Where Credit is Due: Trident Marine, Tidewater Sodablasting, and More!

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Hunter 410

Photo courtesy of Jim Puckett

Taylor Made products

Just wanted to give a big two thumbs-up to Taylor Made Products (www.taylormadeproducts.com). I had purchased a large-diameter buoy online, and the vendor twice sent me one with a small hole. After the second attempt, I was told I could only get a refund. After a quick call to Taylor Made and a pleasant conversation with Amanda in their customer service department, a replacement was at my house quicker than the original order had been delivered. What had become a frustrating ordeal (large buoys not that easy to repack and return) became one of those increasingly rare moments of satisfaction from a company that really wants to build and sell a great product. Quality is worth the price.

Jim Puckett
Tartan Soul, Hunter 410
Charleston, S.C.

Trident marine

Last summer, I had some problems with my Trident Propane Control system (www.tridentmarine.com). I contacted Canada Trident (Bob Holt) for help. He took the time to call me from Vancouver and sent a protocol to test the sensors and the control panel. With my test results, he diagnosed problems with the sensors and sent me two new sensors for free. Now, everything is fine with my propane detection system. (Be aware with the sensor oxidation, in particularly for the bilge one.) Great customer service!

Robert Chabot
Amanda Lee I, Southern Cross 31
Qubec, Canada

Tidewater Sodablasting

I just read your bottom makeover report (PS October 2015) and need to relate my experience. My boat has been collecting hard bottom paint for 25 years. I decided on sodablasting from word-of-mouth recommendations. I spoke with the owner of Tidewater Sodablasting (Virginia Beach, Va., 757/343-9932), and he told me what he could do. And he did exactly what he said!

He removed all of the old bottom paint, and contained and disposed of the waste in one day. It was down to the gelcoat and looked like it had been sanded and readied for bottom paint. Rarely am I 100-percent pleased with contract labor, but this process was awesome. The price was boat length squared (30×30= $900), and he paid the yard whatever fee they required.

Kent Utley
Mortar Offer, C&C 30-2, 1988, Hull 71
Norfolk, Va.

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 at darrellnicholson.com.