West Marine Junk
wingssail image-fredrick roswold
West Marine Air Pump
This is the most unsatisfactory product I have ever purchased from West Marine.
My old Avon pump (13 years) was rusty and falling apart. It had leaks. It was shedding parts. So I bought a new pump from West Marine and regrettably I tossed the old Avon pump into the dumpster before I had a chance to try the new pump. What a mistake.
Here is what is wrong with this piece of junk from West Marine:
A: It is undersized. This pump is approx 60% of the size of my old pump, so it moves significantly less air on each pump stroke than the old one. It is fine for a kiddie wading pool but for a real job like inflating a dingy on a cruising yacht forget it!
B. No rubber feet. This pump has nothing but hard plastic on the bottom. Trying to use it on the deck of a boat is nearly impossible. It slips and slides at every roll of the boat. It is dangerous: You can fall down. It can go off the side of the boat. And that is besides the fact that it is impossible to effectively put any steady flow of air into your inflatable boat because it is constantly moving out of the way instead of pumping air.
C: The hose is too short. With new dingies with decent sized tubes (15" 17") this short hose won't reach from the deck of your boat into the dingy to the air valve.
D: The cheap hose kinks too easily, and leaks at the ends. I cannot image this cheap hose lasting for 13 years like my old Avon pump. This photo is taken after only a few weeks of use and it already is looking tired and worn.
Conclusion: I wrote to West Marine about this product several weeks ago and they never responded to my complaint. West Marine has attained a dominant position in the market and they have little competition but this does not mean that we have to accept shoddy and cheap products. I hope not, and I will not. If West Marine wants to keep its position it needs to ensure that it offers quality marine parts, not just the cheapest. Up to date they have not been doing that, this pump is an example, and their profits are down as customers have started to walk.
That is how it should be.
Fred Roswold
West Marine Air PumpThis is the most unsatisfactory product I have ever purchased from West Marine.
My old Avon pump (13 years) was rusty and falling apart. It had leaks. It was shedding parts. So I bought a new pump from West Marine and regrettably I tossed the old Avon pump into the dumpster before I had a chance to try the new pump. What a mistake.
Here is what is wrong with this piece of junk from West Marine:
A: It is undersized. This pump is approx 60% of the size of my old pump, so it moves significantly less air on each pump stroke than the old one. It is fine for a kiddie wading pool but for a real job like inflating a dingy on a cruising yacht forget it!
B. No rubber feet. This pump has nothing but hard plastic on the bottom. Trying to use it on the deck of a boat is nearly impossible. It slips and slides at every roll of the boat. It is dangerous: You can fall down. It can go off the side of the boat. And that is besides the fact that it is impossible to effectively put any steady flow of air into your inflatable boat because it is constantly moving out of the way instead of pumping air.
C: The hose is too short. With new dingies with decent sized tubes (15" 17") this short hose won't reach from the deck of your boat into the dingy to the air valve.
D: The cheap hose kinks too easily, and leaks at the ends. I cannot image this cheap hose lasting for 13 years like my old Avon pump. This photo is taken after only a few weeks of use and it already is looking tired and worn.
Conclusion: I wrote to West Marine about this product several weeks ago and they never responded to my complaint. West Marine has attained a dominant position in the market and they have little competition but this does not mean that we have to accept shoddy and cheap products. I hope not, and I will not. If West Marine wants to keep its position it needs to ensure that it offers quality marine parts, not just the cheapest. Up to date they have not been doing that, this pump is an example, and their profits are down as customers have started to walk.
That is how it should be.
Fred Roswold
posted by wingssail at 5:13 AM
.jpg)
1 Comments:
I really like your blog. I really appreciate the good quality content you are posting here for free. I was looking to buy an electric pumps for inflatable boats but was looking for all the characteristics. Thanks for sharing all the information with us.
Post a Comment
<< Home