Mahe 36: Buying a Mahe

[pguillemin]

Good morning
Athena was built to 2005.
And the building technique was totally different.
The boat was built traditionnally with a liner ( countermold ) for the hull and deck
The two were designed to move in separate ways ( which is why the furnitures are not glassed to the boat)
Sometimes the fit is too tight and the two lips under the joint rub and creaked.Should be an easy fix
Joint is only cosmetic
And indeed the boat flex as the two hulls are trying to go different way ( inherent to cat design )
The new boats are using infusion for the hull so there is no liner or countermold and the creaking we had was due to furnitures ( stairways or galley module being wedged too tight on the first boats)
Seems to get worst when rig is too tight and add flexing to the hulls.Most of the time it goes away as the wood rub itself or we peeled a small layer out
Deck are injected so you have finished gel coat on both sides and no liner or anything to hide.They do not flex as they are very rigid so the joint hul /deck take the flex
Hope it make sense

[Crak]

Philippe,
Thanks for the very informative post.
If you know exactly where this creaking is produced (both boats) and how to fix it, we would all like to know.

[jean1146]

I don't want to get into the technical thing,all I can say is that we sailed our Mahe from Guadeloupe to Florida last year,had some good and not so good weather on the way,our skipper said that he was very impressed by the boat.When you look at the prices of cats,in this category,the Mahe is a very good deal.Everyone is surprised by how much space there is for a 36' cat.Overall we are very happy with the boat.JC.

[pguillemin]

JC

For once dealers and clients agreed.We love the boat and enjoy her each time we go sailing

[Nordic cat]

Originally Posted by pguillemin

It is not arrogance.Just company policy.There is a list of option and you buy into it or not.You definitively seems to have a problem with FP.
And as I say before the California dealer will have a pricing and details.
The company bowsprit is nicely done in a mold and add to the look of the boat;
In brief..you get what you paid for

Having an opinion or expectations to levels of customer service, and having a problem with FP are not the same in my book. I have found the service department at FP very helpful (this is their factory service dept.)

In business, I believe that happy customers are the base for future success, so if a customer just wants to buy a bowsprit and nothing else, why not sell it to him? If he then requires assistance to mount it, then charge him for it as is fair. I think that hiding behind a "company policy" wall, instead of being flexible is an arrogant approach to the people who at the end of the day pay your salary/generate profit Mr. Guillemin.
I expect that you, as the importer of these boats to the US, have a possibility to influence the customer service approach your dealers offer to a very large extent.

On another thread where people who had problems with flexing boats and leaking windows - your approach was to claim it due to overtightening of the rig, instead of solving the root cause, or at least attempting to. Yes I was critical to the attitude shown there as well. If you think that this means that I have a "problem with FP" so be it. (I own one and am keeping it!)

My experiences with FP in Europe have all been positive, without the arrogant approach shown on several threads now. They are actually very helpful at the factory.

A final comment: I don't think that the factory bowsprit enhances the look of the boat at all, in fact I think it looks clumbsy, but it does the job.
But then "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Regards

Alan

[DtM]

Alan,

This may seem a silly question but it is born out of some issues I am having/ have had.

When you speak to the factory do you speak to them in French or English or Danish ?

daniel

[Nordic cat]

Originally Posted by DtM

Alan,

This may seem a silly question but it is born out of some issues I am having/ have had.

When you speak to the factory do you speak to them in French or English or Danish ?

daniel

I communicate in English, both by mail and on the phone.

I think forums like these are good for discussing solutions to problems, but even better would be a FP user group, these groups can have a positive influence on the speed at which the factory/dealers respond to customer issues, but also alleviate the load on their service organisation if users can educate each other.

Mr. Guillemin - this is the second time I am encouraging FP users and owners to do this, - and No - this is not a "union" as you suggested on another thread, but it can be a strong lobby. If you as an importer/factory rep. understand how to work with these groups, you can benefit greatly by creating better and easier to sell products in the future, as well as ensure higher second-hand prices for your marque. The downside for you is that issues come out in the open, and you will have to react faster and more positively - or else you will later have to invest alot more time and money in damage control.

The present downturn in boat sales will put added pressure on the high volume builders prices and profits. The ones with a loyal and satisfied customer base will do best in the long term. Maybe the big comapnies aren't really interested in selling one boat at a time to demanding customers who are probably investing a large part of their savings/future income in a boat? Much easier to sell a bunch at a time to the charter compoanies. Then you don't spend time discussing a 2000$ investment....


Regards

Alan

[Nordic cat]

Congratulations!

I am sure you will spend many enjoyable days on her. What are your plans?

Good move in going for the asymmetric, its like a turbocharger in light/medium wind. You can try loosening the halyard and tightening the sheet for even higher pointing when you need some more power to windward in lighter air.

I can reccomend a trip up here to the Baltic, great and easy sailing, cheap marinas, and long summer evenings.....

Drop me a line if you decide to come up this way.

Regards

Alan

[kev&jo]

Hi Mike,

We was based in Preston, Lancashire, have read your web site, which is very good I hope business is booming. Our plan is to get across to the Caribbean this December and maybe come and have a chat with you.

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes, I am still pinching myself walking down the pontoon.

Living the dream!

Kev & Jo

[pguillemin]

I understand the value of boats buyers getting together.I am trying to start a FP club in the US
Also I am spending my day answering buyers requests and making sure that they are happy after they buy the boats
On the technical issues with leaks ....we had them on one boat and I explained how we solved that
For the noise it is overtightening of the rig .Rig are so tight that doors jammed....so no other reason.
For the rest I am on the boats that I sell 365 days a years and I have been on boats for very long as a professionnal

[pguillemin]

Let's start the club!!!!
and we do spend a lot of time talking to customers who wnat to spend 200K or less.We do organised sea trials and we keep things in the open.( difficult to do otherwise in the age of internet!)
We realised a long time ago ( and I am sure that FP did as weel) that having contented customers is the way to go

Originally Posted by Nordic cat

I communicate in English, both by mail and on the phone.

I think forums like these are good for discussing solutions to problems, but even better would be a FP user group, these groups can have a positive influence on the speed at which the factory/dealers respond to customer issues, but also alleviate the load on their service organisation if users can educate each other.

Mr. Guillemin - this is the second time I am encouraging FP users and owners to do this, - and No - this is not a "union" as you suggested on another thread, but it can be a strong lobby. If you as an importer/factory rep. understand how to work with these groups, you can benefit greatly by creating better and easier to sell products in the future, as well as ensure higher second-hand prices for your marque. The downside for you is that issues come out in the open, and you will have to react faster and more positively - or else you will later have to invest alot more time and money in damage control.

The present downturn in boat sales will put added pressure on the high volume builders prices and profits. The ones with a loyal and satisfied customer base will do best in the long term. Maybe the big comapnies aren't really interested in selling one boat at a time to demanding customers who are probably investing a large part of their savings/future income in a boat? Much easier to sell a bunch at a time to the charter compoanies. Then you don't spend time discussing a 2000$ investment....


Regards

Alan

[Scott730]

Philippe
I'm the first to say I'll join the club. Let's get it started! How about a rally in the Bahamas next winter. And a FP owners thread on this site or on a dedicated web site. I joined the FP owners forum on their site but they seem to do nothing with it. If you need help I'm there to help as well, how about FP owners, want to join in?

Scott

[pguillemin]

Scott
I am hiring a girl to start the process.She should start in JUne .I put her in touch with you

Originally Posted by Scott730

Philippe
I'm the first to say I'll join the club. Let's get it started! How about a rally in the Bahamas next winter. And a FP owners thread on this site or on a dedicated web site. I joined the FP owners forum on their site but they seem to do nothing with it. If you need help I'm there to help as well, how about FP owners, want to join in?

Scott

[jean1146]

I'll join too but you all know how hard it is to get people involved in such a thing.I am all for it.a FP trip to the Bahamas would be fun,I have plans to do the Abacos sometime in April next year. We are going to do the dry tortugas and the keys in June,so let's all together have fun.
JC.

[pguillemin]

Some interesting videos of Mahe on You Tube
Please check the link below



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