New boat issues

[genec]

I'm not beating around the bush any more. Raise your hand if You have bought a new car from a dealer and before you drove home have lifted the hood and checked the fluids. Because it isn't any different than trusting the manufacturer to have a fully functioning boat. I looked at the air in the tires which now displays on the dashboard and have known they were pumped up way too high for an empty truck and have waited weeks to get to it.

Edit:
Has anyone seen any update as to why this boat had a problem? It's been a while and I have seen no new story. As a matter of fact the only story I have seen is the exact same one given by the USCG. I find that more interesting than all this supposition.

I'm a hands on guy... you're damn right I looked under the hood before we left the lot. I also asked a lot of questions about the key fob, the GPS chip and the alarm. (i'll admit I didn't get a rag and actually "check" the oil... I just pulled the dipstick... so I knew where it was).

We got the car home and I read each chapter of the 450 page manual (didn't retain it all, but I did go through the darn thing...) My wife, on the other hand, has never opened the book, and two years later is still "discovering" features that I show her in the new car. ("Oh, that's what that does..." )

There are different folks in the world.... I read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance" and understood the relationship of the bike and rider.

I know folks that write checks for everything... from replacing a simple fuse to repairing a sail. I like to know how things work... so I lift the hood, kick the tires and carry a set of tools (or at a minimum, a multi-tool...) Heck, I feel naked when I fly without my Swiss army knife.

So yeah, I'm that guy. Now having said that... sure, I hired a yard to remove and replace my mast. "A man's gotta know his limitations."

 

[Daveinet]

Airplanes have preflight checklists that must be gone through every time the plane takes to the air. Maybe boats should have the same. Not trying to place blame, but rather trying to solve a problem.

 

[uncledom]

I(i'll admit I didn't get a rag and actually "check" the oil... I just pulled the dipstick... so I knew where it was).

So not you either. No fluid checkers yet.

 

[uncledom]

Airplanes have preflight checklists that must be gone through every time the plane takes to the air. Maybe boats should have the same. Not trying to place blame, but rather trying to solve a problem.

Yep, they do have a check list but it doesn't include rivet inspection. So not really all telling, just playing the odds. My point is that probably NASA has the highest systems check of any entity, manufacturer or captain and they still have had issues. You can not logically pin the blame on one person. Blame finding is a waste of time created by lawyers,politicians and inept managers. Now if you would like to do a post-mortem as a learning tool, I'm all for that.

 

[Daveinet]

So not you either. No fluid checkers yet.

Does it count if it was a "new" Jeep with 500 miles on it? I also had them set the correct tire pressure before I would take it out on a test drive.

 

[uncledom]

@Daveinet as long as it was dealer new to you I'll count that as a yes.