Where Credit is Due: January 2013

Dutchman ServiceNorcrossSeaworthy GoodsImtra / White StarMilwaukee Tools

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I wanted to send PS an update regarding the Dutchman Boom Brake recall that PS announced in the May 2012 issue. First of all, Dutchman Sail Hardware (www.mvbinfo.com) is standing behind its product 100 percent and going beyond normal warranty.

My brake was four years old, but I called, and was told to UPS them my old boom brake. About two weeks later, the brake was back on board with a first-class repair. Good job, Dutchman!

Tim Junod

Champagne, Hunter 456

Newport Beach, Calif.

We have carried (and abused) a Norcross Hawkeye handheld depth sounder (PS, November 2010) in the dinghy bag for years-it is great for scoping out the deep water in the back bays, instead of keel testing. Recently, we had a AA battery leak, corroding the Hawkeye battery carrier to the point of no return. A simple email from us resulted in a no problem/no charge response from Patrick in Norcross customer service. The new carrier arrived shortly, and the box included a dispenser of Norcross microfiber clothes. Nice. Thanks, Norcross (www.norcrossmarine.com)!

Kim Brown

Trust Me, C&C 35-3

Ft. Myers, Fla.

I purchased PortVisors from Seaworthy Goods (www.seaworthygoods.com) for all of my portholes and installed them per their directions. Just a few weeks later, I was disappointed to find two had come off and fallen overboard while the boat sat idle in its slip.

I wrote Seaworthy Goods and asked whether they could offer any insight into why the PortVisors came off, and they replied: This is a normal installation, from which we would not expect bonding failure. The fact that the failure occurred while the boat was idle indicates there is a problem with the initial bond of the tape to the cabin surface. Seaworthy offered tips to avoid poor bonding, and offered to replace the lost PortVisors or to refund their cost. I requested and received the replacement PortVisors, and have had no trouble whatsoever with them.

Mike Martinson

Perspective, Nordic 44

San Francisco Bay, Calif.

I have a Fynspray galley handpump that required new seals, so I contacted the maker, White Star Products in New Zealand (www.whitestarproducts.co.nz), who sent out a seal kit. Unfortunately, it was the wrong part. White Star then put me in contact with Peter Nolet, product manager at Imtra Corp. (www.imtra.com), and with just one phone call, Peter sent out the required part at no expense to me. Thank you very much Imtra for your excellent service!

Ian Marshall

Via email

Milwaukee Tools (www.milwaukeetool.com) did a super job on a warranty repair. I sent off a power screwdriver and a VHF handset for repair at the same time, and I mistakenly mixed up the mailing addresses, so Milwaukee Tools got the handset and the electronics company got the screwdriver. When contacted, Milwaukee sent the handset two-day delivery, at their cost! Their repair of the screwdriver, once they got it, was less than 48 hours. You can’t beat that service.

Rick Kain

Via email

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.