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On 17 Aug 2003 16:14:55 GMT, (SAIL LOCO) wrote:
ICOM is no different than the rest of the marine manufactures. Stupid high
prices for junk and even higher prices for parts and labor when the product
needs repair. I just had to send in my Northstar GPS for repair. It needed a
memory battery (probably a $3.00 watch battery) replacement and a "driver" for
the floresent light bulb. The frikin bill was almost $300! They claimed 2
hours of labor at $95 an hour!
Some magazine did a survey a few years back asking boat owners what most
dissatisfied them about boat ownership and the overwhelming winning response
was marine electronics. Open any piece of marine electronics and there is crap
inside.
Why should a knotmeter and depthsounder cost as much as a Sony 27" TV? Why
should a new set of spinning plastic cups for a aparent wind sensor cost $45?
They are easily worth $4.99.
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For the most part it's related to economies of scale. The boating
market is tiny compared to the home appliance market so manufacturers
are paying top dollar for small lots of stuff, and then paying high
costs to inventory and distribute spare parts. Same issue for
repairs, the manufacturers have to keep techs on staff who are
qualified to fix anything even though your repair may be trivial.

I've found that marine electronics over 3 or 4 years old are usually
functionally obsolete based on cost/performance, and it's frequently
more economical to replace rather than repair.