Consumer magazines are great and I have subscribed to many over the years
but (in my little opinion) you have to be careful with the conclusions. The
tests are not always applicable to how or where we use our boats. Frankly,
I find it more valuable to use magazine test results (or reviews on sites
such as Amazon) to weed out the worst and narrow the selection to a group at
the top and make a selection from there. I may have personal criteria that
the magazine did not consider such as color, style, availability, younameit.
But even more importantly, in choosing a product I have a memory like an
elephant for companies who have "burned me" in the past. Many years ago I
had a shipyard put the most expensive Interlux bottom paint on a 24 foot
trailer-able Bayliner. When I went home and pulled the boat out of the water
the paint came completely off on the trailer rollers. The yard claimed I
did not let it dry long enough. But, they had launched according to their
schedule, not mine! We argued for weeks and ended up in Small Claims court.
The Interlux rep backed the yard the whole way and I lost. The judge said I
had to let the yard fix it. No way, not those lying SOBs. Years later I
realized what they had done was paint on a cold and wet Seattle day and
immediately launch the boat to get it out of the way and they did not
realize I was going to pull the boat out of the water so soon. Today, the
yard is long gone and I think that Interlux rep is also.
I will never touch an Interlux product until the day I die because of their
favoritism for the yard over the consumer. Personal choice...
Eric Thoman
Abyssinia
For the past several years Practical Sailor magazine tests and rates micron
66 as the best ablative bottom paint.. ..
My question is: if the tests show one is the best, why wouldn't we all use
it (price aside)?
Richard
Consumer magazines are great and I have subscribed to many over the years
but (in my little opinion) you have to be careful with the conclusions. The
tests are not always applicable to how or where we use our boats. Frankly,
I find it more valuable to use magazine test results (or reviews on sites
such as Amazon) to weed out the worst and narrow the selection to a group at
the top and make a selection from there. I may have personal criteria that
the magazine did not consider such as color, style, availability, younameit.
But even more importantly, in choosing a product I have a memory like an
elephant for companies who have "burned me" in the past. Many years ago I
had a shipyard put the most expensive Interlux bottom paint on a 24 foot
trailer-able Bayliner. When I went home and pulled the boat out of the water
the paint came completely off on the trailer rollers. The yard claimed I
did not let it dry long enough. But, they had launched according to their
schedule, not mine! We argued for weeks and ended up in Small Claims court.
The Interlux rep backed the yard the whole way and I lost. The judge said I
had to let the yard fix it. No way, not those lying SOBs. Years later I
realized what they had done was paint on a cold and wet Seattle day and
immediately launch the boat to get it out of the way and they did not
realize I was going to pull the boat out of the water so soon. Today, the
yard is long gone and I think that Interlux rep is also.
I will never touch an Interlux product until the day I die because of their
favoritism for the yard over the consumer. Personal choice...
Eric Thoman
Abyssinia
For the past several years Practical Sailor magazine tests and rates micron
66 as the best ablative bottom paint.. ..
My question is: if the tests show one is the best, why wouldn't we all use
it (price aside)?
Richard
