Selden-Driving me nuts

[Will Gilmore]

Pretty redundant thread. They keep telling the op to talk to Selden. The Op cannot talk the Selden Because Selden does not anwer phone for consumers. Not hard to understand. It's the Chinese model.

Dido. It seems like Tucsonsailor's main question and complaint is around how to get a hold of the manufacturer, not who's at fault. He's actually been paying a rigger to fix the problem before any effort to contact the manufacturer had occurred. I think we can ALL understand his frustration, even if we have not experienced it from the same source.
Is there a way to avoid the problem in the future? Yeah, sure. Depending on which problem you are talking about, the answers are: learn the rig and why it failed so you won't have the issue again, change the rig (get battenless main) so the problem is worked around (I HATE workarounds because that's compromise), learn your supplier's business practices and how to work with them (unavoidable even if unsatisfying).
I hope, Tucsonsailor, that you can find a solution to your problems. The consensus here seems to be that Selden is a good company with a solid product overall. So, if you are patient and persistent, you will probably find yourself with a good system that you will be happy with.
Without seeming too redundant, I suggest you find an actual Selden dealer to goto with your problem and try to work thru them. I'll bet it will be less frustrating in the end.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[murrayabbott]

I have a Sheldon in mast furling that is only 4 years old. This year I had trouble with furling both in and out and it caused some difficult situations.
When furling, I always kept tension on the outhaul but this year it did not work fully. I am now thinking that that when furling that I must do 2 things. 1 keep tension on the outhaul. And 2 pull the boom down as far as possible with the boomvang. This way it should furl more squarely

 

[BrianRobin]

Pretty redundant thread. They keep telling the op to talk to Selden. The Op cannot talk the Selden Because Selden does not anwer phone for consumers. Not hard to understand. It's the Chinese model.

Obliviously you've never had a bad experience with a good old merican company product like some of us from another country to post that statement. I'm in the welding industry and deal with lack of communication often.

 

[Tucsonsailor]

Dragonfly.....well said. I am reading a lot of the replies to my original post and remain confused.
There seems to be an influx of folks that are defending Selden's way of doing business....IMHO defenseless. An example of a well run organization seems to be FLIR (Raymarine). I just purchased a new MFD, Radar, and Autopilot and I had some questions...I called Flir and talked to a very knowledgeable technical service person who answered all of my questions. I wasn't put off to a dealer network, or some other person that may or may not have a good suggestion or opinion on how to fix a situation. Try doing that with Selden...it doesn't happen. You are palmed off to their dealer network. Each dealer will have a different idea on how to address an issue. It is clearly the responsibility of the manufacturer to represent and to be the ultimate stakeholder of the products they manufacture.
Secondly, as mentioned above, I am clearly not looking at someone to pay for my problem. It is not a warranty issue, it is a support issue. Case in point, I own a 2000 Hunter 380. Hunter has no obligation to me to help me anymore, they have been purchased by another organization and I am just a guy that purchased one of their sailboats used. However, they do continue to do what they can to support and provide the information they can right down to the specific build on your boat. Try that with Selden!
Additionally, this is not a couple hundred dollar fix....It's a $5000 fix, so I want to get it right. I love my rigger, he is great, and he is certified with Seldon, but I sure would like the confidence from the manufacturer that the money I spend is fixing the right issue and that I better understand how not to repeat what created the problem to begin with.
My question goes back to one item....does a manufacturer have a responsibility to support their product directly. I say absolutely. Call Harken, they have a direct number as do most other quality organizations. My point is that Selden does not seem to be living up to that responsibility.
I am in the Bay area. You can be sure the talk around my dock is that RF mains are touchy at best. When they work, they work great. When they don't they end up, again, in my opinion to create a safety issue of major proportions. With the wind and weather conditions in the Bay area, and through the Gate, the inability to get your sail in or out because of a jam, or the inability to get your sail down in the event of wind events is serious business. RF mains despite being on the market for many many year have not provided the confidence level that the engineering of the product should have provided.
I appreciate everyone's input....good and bad....thanks,