Where Credit is Due: September 2011

Johnson PumpsDefender IndustriesRaymarineTaylor MadeEdsonGarhauer

0

Anchored out on our Cape Dory 30, my wife and I were just filling our coffee pot when we heard a large “pop,” and water came gushing out of the engine compartment into the main salon. Upon investigating, I found that the plastic strainer cover had blown out of our Johnson Pumps freshwater pump. I had been working on a fuel line problem just before this happened, and figured it was very possible that I had stressed the cover when I had to squeeze by it to work in the tight engine compartment.

Searching with West Marine, where I bought the pump, I couldn’t find a replacement part. I called Johnson Pumps (www.johnson-pump.com) and explained what happened. The woman there was really on the ball in returning my call and shipping out not one, but two replacement covers—at no charge to me.

Michael Kelsey
Via email

Please give credit to Defender Industries (www.defender.com). I ordered a kayak paddle for my dinghy, which is a kayak-canoe hybrid, and received only a half a paddle. A couple of emails later, I got a new paddle in the mail at no charge, and I can do what I want with the original one-half.

Albert Butkas
Via email

Ten days before the start of a month-long cruise to Maine, my radar broke. In desperation, I took the radar to Raymarine (www.raymarine.com) in Nashua, N.H. Kevin, their radar repair guy, took it off my hands and told me to go have some lunch.

An hour later, Kevin said that he had replaced a component that had gone bad, and it was now running like a top. Not only that, but he also changed out a resistor/capacitor that was OK, but for which Raymarine had a history of problems. I’ve reinstalled the radar, and the display has never looked so good. Now we are all set for our Maine trip, fog and all! This was over and above the call of duty! Great company!

Jack Reed
Airborne, Endeavour 42
Hawthorne Cove Marina, Salem, Mass.

Our Island Packet 370 came dealer-equipped in 2004 with a pair of Taylor Made 10- by 26-inch Big B inflatable fenders (www.taylormadeproducts.com). One of these began to have a slow leak this year, and I was looking to replace it. While pricing a replacement at a marine supplier, I read the Taylor “lifetime” warranty and felt our leaking fender should qualify. I submitted an online request for a “return authorization,” which arrived shortly via email. I boxed my old fender and sent it off—with limited expectations. To my delight, Taylor Made indeed stands behind its products; a new fender arrived by FedEx within 10 days.

Harry Burns
Two for the Roads, Island Packet 370
Smithfield, Va.

A few years ago, I contacted Edson Marine (www.edsonmarine.com) about a replacement boot for the steering arm on my semicustom boat. When I told them the boat type, they asked for the hull number, which surprised me. While still on the phone, they pulled up a parts list for my boat and informed me that my steering boot was not an Edson part, and offered to send me the Edson parts list for my boat for future reference. They were incredibly helpful and proactive.

Earlier this week, I called to order a replacement plastic clip for my cockpit table and inquired about replacing the plastic clip on my Edson Wheel Storage Device. After taking my name and address, Ken Martin, Edson customer service, informed me that he was sending these parts along at no charge. I received them a day and a half later. Edson makes bulletproof gear, and they are there to support you well after the sale.

Fred Allard
Via email

We recently purchased a 2002 Catalina 470 and discovered a very tired boom vang. The first call to the maker, Garhauer Marine Hardware (www.garhauermarine.com) provided disassembly instructions, “what’s inside the tube” information, and fit options. The second call was a discussion of the springs that should have been in the tube versus what we found in the tube. Garhauer sent us the correct springs at no charge, and now the boom is self-supporting! This boat has given us our first interactions with Garhauer, and we’re hooked due, in no small part, to the great service!

Marty Thamm
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.