is anyone familiar with this guy?

http://cgi.ebay.com/hobie-cat-14-16-17-18-20-running-rigging-refit-kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ220054705976QQihZ012QQcategoryZ310QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


he said he'd sell me a new 46 foot mainsheet for thirty dollars delivered. sounds too good to be true, and you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true...

No personal experience, but with a 100% feedback rating on almost 300 sales, I think he's a pretty good eBay merchant.

good point

Or check with Brad @ sun jammers! We know he's a good guy to work with.

What about supporting your closest Hobie dealer? That way you know there is some experience backing up what they sell. Besides, they are out there supporting the local regattas, youth sailing, fun sails and trying to make a living by having a shop that you can actually go to if you need some help with service or parts. By not supporting your local dealer, you may inadvertantly be shooting yourself in the foot if you ever need some real help and there isn't a dealer around anymore because all of his customers went to West Marine or bought off of some random guy on ebay.
I hear people comment all the time about lacking customer service at different businessess. Try asking the guy at Home Depot how to wire a light switch. Good luck! You may save a few bucks, but I guarantee the guy at the mom and pops hardware store can actually wire a light switch. Hard time finding small hardware stores here in CA anymore.
Most Hobie dealers actually use the stuff they sell, so their knowledge is worth the maybe few dollars more (oftentimes not if you have to replace some junky mainsheet again).
Find your closest dealer:
http://www.hobiecat.com/company/dealer.html

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I know what you mean. There is only one in NC according to the dealer finder, and it is in the Outer Banks, which is really a pretty good drive from most places in NC, as well as kind of isolated. My closest dealer, and the one that I support, is about three hours away in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Everything done by phone. I'd love to be able to actually go to the dealer. Where are the NC dealers?

James

By the way, I have had great experiences with the Myrtle Beach dealer at Sail and Ski Connection, granted its all been by phone. I would recommend them to anyone that can't get the face to face either, or if you live nearby.

I did order a set of lines and ultimate righting system for my H16 from powderskiutah. Great service but u wont be able to use the main or jib halyard if u have the aussie jib system. The main halyard is all rope when the h16 uses about 13" of cable and rope and the jib halyard is too short to route thru the aussie system.
Another observation is that the sheets are dificult to grab without gloves...they slip too much and my hands tend to get tired from gripping.

The tramp lines are ok ,,,but Im using bungee cord istead.

Next time Ill make my own lines, heck even the main halyard can be home made with 1/8" s/s cable a bronze top an end fitting and splicing it to the rope....but u could also buy it from hobie cat.

Only 2 dealers in my state... I've been to one of them and have purchased parts but the guy wasn't very friendly... I'm all about supporting the local smaller shops, but they have to want my business too. Customer service goes a long way!

The same goes with other hobbies... especially bike shops. The big push is to support your local dealers to keep them in business. I agree, but I didn't like what my local guys had in stock, so I ended up going to another town to purchase. I felt bad, but their limited selection wasn't what I was looking for and I'd never buy a bike without riding it first, so I wasn't going to order something.

Anyways, we don't know where the poster lives, so we can't point him to the local dealers other than the link already posted.

hey guys. sorry i haven't rung in in a while. i live in venice, fl. the nearest local dealer is over an hour away, and i as much as i'd like to support him, i just don't have the time or money to drive two and a half hours every time i need something. i was speaking with brad at sunjammers about purchasing stuff i needed, and looking on ebay, but then i met a guy here in town who makes catamarans (stiletto) and used to assemble hobies in oceanside when he was young. he's since set me up with all the sheets, shackles, and little odds and ends (including a whole gooseneck) i need for free. today i was out at his house drilling the old rivets out of some of my batten pockets and making them secure again. the boat is finally ready to go in the water and i think he's taking me out to sail it on friday.

can't wait.

I'd give anything to have a Hobie dealer that wanted to sell Hobies and parts instead of focusing on power boats.

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Make the effort to visit the closest (within reason) dealer at least once. That way you can establish a relationship the both of you can feel more comfortable doing over the phone. Simply call the dealer and schedule an appointment, then, and this is VERY important, confirm the appointment the day of before making the drive.

I spent 15 years in sales, and most of my customers I met only once or twice, but that effort to get eyeball-to-eyeball pays off. The local guy you found is good, but be careful of becoming too dependent on only one source.

good to hear that you found someone local that can help you out! this was you will know for sure that everything is together right and you know how to rig it!

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Brad Stephens
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