310 Commisioning

[Frank Gazzano]

I'm looking at taking delivery of a 310 in January, any advice on problem areas that I should carefully scrutinize would be appreciated. Also any suggestions such as "if I only would have....", or instrumentation and their best location would also be valuable.Thanks for the advice.Frank

 

[John J]

310 delivery

If possible, do as a thorough inspection of the boat BEFORE you take possession. Make sure you have thought of everything you can, and where possible, get it in writing. Many dealers have a very distinct interpertation of what they consider warranty work, and what is their or your responsibility. I have just completed a year long painfull process in dealing with a dealer, so if I can give any advice, error to the side of protecting yourself. We took delivery of a 310 in May, and for the most part everything was in pretty good order. I have heard that since they moved production to Florida there are a few more quality issues upon delivery. If it is not to late, have the thru-hulls and seacocks upgraded. The Forespar that they are currently using has had some problems. One of mine broke off in my hand. I will be upgrading them all in the spring. Hope this helps. Other than the above advice, enjoy the boat. It has turned out to be an excellent boat for my wife and I.

 

[Kurt]

Cock Pit Lazarette

Hello Frank;We took delivery on hul #51 in late June. I'd never bought a new boat before so I didn't realize it was an expereince more like buying a new house than buying a new car. A car you expect to drive off the lot and everything is OK. With a new house, you expect the builder to come back and take care fo a hit list of little "problems." That was the case with my boat.For the most part, my dealer was very good in attending to the little things that were wrong: missing velcro tabs, a leaking drain, etc. There were a about a dozen such things that they fixed and it really wasn't a problem at all.The two biggest problems I had were faulty wiring in the fridge that had me coverting it to an ice box for about a month (that was eventually fixed) and a leaking cock pit lazarette that has not been fixed yet. This latter problem, I'm told, is endemic to all new 310's so I'd look for it right off the truck. After it rains or after hosing down the boat you'll find and inch or two of water collected in the corner.That's about all. For the most part it was a real easy deal.

 

[Mike Amirault]

Cat Commisioning

When I had my Cat 28 commissioned a yearago they didn't calibrate the knot meter, wind meter or even the darn compass! It actually took me quite a while to realize they were off since they were kind of close on certain points of sail.

 

[Frank Gazzano]

Committed

Thanks for the input on the 310s, I've made notes and will check out the areas you've identified. The boat will be ready in about 5 weeks, I had a chance to see it after about a week off the truck. The comment about the quality from Florida is an understatement! I couldn't believe how rough the boat was an no it wasn't due to making the 3,000 mile trip by truck, it was just poor craftsmanship and a lack of attention to detail. The dealer assured me that it all will be taken care of and it's pretty much the way most of the manufacturers deliver the production boats. Being in the manufacturing business I saw it as about $5,000 of extra cost that's added to the price of the boat for things that should have been done right the first time. I like the many standard features that are included and opted to add the chart plotting radar, autopilot, wind / speed / log instruments, dodger, bimini, and stereo. I also added several 12 volt outlets for charging radios, cellphones, and a backup GPS and was really surprised to see there were none in the boat as delivered. All and all I was happy with the test sail and look forward to a great summer of sailing. Thanks for you help!Frank