Where Credit is Due: March 2011

CaframoPower FilmZodiac Marine

0
Caframo

288

In an effort to give credit where credit is due, I want to give a well deserved pat on the back.

Following the recommendations of the Practical Sailor test of cabin fans (April 2008 and October 2010), I installed two

Caframo Sirocco fans in my boat. They both failed due to defective switches. I called Caframo (www.caframo.com) in Canada, There had apparently been a number of fans that had the problem. Within a week, I received two new fans. Great company, great staff, outstanding service!

John Sturrock
Zyzzyx
Via e-mail

A compliment for Power Film (www.powerfilmsolar.com), a solar charging products company out of Ames, Iowa. I purchased a “rollable” solar charger four years a go. It worked perfectly for three years, keeping the 12-volt battery on my Catalina 22 charged. In 2010, it didn’t. I sent it back to Power Film, and they replaced it for free with a new and better model. This company stands behind its product!

They explained how the rolling was the problem, and how the new design eliminates the rolling. A great company, with a great product.

Walt Green
Catalina 22
Golden, Colo.

I just bought a used Zodiac Zoom that was about a year old, and it didn’t have any manuals with it. After getting on the Internet to find one, I finally gave up and e-mailed Zodiac (www.zodiacmarineusa.com). Within 12 hours, I had an e-mail sent to me with a full factory manual attached, at no charge. Great follow-up factory service on a used product!

Nick Edgecomb
Via e-mail

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.