Should we buy Australian Made boats or take our chance offshore ?

[stevej]

a mate is buying a chinese made boat
the basic electronics are all australian specd ie not usa imperial locked gear

6m enclosed cab with a 175hp optimax (id have to call to reconfirm what hp eaxctly)
they will not load the boat until someone arranged by the customer has inspected it after it comes out of the mould and they fly the customer there to inspect the boat
then it is wrapped and placed in a shipping container

only downside is its a slightly narrow boat, but hes ok with that as its just a big bay boat for sydney harbour botany bay
all up inc trailer $35k plus clearance here

yes its cheap he doesnt care his opinion is as long as it floats for 10 years hes done alright

[Dicktracey]

I must agree guys the main reason for purchasing local rather than O/S was keep the dollar here & local back up.
It is amazing the amount of support I have received by private emails & phone calls from other Australian Boat builders offering support and offer of repair. This to me has restored a lot of Faith in our own local industry to a point.
Not sure if the boat will be in driveway after repairs ? Looking at the repairs every trip I'm sure will do my head in as it is doing now !
Thanks for the support Stay tuned
Dick

30000 hits in seven days on here and fishnet combined, what would that sort of exposure cost to buy from an advertising company ?

[Fed]

Looking at the repairs every trip I'm sure will do my head in as it is doing now !

Is there something wrong with the repairs Dick?
Have you got any before & after pictures?

[Goldfinch]

Dick...I can't see how you could possibly keep this boat. It's obviously a lemon. When you buy a boat you want to use it with pride, enjoy it's quality, feel secure in it's seaworthyness and share it with your mates who also love it. If I was in your "repaired pile of junk" I would be constantly anxious that maybe one day when your 30-40miles offshore, the thing might just fall apart. Mate....get your money back and buy a boat with a long and proven track record. Evolution boats have a short history and anyone, I mean anyone who claims to make "Australia's Best Fibreglass Boat" makes me extremely cynical. You have already mentioned that their claims are bogus. Does Apple say they make the best computers or does Ferrari say they make the best cars? I am about to spend $70k on another boat after selling the Haines (great boat) and I can tell you this, I will not be buying an Aussie boat this time round. I never thought I would do it but extensive research has just led me offshore for both quality and value for money. It's "Sad But True" as Metallica would say :-)

[Back In Black]

Dave,
What are you getting??
Tony

[Dicktracey]

Is there something wrong with the repairs Dick?
Have you got any before & after pictures?

Fed still working on best method of Repair to make boat look like it should ! Unable to repair deck checkering to Factory Mould finish so still looking at options.
Looking at replacement options as well after a couple of calls from other Manufacturers over this past week.
cheers
Dick

[death_ship]

Fed still working on best method of Repair to make boat look like it should ! Unable to repair deck checkering to Factory Mould finish so still looking at options.
Looking at replacement options as well after a couple of calls from other Manufacturers over this past week.
cheers
Dick

Cool, what you looking at?

[Dicktracey]

Cool, what you looking at?

A happy ending mate

[mustang5]

Very sorry to hear.. However, I have owned a number of Australian boats, all which at one point put my life in danger (Transoms failing.. stringer rot.. etc)...

Anyways, Im on to my second imported boat from the US.

DOUBLE THE BOAT, DOUBLE THE BUILD QUALITY, DOUBLE THE REPUTATION, HALF THE PRICE!!

Get your money back mate, and look into an O/S boat. By the sounds of it with this model/brand of boat and its manufacturers, WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED WILL ONLY BE THE TIP OF THE ICEBURG!!

[stevej]

mustang not all us boats are well built
some of the bass boats have uncoated ply under their decks etc non tinned wiring, painted steel trailers
and some of their glass cabin boats arnt that flash either

you still have to inspect and pick carefully

[sig632f]

Very sorry to hear.. However, I have owned a number of Australian boats, all which at one point put my life in danger (Transoms failing.. stringer rot.. etc)...

Anyways, Im on to my second imported boat from the US.

DOUBLE THE BOAT, DOUBLE THE BUILD QUALITY, DOUBLE THE REPUTATION, HALF THE PRICE!!

Get your money back mate, and look into an O/S boat. By the sounds of it with this model/brand of boat and its manufacturers, WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED WILL ONLY BE THE TIP OF THE ICEBURG!!

i reckon thats a big call in regards to aussie boat builders only being half the quality. i for one hope aussie boat builders keep building boats and i think statements like that can be damaging. (yes i do own a aussie built boat and love it.)

[mustang5]

i reckon thats a big call in regards to aussie boat builders only being half the quality. i for one hope aussie boat builders keep building boats and i think statements like that can be damaging. (yes i do own a aussie built boat and love it.)

To me the thread title asked a question, and based on my experiences I gave an opinion. I have had cracked hulls due to stringer failures, I have been 40km offshore and seen the top two engine bolts shear through a transom having to rescue a motor willing to rip the back of a boat out, and each time I approached said companies I was basically treated with a "wood rots, who cares" attitude. MANY American boats of lesser $ outlay compared to an equivalent Australian boat have not had ply in their construction for many years for this very reason, and the Australian boat market was very slow to follow.

Im sure you, along with many others who are happy with their Australian built boats and have never had an issue. However, lets not be naive and jump the gun when you havent sat a Seaswirl/Proline next to a Cruisecraft/Haines and compared the two .. Then take them for a sea trial and the difference in results are almost laughable. Then compare the $ you spend between the two and you almost fall off your chair!!!

Another thing to consider, conditions in America are a lot more treacherous than Australian waters, and their boats are built ACCORDINGLY.

And one last passing comment, the OP asks whether to take a chance getting built o/s???? I think it should be rephrased in to saying, take a chance having your boat built in Australia... Given the amount of people I know who have either had to cop dodgy workmanship, bankrupt boat builders and sh!t after sales support.

At the end of the day, its your time and money.. And i hope the OP gets a full refund and looks for a well built boat accordingly.

[sig632f]

i'm not jumping the gun at all. in fact i went down the path of importing a seaswirl including a deposit. (yes i have been in one) only to have it surveyed and told to steer clear. i respect your opinion but my beef with threads like these is it starts with one aussie builder clearly doing the wrong thing, to comments such as yours in regards to other aussie boat builders which as i said can be damaging to decent aussie builders. plate or glass. by the way, congrats on your new boat looks like a sweet rig.

[mustang5]

i'm not jumping the gun at all. in fact i went down the path of importing a seaswirl including a deposit. (yes i have been in one) only to have it surveyed and told to steer clear. i respect your opinion but my beef with threads like these is it starts with one aussie builder clearly doing the wrong thing, to comments such as yours in regards to other aussie boat builders which as i said can be damaging to decent aussie builders. plate or glass. by the way, congrats on your new boat looks like a sweet rig.

Ok I apologise, you're right it is not directed at all boat builders and I agree that of course you get the lemons in all builds and makes (AU & US) which is why a pre-survey is so important. (Im talking $550 for 120 photos and an 18 page report, not a backyard job).

It just gets frustrating knowing what guys are going through given I've been there myself (Although nothing as bad as this).

[Cav(J.C.)]

Well stated Mustang5.
I have difficulty in understanding why timber/plywood is still used in fibreglass--"Glass reinforced resin' boats. This goes back to the late 60's early 70's when craftsmen did not know how to build moulds for stringers, used ply instead of glass for reinforcing, and generally built in obsolesence. A number of lives were lost in that period caused by transom separation from the hull.
The world of GRP boat design has improved exponentially since those days, except it seems for some builders in Aus.
The modern GRP boat is like the modern motor car in that it takes a large investment to set up to manufacture. To succeed in building an efficient, forgiving, seaworthy, hull, with the capability of being fitted out with a variety of superstructures to suit individual customers needs, the builder or design team has to be proficient in naval archetecture. This knowledge has to transfer from drawings, scale models, tank tests, to mould builders, glass layers, mechanics, electricians, etc---all working in concert with each other. Too often hulls are "flopped"--copied, or if unsaleable or inefficient, sold on. There must be a financial controller, and a scrooge of a buyer.
This is a large undertaking, and frought with economical danger. If the customer base for your product is too small, or you can't make up for Aus high wages with innovative manufacturing techniques--then you are screwed.
If the builder can't do all and more of the above, the obvious solution is to cut corners in construction, and cheat the customer.
Globalisation, and cheap travel has seen Aussies being able to compare product, but many ---not all--Aussie boat builders, do not appreciate that with travel brings the ability to compare product. Shipping can be dangerous to the pocket, but with negotiation, and a good shipping agent, Good results can be achieved.
lets face it, as you can see from these pages, it's very much "buyer beware' in Aus, so if that's the case, there's no consumer advantage in buying here.
Cav(J.C.)