I last had my raft serviced in August 07, a painfully expensive job since I
"needed" a 5 year inspection, a new valve, etc. This is a 4-man raft in a
canister that I carried offshore during a 2008 cruise. Now in the most
recent Practical Sailor I came across a note stating that Switlik (the
factory) is recalling and replacing certain inflation valve models due to a
problem with o-rings and o-ring lubricants. It happens that the authorized
service company that worked on my gear used the valve model in question.

When I called the service company I was informed that they would indeed
replace the valve in question at no charge, but only if I also had the raft
serviced and repacked (a $400 plus procedure). When I stated that I only
wanted the valve replaced, they insisted that was not possible and they
would not do the job. I don't have my raft serviced annually, even though
that is what's recommended (_of course_ it is). In my application annual
service is overkill. The last time the raft was professionally serviced
prior to August 07 was (don't laugh) 1994 - 13 years ago - and when the
service company tested it using the cable pull it inflated perfectly and
held air without loss for several days prior to actual servicing. Some may
argue that this is a false economy, but as they say, "different ships,
different long splices."

My complaint is this. The service company knew there was a problem and they
never notified me, a customer on record as having a raft with a faulty
valve. I was told simply that having factory-required warranty work at
their location was going to cost.

In the end I called the Switlik factory direct. They are quite close to
where I live and they agreed to do the replacement at no cost and do not
require a repack. I thought others might be interested in my experience.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare