[C320-list] Questions for Gerry Douglas

[jonvez at comcast.net]

Annie,

First of all, I don't believe you are being too fussy at all! I would be absolutely livid with what you describe--Typically the broker is responsible for the final 'punch list' of items that are not quite right and often occur during shipment and that is certainly one place to start, but you may want to consider doing what others have done in the past and contacting Mr. Butler directly. Particularly since you represent another market segment for Catalina, I would hope that he would be willing to at least listen to your experience....I hope that things are worked out to your satisfaction....

Regards,

Jon Vez

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Annie Bennett" <annie at sydneyprivatesailing.com.au> 

> Rod, I would be interested in whether Gerry Douglas has any comments on the 
> report from NSW Maritime in Australia that 
> 
> "we inspected your boat to confirm that it was built to the plans submitted. 
> Unfortunately, the inspection showed that it was not. In particular, some 
> bulkheads were not as shown in the plans and much of the structure was not 
> bonded to the hull. These are major issues". 
> 
> Should anyone be worried, was my boat built differently to the others or has 
> Australia become more demanding than the rest of the world? In fairness to 
> our local dealer, if the boat hadn't had to have all the remedial work done 
> to satisfy survey, it might not look so messy. I don't know when the chips 
> and cracks occurred but it's possible that they occurred when things like 
> the oven were removed from the boat and then replaced to enable the work to 
> be done. 
> 
> The head shipwright at our marina made the rather unflattering comment at 
> the weekend that our new boat was the worst finished production boat he has 
> ever seen and that it represented a downgrade from old Topcat #812 and not 
> an upgrade. A mark on the side which looked to me like a badly iced cake 
> with a dark line, he said looked like damage which had been repaired but not 
> completed properly. The white framework to the floor hatches has cracks and 
> chips as well as messy paint. The marina has provided a quote for remedial 
> work. They think about 3 days to fix the floor and make the chart table fit 
> and make the door to the forward cabin fit. At present, not only can you 
> not close this door - you can peek at anyone getting dressed through the gap 
> between the hinges and the door. I think the hinges need recessing to take 
> care of the privacy issue. Then the door may not need shaving back so much 
> to make it close. The door to the cupboard under the basin in the head 
> seems slightly warped - looking down you can see air. The marina thought I 
> was being a bit fussy here and should live with this in a production boat. 
> It wasn't warped in old Topcat. Do these doors close snugly in most C32s? 
> 
> Advice from less than happy new C32 owner - think very hard before 
> "upgrading" if you are generally happy with your existing boat. Went out 
> for a test sail on a new X yacht 350 yesterday on the Wednesday afternoon 
> race with a friend who is interested. Its finish put my boat to shame - but 
> X Yachts are a lot more expensive than Catalinas. On the other hand, the C32 
> at the Sydney Boatshow looked great. I couldn't fault it - and I was very 
> impressed with the new 309. 
> 
> Annie Bennett 
> #1073 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com 
> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Rod Boer 
> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:05 AM 
> To: C320-List 
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Questions for Gerry Douglas 
> 
> 
> I will add these to the list. Thanks. 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: 
> To: "C320-List" 
> Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 7:52 AM 
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Questions for Gerry Douglas 
> 
> 
> > Rod, 
> > 
> > A couple of questions that come to mind: 
> > 
> > 1) Does Mr. Douglas see any major modifications coming up in the near 
> > future for the 320 
> > 
> > 2)Was there a production run of boats that experienced the lack of curing 
> > to the interior coatings? I know this topic has been brought up before on 
> > this list and I'm not sure how widespread it is, but I certainly have the 
> > problem and would be interested in understanding what my options are for 
> > resolving. 
> > 
> > 
> > -------------- Original message -------------- 
> > From: "Rod Boer" 
> > 
> >> All, 
> >> 
> >> It is August 15th and I only have 2 or 3 questions for Gerry. Gerry is 
> >> not 
> >> going to have a whole lot to talk about. 
> >> 
> >> Allan Fields or anyone else for that matter - Are there any questions 
> >> from the 
> >> last question and answer session that we did not record the answers? If 
> >> so we 
> >> can ask them again. Please send any questions directly to me as soon as 
> >> possible so that I have time to categorize and provide them to Gerry in 
> >> advance. 
> >> Thanks. 
> >> 
> >> Note that any technical articles for the November issue of the Mainsheet 
> >> will be 
> >> needed within the next week because I will be leaving a week early for 
> >> the 
> >> rendezvous in San Diego and after the rendezvous will be too late. 
> >> Thanks. 
> >> 
> >> Rod Boer 
> >> C320 IA Editor 
> 
> 
>