Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:32:20 -0500, BAR wrote:

Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:59:34 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
I get Boattest e-mails, and though I found this interesting, I can't
quite figure out the intent. Seems a bit unfair to Chaparral, but at
the same time I appreciate this type of article for the "what can go
wrong" aspect.
http://www.boattest.com/Resources/vi...spx?NewsID=608

--Vic
Unfair to Chaparral? Why?

Not sure, it's just a "feeling." Seems they were upfront and did okay
by the buyer. And I think this type of defect happens to other boats,
but doesn't get publicized, hence my question here.
I don't know anything about Chaparral quality.
Which marine/naval architect engineered sticking a couple of bolt holes
in the side of a boat's hull to attach a manufacturers name plate.

Chaparral? I'm not sure of the purpose of those pictured bolts.
Outside of a drain plug and *maybe* a bait box, through-hulls always
seem to me like a bad idea on a small boat, but maybe that's just me.

--Vic


Those bolts seem well above the waterline.

As for through-hulls, they obviously need to be installed correctly and
then checked for leaks the first time a boat is launched and thereafter.

The three outboard boat dealers I have dealt with the last 15 years
insisted upon "delivering" the boats they sell to their customers in the
water. Each time, I recall, the first thing the delivering mechanic did
once the boat was splashed was to lift the deck covers and make sure the
boat was not leaking anywhere. Then the mechanic filled a bucket with
water and poured it into the bilge to make sure the bilge pump was working.

At TriState, where I bought my Parkers, the boats were first tank-tested
on the dealer's premises. This is done mainly to adjust the new engine,
but the bilges are opened up, too, to check for any sort of leaks.
TriState has a large, drive-in test tank and big-time hydraulic trailers
to handle boats up to 40' long.