What Warranty does your anchor have?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by uncle stinkybob

Where do you have your regalvanizing done Jim? Must be local to you or shipping would be high?

Uncle SB,, being cruisers, we don't have no steenking local anything! When we need galvo, we just go to someplace where it is available. So far, we've had it done in Alameda CA (before we left in 1986), Auckland, NZ(twice), Brisbane, Qld (several times) and Bundaberg, Qld. Shipping has involved imposing on some local friend to load the chain into their car/ute/SUV and driving to the galvanizeria. Developing friendships like this is an important cruising skill, BTW, for there are a lot of things made simpler with local help!

It is becoming more difficult to find such services, for it is a pretty anti-environmental process. But galvanized steel is a very important material for all things industrial, and I reckon that it will still be around for a while.

Jim

[Capt Gill]

A little caveat on lifetime warranties: although I'm happy they're there and the fact that I benefited from one (explained below) it is far down the list when evaluating a product,more important is the quality of construction,reputation,independant tests and real world experiences. I don't believe the engineers are giving much thought to "lifetime warranties" when designing a quality product that's the bean counters job. They must calculate the projected expense of including the warranty then refine it over time; my conjecture is that it is a v. small part of the total cost of production,therefore easy to add-on esp. in light of competition. There's plenty of crap out there that offer "lifetime warranties" ,my personal long term experience is with tools and lead/acid batteries both cheapo and quality products will offer L/T warranties,but the warranty meant next to nothing to me when compared to my reputation when a battery failed at a most inopportune time or a tool failed in the middle of a job.
My anchor story or learning experience , briefly:singlehanded, anchoring at dusk in a spot I thought knew,awaking to the sound of being (soft)aground,staying on watch waiting for tidal rise while hearing the thump-thump caused by the swells lifting and lowering the keel onto a sandbar,while getting my other anchor ready to deploy if the Fortress let go or the rode parted (it didn't)- would not be good as the swells would push the boat on shore, such was the concern when observing the 5/8 rode narrow to half size as the swell raised and tried to force the boat towards shore and because of that I wanted to get out of there asap.The boat was at risk,how I retrieved the anchor was not a priority in fact I was ready to cut the rode,also tension was too great for the winless,so used winches instead while hustling bow to stern,well I did get the anchor up,but in such a awful way I won't go into detail. The anchor was no longer useable.I found the paperwork for it (the previous owner keep complete records) and although when purchased the stated warranty had expired (they now have lifetime),however when I contacted Fortress,I even explained the awful retrieval,no problem they say - send pictures,I do and I now have a new anchor - wow,story with a silver lining,many thanks Fortress.

[groundtackle]

+1 capt G. When I buy junk I expect nothing from it. I usually don't look at warranty that close and not a huge factor in my purchase decision.
Grates me when doing research, spending the big bucks, have failures and get no support. Doesn't matter how long I've owned it.
Serengiti sunglasses if your listening, I keep looking in the mail for my $450 glasses and I dont see them yet, they blew me off. They wouldn't even give me 5$ off the purchase of a new pair and I wanted another pair. Warranty had expired. Maui Jims forever now, a few dollars to get them fixed but it wasnt much and the service was stunning. I'll tell people that little story till I die. If Serengeti gives me new ones, i'll add that to the story.
We have listened those replacement tales with Fortress for many years. That makes me want to buy one too.
ce

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Uncle SB,, being cruisers, we don't have no steenking local anything! When we need galvo, we just go to someplace where it is available. So far, we've had it done in Alameda CA (before we left in 1986), Auckland, NZ(twice), Brisbane, Qld (several times) and Bundaberg, Qld. Shipping has involved imposing on some local friend to load the chain into their car/ute/SUV and driving to the galvanizeria. Developing friendships like this is an important cruising skill, BTW, for there are a lot of things made simpler with local help!

It is becoming more difficult to find such services, for it is a pretty anti-environmental process. But galvanized steel is a very important material for all things industrial, and I reckon that it will still be around for a while.

Jim

Thanks Jim. I can see how the relationships one builds while "out there" cruising is so important. Even here on the Olympic Peninsula, once thick with marine service provider's and boat repair shops, it's become more word of mouth, friend to friend advice that seems to lead to the best hidden resource's.
As always, Thank you, it's truly this site with folk's like you and Ann,
that are my A # 1 source for all thing's sailing and cruising.