AB Tender - Quality and Warranty Issue

I forgot to add one more item the dealer and I discussed, one of the points Mike actually made, which is location.

6. Boat location - This is another item which I have to rule out (at least for now) due to the fact that my boat is not tied to a specific location. She spent only couple of weeks (from the time the dinghy was loaded on the lift) in Toms River before she went on the summer journey in the range of CT to MA regions. Even though her temp summer base was Stamford CT, her presents there was very limited during summer months. So, the theory of some power plant contaminating the air in the area and affecting the SS on the dinghy doesn't make much sense in my case.

The biggest clue I can see is that the boat was in salt waters of LI/Block/RI/VY and other Sounds and Bays. IMO, all of this is pointing to poor quality of SS parts, which failed to resist the true marine environment.
 
Maybe a bunch of those parts laid around in a parts bin for a couple years and got gunked up and prior to use some shop guy took some 000 steel wool to polish them up before installation.
 
From a welder friend:
If SS comes in contact with wire wheel buffer when they are welding it or cleaning it you will get rust bleed.
Based on my SS knowlege the higher the iron content in SS the more magnetic it is. Try seeing if a magnet will stick to any of the fittings.
We used a lot of SS in air and high pressure instrument tubes and there are specs for various grades for different applications. Try looking up NACE and see what you can find. 30+ years ago I was member but do not remember much about SS grades.
 
I would suggest that before you crucify a manufacturer, be sure of the strength of your position. Take one of the problem parts and have a metallurgic testing place tell you what the stuff is made of. Then you'll know whether to gripe or clean.
 
While I would agree that a metallurgical analysis may be of value here, I am not convinced the issue stems from the base metal composition of the components, but rather from a surface contamination condition, much like what Woody alluded to in his post. Passivation was also mentioned earlier in this thread, and again, a depleted passivation solution, or insufficient treatment time, may be the culprit. Either way, microscopic surface contamination embedded in the surface of the parts is likely what is discoloring, not the base metal. This contamination may have been embedded during the sanding and polishing processes for these components, or by a couple other mechanisms all the way back at the foundry.

A similar affect manifests (and I am sure many of you have seen this one) when stainless steel is cleaned with a conventional mild steel wire wheel. Boy, the parts look nice and clean when they are first wire wheeled, but a couple weeks of exposure, and everything is rusting. To combat this problem, my TIG welding bench is made from 3/8" aluminum, and I have dedicated wire brushes for mild steel, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. Each brush is labelled, an used only for the appropriate base metal.

Alex and I spoke about this problem, and I believe he is working the problem in a proper manner. He has engaged his dealer to work on his behalf with the manufacturer, and is awaiting results via that process. If, in the end, he gains no satisfaction, and winds up pulling all the parts for a a good cleaning and rebedding, then I recommend sending them out to a commercial electropolishing firm. They'll be able to properly clean the parts, the electropolish them to remove the surface contamination.

If that doesn't work, maybe there is merit in peeing on them after all......

Dale
 
I am buying into Woody and Dale's explanation.

That doesn't mean it is crappy hardware, it would mean a breakdown in the finishing process. Like a new guy on the production line not knowing his buttocks from a hole in the ground breakdown in the finishing process.
 
mistercomputerman said:
That's a pretty bold quote for not having had a scientific test performed on the material.

Slander

A false statement, usually made orally, which defames another person. Unlike libel, damages from slander are not presumed and must be proven by the party suing. See, e.g. TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources, 509 U.S. 443 (1993).

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/slander

Libel

Definition

Libel is a method of defamation expressed by print, writing, pictures, signs, effigies, or any communication embodied in physical form that is injurious to a person's reputation, exposes a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, or injures a person in his/her business or profession.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/libel
Click to expand...

mistercomputerman said:
I would suggest that before you crucify a manufacturer, be sure of the strength of your position. Take one of the problem parts and have a metallurgic testing place tell you what the stuff is made of. Then you'll know whether to gripe or clean.
Click to expand...


mistercomputerman said:
I am buying into Woody and Dale's explanation.

That doesn't mean it is crappy hardware, it would mean a breakdown in the finishing process. Like a new guy on the production line not knowing his buttocks from a hole in the ground breakdown in the finishing process.
Click to expand...

Are you fu*%ing kidding me? Look at the pictures! Those things look like Sh!t!! Either way, Alex paid top dollar for a boat that is visibly breaking down, even if it's only cosmetically, in less than a year! What fu#*ing difference does it make if it's metallurgic based or process based at the factory?? Either way it looks like Sh!t and it shouldn't!!
Unfuc¥*!nbelievable!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Todd
 
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I hope we get to meet someday Ric.......
Maybe I'll see you in AC!

I'd like to put a face to the comments because when I read them I can only picture one posterior part of the anatomy.

Take your time & think if something real snarky! I won't be back here until tomorrow! I bet it will be good though!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Todd
 
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Alex, I think Jonathan peed on your dinghy during cocktail hour on Block Island when you and I were up on your bridge.
 
Thank God, otherwise the SS would look like total hell.
 
Hey Toady I mean Todd, feel free to to look me up if you ever make it to the Chesapeake. No snark, no epeen measuring. Let me put a face to your internet tough guy avatar. Let's see how that works in the real world. Picture that!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
Turtlesboat said:
See what you started Alex....
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How else would I learn that peeing on my boat would preserve it? :lol:

But on the serious note, this thread turned out to be a clasic example why forums loose good people. We lost TONS of great, educated and very knowledgeable people from this forum just due to totally unnecessary offensive and BS posts. I guess some people either never learn and some feel sense of accomplishment (in a negative way).

So, let me get this straight. I happened to experience a problem with a brand new dink which costs tons of money. The boat is under warranty, so I asked AB to help me but they told me to get lost. I decided to share the experience with my fellow boaters to alert them that they might be facing the same issue with new products AB started producing, despite the fact that they were known as one of the top brands in the past. I also hoped to get some ideas from more experienced folks on how to address the issue.

Here marches in Rick with sarcasm and and total BS criticism, which adds ZERO value to the tread and the issue at hand. What's your agenda here, Rick? Other than messing up a perfectly good and for the most part helpful to many people thread and pissing of some folks you've accomplished absolutely nothing. Again, what's your agenda here if your posts offer no help?

When you were messing up the Flotilla thread last year, I thought that maybe you were trying to be funny and I just didn't get that type of humor. But, with few other and now this thread I don't see any humor at all. What's going on?

bmac said:
Alex, I think Jonathan peed on your dinghy during cocktail hour on Block Island when you and I were up on your bridge.
Click to expand...

Ah, no wonder something was telling me that it's all X's fault. :lol:
 
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I agree Alex...

I'm all for not taking life too seriously, but I really don't understand the direction some of these threads go. I didn't know we lost people to this behavior but I'm not surprised. Personally, it turns me off from wanting to contribute.

Regarding your issue, I know I would be disappointed dealing with a manufacturer that won't step up. It really seems to me we are paying a premium for inferior products. I find products made a decade or two earlier seem to be better quality. I think we are digressing in quality for the sake of profit with little consideration for the customer... Maybe I'm wrong... In any event, have you sourced better SS parts? Is it worth just getting them yourself for your own piece of mind?

I looked on the AB website and it says "superior parts" "Stainless Steel"... But, it doesn't say what grade SS. I would ask for the manufacturer of the SS parts and possibly deal directly with them.


Good luck with your issue.
 
For the love of God Alex, shouldn't you be out peeing on your bow rail so it doesn't rust? Is there any advice you would follow?

I know, I know, I know, pissing on the bow rail would interrupt your Excel session.

All kidding aside, I was in the market for an AB RIB and am blown away at the lack of warranty support.
 
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