The following list includes only gear that has failed to perform as advertised, what the problem turned out to be and the reaction of supplier/manufacturer. I hope it remains a short list. The list is growing and I have resorted it to put the new items on top.
1. Xantrex 40 Amp Battery Charger, Xantrex Echo Charger both units installed in 2003 both failed in 2009. Fuses remained intact but internal components were found to be melted and/or burned. Aside from unit failure they could have created a fire situation.
3. 2 Trojan T105 Batteries (installed in 2003) replaced with Deka Promaster GC15 batteries in 2009. The other 2 Trojans T105s have also been removed and will be replaced with Dekas in 2010.
I seem to be having no end of problems with Canon cameras. The A570 started to show unfocused spots on the pic. I sent it in for warrantee repair only to have it returned without the focus working … but luckily the out of focus pics didn’t show any spots. I bought the camera with an underwater case, a very expensive purchase since the case will not fit any other Canon camera. The camera is no longer sold and is unavailable in Toronto. Don’t buy an underwater case unless you buy at least 2 cameras that fit the case. I have given up on Canon and have switched to Nikon.
5. Nikon: D70s/D60 2009 Update – Remove the lens every week to clean the electrical contacts and check the sensor for dust. The Nikon 18-200 zoom lens has a bad habit of not autofocusing between 30-55 mm (poor performance for a $700 lens). Dealer recommended constant cleaning to keep the units working.
I bought the unit to replace a Garmin V and PC setup (that still work perfectly) to bring the chart image closer to the helm. Big mistake. The Chart plotter has Newtonian rings on the display during the day and the screen brightness can’t be varied during the night (night mode is far too bright to be usable and the display is unfocused during the day). If you ask the system to show the track the GPS position randomly resets to garbage which causes spikes in the track line and randomly takes you to the garbage location. The unit loves to randomly reset the zoom level sometimes even returns you to where you started. I have sent a request to Standard Horizon and hope they will respond. The unit would provide a great navigation aid if only it were stable. WASS is NOT enabled.
Update: 2009:
I contacted Standard Horizon US and was told to return the unit to the place of purchase (England). Standard Horizon in England told me to return the unit to the place of purchase if I wanted any warrantee work done. In other words I would have to sail from Sweden back to Ipswich, England to get the unit repaired. Pity.
Update 2010:
I spoke with the Standard Horizon folks at the Toronto boat show. They turned me over to the C-Map folks at the show since the CP300i software is supported by C-Map. The C-Map folks told me to call the USA tech line and ask to borrow a software update cartridge which needs to be returned. I’ll update the entry once all this is done.
Random failures, weak transmission modulation, random squelch failure. All of the problems turned out to be a bad cable at the mic end. The unit was taken back to the retailer who sent it back to ICOM who said they repaired it. The unit failed within an hour. I took the mic head apart and found a couple of bad wires in the molded cable end. This was a manufacturing defect that was not properly diagnosed or repaired by the retailer/manufacturer.
The radio was replaced with an ICOM 422 and Commander II mic. Both units have worked well.
The pump was installed with a filter and was used to pump water from the low spot on top of the center fuel tank to the bilge. The pump ran for less than an hour in total (5 minutes at a time) before failure. The motor would run but the unit would not develop a vacuum. I dismantled the pump head and found no contamination or debris. Cause of problem is still unknown and the pump has been replaced with a manual unit for a lot less money.
Bent the tube on the port side with a 9.5 foot inflatable and had to have braces welded on to keep them from collapsing. The turning blocks on the tube ends chafe through the lines if there is any side-to-side motion of the dink. Kingston was willing to replace a tube at 75% of the full price of the unit. I plan to replace with real davits once I get to Halifax.
We replaced the Davits in Annapolis with ones made by Kato. Superb. They even hold the dink with motor.
7 LED Streamlight 4AA made by Streamlight Inc failed due to salt water intrusion into the switch assembly. The unit was supposed to be waterproof and certified for use in hazardous conditions. The switch can be bypassed and the unit can be turned on/off by screwing in the lamp element.
LED headlight assembly 2 red and 3 white LEDS, unknown make but has Carolina on the headband, switch failure prevents use of white LEDs.
Fox 40 dinghy kit contains a flashlight that uses steel components. Guess what … they rust. Check the flashlight every month. The case is not watertight so don’t leave it in the bottom of the dink.
30 GB IPOD will not work from the internal battery after becoming being exposed to a salt water environment. The unit works if left in the charger. The IPOD did not get wet and was in its case. It turns out that the problem was a dead battery (lasted 6 months). The battery was replaced and the new one failed in 5 months. The unit has been confined to the condo in a charger We are now trying out an Ipod Touch to see if have any better luck on the boat.
E18 errors if there is any dampness in the air. The camera works well if warm or in a very dry environment … not great for Ireland or England.
Carry LOTS of spare parts. We have 2 active units on Pilgrim. They all leak after 6 months of use. The repair kits are available free in Canada but not to be found elsewhere. I have replaced the galley unit with a Moen ceramic cartridge faucet and it has worked well for the last year. I’ll be replacing the other 2 Deltas as required with spare Moens.
I hate to say it but the Garmin GPS units I have been using have finally failed. The GPS II + still collects data but the display is missing lines … ok if interfaced with a laptop which is how I am now using it. This unit came with the boat.
The GPS V is very erratic and like the Standard Horizon will put us randomly in the Middle East thus screwing up the track facility. Luckily the Garmin and Standard Horizon seem to fail at different times. This unit works well in every other respect BUT I can’t depend on the location data for anchor watch or even a consistent track. This unit was a reconditioned model bought 2 years ago. WASS is NOT enabled in case you know about the WASS problem.
10 IBM T40 laptop
The unit was bought as a reconditioned off lease unit and works well except for the USB ports. One USB port has totally failed and the other one is marginal. A MB replacement which would fix the problem costs more than a reconed laptop. Using a port replicator is not an option since the USB port is slow (V1) and more than 2 devices overloads it. I bought it to replace a T30 that has a serial port but needs a new MB.
Don’t buy a laptop without V2 USB ports or better still buy a unit with a serial port if you have a serial port GPS.