website...

Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)!!

happy Sails.!!..Morgan in SW Florida
 
#64 · (Edited)
Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)! .... based out of an island in the Fiji group...these guys are....

Pros it seems and their OWL anchor light is superb and really cheap...check their site for sure if your in the market for an anchor light...I got mine about 10 days ago and it's doing great on my batteries....the shipping is cheap...the LED anchor light I got was warm white...15 LED's mounted in a smart PVC end cap casing...had a light sensor option ...and with shipping from Fiji arrived quickly and hurt me to the total tune of about 40 bucks!...They have a great lil' website...

Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)!!

happy Sails.!!..Morgan in SW Florida
Thanks I am in the market and am checking them out. How do you mount these lights though? They seem to be simply an end-capped pvc pipe with no mounting plates...
 
#62 ·
I have several BIBI lights. Jeff collaborated with me to design a WINDEX light. I have two (mizzen & main) and they are great. Ask him about one for your boat. Really bright and powered off the nav light. I also bought some for the interior cabin. BIBI is great to work with.
 
#63 ·
Has anyone mentioned R&W ropes? They have pretty good prices, and the customer service agent actually worked to save me money by recommending I buy excess lines for a 20% discount on most of the shorter (under 100') lengths of line I needed. Time and time again, the agent recommended ways of saving money on the order. So when the agent recommended I spend a little more for a braided mainsheet, I trusted them and went with the upsell.

Unfortunately the order got entered incorrectly and they forgot to send part of it, but were very apologetic and I got what was missing shipped out to me immediately.
 
#65 · (Edited)
bebi electronics Owl LED anchor light.....mounting issues

There are three holes around the base of the PVC endcap....but not enough lip to really glue a piece of PVC pipe or any other stem/extension thingy onto very well...the holes dont really give you much "bite" when screwed into from outside into whatever pvc stem/extension one uses due to they are drilled a bit too close to the bottom of the endcap ...I sanded the PVC pipe and inside the end cap and glued them together with epoxy...seemed to work well but in retrospect...plain old PVC glue may have sufficed but I seem to grapple with an overconfidence in "the final solution...epoxy it!" syndrome...hope Bebi electronics may be checking this post and will chime in with help in this regard...its seems a great product...the OWL LED's....but too bad they cant leave a bit more room for some pvc or whatever tube to lip onto and also take screws better into the endcap with...
 
#67 ·
MASTER CRAFT BOAT COVERINGS, RICHMOND, BC

Frank Mastar and crew made a dodger for our 1970 C&C Redwing which was a real work of all around craftsmanship. We wanted something not only functional but very flexible/modular and aesthetically pleasing to the lines of our lovely old boat. We got what we asked for, and more. We can't say enough good about what he and his team put together for us. They listened to and responded to everything we asked for in a dodger. They were also a real pleasure to work with. I can't recommend them enough.
 
#68 ·
We've heard good things about them too.. and liked what we've seen of his work.
 
#69 ·
SSMR Inc., Florida.

aka Mr. and Mrs. Knothead.

Our lifelines were due for replacement. A fellow sailnet member, JRD22, recommended SSMR Inc. after using them to replace the lifelines on his boat.

So I pulled off the lifelines. They fit in one of those 1st Class mail boxes available at the post office. I mailed them out to SSMR Inc. on Friday. They called me up on Monday to let me know they had arrived and asked a few follow up questions about the chicken scratch measurements I included in the box.

About a week later, I had a box of lifelines delivered with a bill inside. I just got back from the boat today after installing them. The lifelines were labeled with little string tags so I didn't have to guess where they went. I stuck with the white vinyl coating. I examined the joints where the vinyl and the swagged fittings met and they were tight and even. I never cared for our gate pelican hooks, so Knothead put some new ones on. Boy they look nice.

So the guy in the slip across from me saw me putting on the new lifelines and asked about it. I told him I used an outfit in Florida. He said he replaced his lifelines a few years ago with a local outfit in Port Townsend. His boat is a 37' boat. Mine is a 40' boat. He paid more for his local lifelines than I did for mine, so I'm pretty happy that I got fast service, a good job and a good price.

THANKS Knothead!
 
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#70 ·
A big thumbs up to TED CORLETT at BOOMKICKER!!!

I ordered and paid for two boomkickers, via internet, from Kelly Hanson out of Colorado. He never shipped them. Stopped returning calls, emails etc...I was given Teds number from a fellow member and told to call him and explain what happened. He knew the vendor and he called them himself and started investigating. Of course the story was first there were some accounting issues, then I never paid for them, then he had shipped them. Excuse after excuse. He looked into each excuse and realised there were others as well that this has happened to.

Ted finally got serious with him and at the end of the day, I believe, ended his relationship with the vendor. This guy (Arthur) is now based out of Seattle and his web site is Peaksails.com. To quote Babu from Seinfeld..."he is a berry baaaad man". Buyer beware when doing business with him.

Ted on the other hand, Ted sent me two Boomkickers and I picked up the shipping to Canada ($54). I made the original purchase in July of 2011, Ted got involved sometime in October and last week, March 9th, the Boomkickers showed up on my doorstep. What a beautifully made product, I can't wait to install and eliminate my topping lift. More importantly, Ted believes in his product and completely stands buy it. Totally over and above service. This dragged on for months and it would have been easy for Ted to let it go. He did not and I was the one out $400. Thank you Ted!!

If you haven't looked at a BOOMKICKER, I recomend you do. (Buy from a reputable vendor or directly at boomkicker.com)

Shanker
 
#71 · (Edited)
Today, while pulling a mast from an Irwin 38', we managed to damage the mast step. (note, when pulling masts, make sure there isn't a piece of hardware bolted through the mast and into the step :eek:).
The boat was being decommissioned in order to be trucked from the area so time was an issue.
I took the step to my friends Daryl and John at EMBREE Welding Service, who we use for most all of our metal fabrication needs. They not only stopped what they were doing to repair the step, but they didn't charge me a dime because they knew that it was coming out of our own pocket. I don't imagine that they would do that for everyone, but they do excellent, timely and fairly priced work and are a pleasure to deal with.
A hearty recommendation.

EMBREE Welding Service
690 43 St. South
Saint Petersburg, FL 33711
727 321 8771
 
#72 · (Edited)
I've been thinking about posting this for awhile, but thought it would appear like a sales pitch. This thread provides a really nice opportunity.

I'd been boat shopping for over two years now, and a couple of boats I was serious about were listed through Vela Yacht Sales in Victoria, British Columbia.

Shawn Dunand who owns and runs Vela worked with me very honestly, and being a prospective new owner, helped me understand whether or not the boats I was looking at were right for me.

I'm now very close on the purchase of a boat not listed through Vela. Even so, after I made Shawn aware of this, he called me and talked with me about the boat as he knew the somewhat rare make - and spoke of what a great boat it looked to be, how if it surveyed well, it would be a boat that would be a perfect fit for me, gave me advice on what to look for in the boat and a surveyor, and how to structure a fair contract since this boat was offered by-owner.

I am stunned that such honesty exists.
 
#74 ·
Just had some engine work done on my Yanmar 3HM. Needed a new exhaust, fuel filter, water filter and the motor serviced.

List Marine in Sausalito did the work and they did a VERY clean, professional install of everything. They ended up making so much extra room in the engine/lockers that I can probably keep at least 50% more gear in there. The exhaust was installed completely in the engine compartment with just the final exhaust hose coming through a locker. (wasn't like that before) Again, VERY clean install.

Dealing with Tom, Jessica, Hans and the rest of the crew there was always spot on with regard to customer service. Very professional, all of them. The final price ended up being a bit more than I was quoted but the quality of the install and the addition of the raw water filter (not originally discussed) made the price more than acceptable.

If I could find any problem I had it would be about not informing me of the additional costs before I came to pick up the boat. However, they were very understanding and let me send them a check later the following week.

As an out of area boat owner, they made the whole process so easy, locals should have an even better experience.

Check them out: List Marine: Sailboat, Power Boat Engine sales and service
 
#78 ·
Abbey at Island Canvas in Toronto - great upholstery and canvas.
They did an awesome job of sprucing (replacing) up all our interior cushions and foam.

Marine Express Parts - Maine - imported fuel system parts from them into Canada because (sadly) the bottom line was still le$$ than what we would have paid for them here.

West Marine - we bought a BBQ from them and within two days, my hubby dropped the gas regulator knob overboard.
Hhhmmm...it didn't float. And he wouldn't go get it.
They replaced the entire regulator assembly, not just the knob.
(I did buy the warranty).

The Store - Mason's Chandlery, Port Credit.
Lori Mason - for her WOW Seminars, (Women On the Water), and her excellent and rational advice.
Mason's are also one of the best stocked, and fairly priced outfits in the Mississauga region of Ontario, Canada.

Cheers
 
#79 ·
Tropic Aire in Belize. Still run by real people. If everyone ticketed on a flight shows up early, the flight will leave early. Pleasant. More important, on more than one occasion I have seen them faced with a situation in which they have more passengers than seats. (delayed inbound flights, etc). They simply pull another plane out of the hanger, gas it up, load up and go. And every employee seems to like to smile! Ever seen a domestic airline put an extra plane in service?
 
#80 ·
Sea Frost Refrigeration

So a few weeks ago I ran into Cleave, the owner of Sea Frost Refrigeration, on the dock at our club. We got to chatting and I asked him if there was any possible way to convert our Shore Assist refrigeration system (120V) to 12V. He stood there, scratched his head and said, "Sure I don't see why not.". I could see the gears turning....

Our boat has a beautiful Sea Frost engine driven refrigeration system and also had the upgraded second 120V compressor system for when plugged into shore power. We are on a mooring and rarely if ever at the dock. When we cruise we anchor out. My wife actually dislikes docks and we cruise to get away, not be near........ As such the 120V Shore Assist system was sitting there doing us no good. I had actually removed it from the boat during the re-wire and never re-installed it.

Engine driven refrigeration relies on an engine driven, belt drive compressor and a massive aluminum holding plate that freezes to about -25F to -30F and acts like a massive block of ice. With one hour of engine a day we put some charge into the batteries and get cold food for 20 - 24 hours. The catch, is one hour of engine per day, every day.

There are times I would LOVE to flip on a 12V fridge and not have to sit there on the hook and run the motor for cold food..

Because our holding plate has two sets of coils in it, engine and 120V system, converting to 12V was as easy as a control module, Danfoss BD80 12V compressor and a new 120mm 12V fan. Because this new compressor is 12V I can run it at a dock or when off cruising and not wanting to run the motor in a beautiful anchorage.

The engine side will still be our primary refrigeration but this gives us an extremely "gourmet" package. If one side of the system goes down we still have the other, cold booze and grub is very important you know....

So the long and short is that I dropped it off at Sea Frost in NH on Wednesday and it was back on my door step this evening for a VERY REASONABLE price.. They did an absolutely gorgeous conversion and for a custom conversion this can't be beat.

I will never own any marine refrigeration system other than Sea Frost as long as Cleave owns the company. His customer support goes BEYOND tremendous..

12V and engine driven refrigeration, can't beat that! I just can't believe it took me this long to think of it......

Thanks Cleave!!!!

 
#81 ·
MarineBeam LED light supplier. Super fast shipping, prices that are not cheap but less than the big names. When one of our dual color G4 bulbs quit changing from Red to White correctly and auto switched to white every time we emailed and mentioned it. I had no record of purchase and did not know when I purchased it or if it was still under warranty. They apologized for the problem and I had a new one in 3 days. They never asked for the old one back or asked me to pay shipping on replacement. We will be repeat customers when we finish the conversion to all LED lights. They also have dimable lights which is very cool!

cheers
doubleeeboy
 
#82 ·
Svendsen's Chandlery (and everything else) in Alameda, Ca Amazingly good prices and service

Downwind Marine in San Diego, Ca They have everything in stock and everyone there is nice and knowledgeable

Defender.com in Connecticut Excellent prices, especially if you wait for sales

Go2marine.com in Washington Excellent prices and they'll go to ridiculous lengths to get what you need

West Marine if you take your ipad and make them price match! (They don't even complain when I get stuff for 1/2 price.)
 
#84 ·
For those of you in the Lower Mainland/Vancouver BC area.. for all fiberglass/epoxy and fabric needs the guy you need to know is George at Ultra-Lux plastics on River Drive in Richmond (near River Rock Casino)

Good advice freely given, good prices, all around positive experience!
 
#85 ·
I'll have to throw my hat in the ring for Dometic Corp's customer service department. In June I purchased a new A/B Coldmachine 100 and their 150 evaporator to replace the old system on my boat which had failed while in Mexico. I had a cooling problem after installation of the new system with a cracked weld in the copper tubing from the evaporator to the compressor. I was not a happy camper, to say the least. Dometic's initial recommendation was to remove the unit and send it for warranty repair to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Absolutely out of the question. All I wanted to know was if they had someone in Mazatlan, locally. Nope! I ultimately had it repaired by a local Mexican refrigeration tech. Although I couldn't show any invoice for the repair work, as services are generally paid for in cash down here, Dometic's customer service stood behind their product and compensated me for the work I had done locally. I wanted to express my satisfaction with the timely resolution of the problem by email and was told that in the 28 years with the company, the person who had been helping me had never had a positive comment on his customer service assistance. It's kinda' sad when you find so few of us have so little good to say, isn't it? My emails were also forwarded to the president of their marine division, who sent me a nice email as well insuring that I had been helped to my fullest satisfaction. So, just my too cents worth.
 
#86 ·
I have to praise Blackline Marine, in Sidney BC (Canoe Cove/Vancouver Island). They have done MAJOR work for me over the years, from rebuilding my skeg, stainless work to re-rigging. Totally trustworthy and top-notch workmanship. They are a shop you can feel comfortable with NOT checking on the progress daily. They stay within budget, are cost-conscious and keep in constant communication with the customer. I can't say enough good about them. I have had some good and some horrible experiences elsewhere over my many, many years of sailboat ownership (Seattle & Port Townsend) before I discovered Blackline Marine. Now I am willing to sail nearly 100 miles (and out of my country) to have them work on my boat.
 
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