AB Tender - Quality and Warranty Issue

Alex F said:
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?

Ah, no wonder something was telling me that it's all X's fault. :lol:
Click to expand...

Alex

I had no intent to be sarcastic in any of my posts and only dropped you a word of what I thought was prudent advice (which of course you completely ignored like every other piece of advice anyone ever tried to give you). You might want to consult a legal advisor if you intend to continue making remarks about companies, that have no factual basis, in a public forum.

Now, had you done your normal research to the 99th degree, quoted 47 different publications and web sites, complied 13 spreadsheets, asked everyone's opinion on this forum and then ignored every bit of that while drawing an incorrect conclusion, I might not have commented at all. (THIS is sarcasm).

To each his own. You and Mr. Shafer do not own this forum, although as of late, you do seem to be the self-professed expert on EVERY subject.

I hope you get the problem fixed. Woody and Dale's explanation seems to be the most intelligent one offered so far, but, I am at a loss as to how you are going to support that position, short of a metallurgical analysis. Now, if you made nice with the folks at AB instead of dragging them through the mud here, you might stand a better chance of success. But, that was not a route you elected to follow.

Best wishes.
 
tdschafer said:
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
Click to expand...

ImpulseIII said:
Rick, if you need backup in Atlantic City, you know I will be there (with the other snobs).
Click to expand...

It did sort of sound like a threat, didn't it?
 
All Rick did here was offer some pretty good advice that there is some risk about throwing $hit up on the internet about a company, and he did it, God forbid, backed up with facts and data. If people don't want to heed that advice in this litigious world, then that's up to them. Don't shoot the messenger.

And the flip side of the "waaaaaaah, every thread gets negative around here and it scares people away" argument is that we all aren't here to s*ck each other's d!cks; if someone is doing something potentially risky (like calling out a company in writing on a public forum) then maybe they need to be told that there could be consequences to their actions. If that is seen as "bashing" or "negative" then so be it.

Rock on, Rick!
 
Guys,

I get it. It's been a long winter and cabin fever kicks in. Not everyone takes it well. You've managed to get your piece of drama here worth of several pages. Let's just STOP the stupid madness. It does no good to anyone and anything. To me it's nothing more than a waste of time.

I came here with an alert of an issue. I've got good suggestions on how to determine a cause and apply the possible fix. I have good plan of action. I will post the results for those that are interested.

If AB gets their head out of the gutter and will step in (or even the dealer I got the boat from), awesome! I'll be the first guy to post here that even though they initially told me get lost, they have changed their mind and provided proper customer care. Until this happens, I say their recent product, customer care and warranty sucks.

So far, the positive thing is that my dealer is trying to help. To what extend is yet to be determined. But, it's a good start in the right direction.
 
Last edited:
You guys are going too fast. I'm trying to write all this down.
1. Clean it
2. Wash the boat
3. Remove hardware
4. Re-bed with silicone, bedding compound and oil
5. Pee on it
6. Sue AB
7. Receive Libel suit from AB
8. Clean and wax boat including 304 hardware and go boating?
9. Go to rendezvous
10. Watch others point and laugh at rusty hardware
11. Watch Todd (not me) Kick Rick's ass.
12. Repeat step 5.
13. Repeat step 8.

Seriously, It does appear to be an issue of poor bedding and possibly 304 v 316 stainless. Ya never know. Yes you can pull these apart, clean, wax and re-bed properly. The other chance is to post your pics on their FB page and politely ask for advice. Social pressure may help (not from here, because they don't know we're here threatening to kick each others ass or discussing their stainless).

Good luck. But I'd clean it, re-bed it and go boating.
 
Nehalennia said:
You guys are going too fast. I'm trying to write all this down.
1. Clean it
2. Wash the boat
3. Remove hardware
4. Re-bed with silicone, bedding compound and oil
5. Pee on it
6. Sue AB
7. Receive Libel suit from AB
8. Clean and wax boat including 304 hardware and go boating?
9. Go to rendezvous
10. Watch others point and laugh at rusty hardware
11. Watch Todd (not me) Kick Rick's ass.
12. Repeat step 5.
13. Repeat step 8.

Seriously, It does appear to be an issue of poor bedding and possibly 304 v 316 stainless. Ya never know. Yes you can pull these apart, clean, wax and re-bed properly. The other chance is to post your pics on their FB page and politely ask for advice. Social pressure may help (not from here, because they don't know we're here threatening to kick each others ass or discussing their stainless).

Good luck. But I'd clean it, re-bed it and go boating.
Click to expand...

Best post I have read in a long time. Well said.
 
Good morning, or I guess afternoon. What did I miss?
 
Hey, hey, hey. I go work on the boat for a few minutes and someone is being all sarcastic at me. My feelings are hurt and I am going to the aft cabin and have a good cry.

And how did you get that photo of me anyway?

Plus, that's my BEFORE photo...I am on the low carb, P90X, paleo diet, with 5 hours of cardio a day and nothing but water and soda crackers to eat. I am gonna look like this by Atlantic City:

belly.jpg
 
Alex F said:
Great feedback guys.

Autovette and Rick, you guys are awesome! This thread would have been useless and dead after one page if it weren’t for you. Keep it up...
Click to expand...



Alex F said:
...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?...
Click to expand...

Which way you want it???
 
Last edited:
Quick update for those who was interested.

Even though my dealer didn't take the position of "just bring the boat and we'll take care of it", he played a good role being the middle man in communicating between AB and I. As a result of the communication AB stated that the Bow and Stern U-Bolts were in fact type 304SS (not 316). They claimed that it was done b/c 304 is stronger than 316, so they used it instead as these tenders are often loaded/unloaded by cranes with harness connecting to those u-bolts. This explains the reason these go corroded much more than other SS parts.

I'm not sure how true is the theory of 304 being much stronger, but I don't have a crane and will be looking to replace the u-bolts with 316SS type. If anyone has good source, I would appreciate the link. I did a quick search and only found shorter once. Anything that matched the size I need are also type 304.

The cleats and bottom brackets are type 316SS, so AB said. But, just like few people mentioned earlier here, the corrosion started to develop simply due to poor bedding. After I took them off I confirmed the fact that there was minimum sealant applied allowing water to sit and make it's way in to the metal parts. This of course will be cleaned and re-bedded.

I think I've waited long enough for AB and my dealer to step up to the plate, but now that the spring is here I'm not wasting anymore time with them and will be addressing this myself, knowing that I'll do the job the way it should have been done in the first place.

Again, getting back to the main moral of thread, this is not what we as customers should be dealing with with boats that are less than 1 year old, and when approaching the dealer or the manufacturer, hearing some stories about this being a maintenance item. To me it's a total BS. I'm just glad that on the big scale it's a relatively small and not that expensive issue, if doing it yourself.
 
LTD.330 said:
What did AB have to say about the rusting Steering Wheel?
Click to expand...

I didn't ask about the wheel. I'd say it's 304, b/c based on the visual inspection it looks as the u-bolts, while cleats and brackets (the 316s) look in much better shape with only some rust at the base.
 
Some "related" info. I made dinghy brackets a few years ago with 304 SS (was told it was 316) and they rusted almost immediately , so I had Dale (Masterfab) make me new ones , I learned from him that we should have made them from 316L SS as this material holds up way better than just 316 SS Alex I would give him a ring and pick his brain before you purchase the new ones . Good luck
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,162
Messages
1,427,545
Members
61,070
Latest member
Justrite
Back
Top