So you have some very strong feelings about this. 8^)
My local guy isn't very good about the short season as well unfortunately not helping his case. I'll give Fohg a try next order.
John Lunn wrote:
You are probably aware that Hobie parts are effectively milspec in quality, which determines the starting point. How many H16's have you seen from 1978 that are still sailing with original parts? Just ask those folks who bought 'after market' tramps, and how long they lasted, or no-name clevis pins from Taiwan that bent after one season of sailing.
My buddy and I (both H18 sailors) just got our recent order from Fogh Marine of Toronto, our local Hobie Dealer. We are very happy with Fogh, they are good people, they understand sailing, our short season, and they understand Hobies and Lasers and Opti's and 49'ers and big boats, too.
Don't let the 'cross border' issue confuse you in terms of 'good knowledgeable service and parts availability'. Buying from the US has it's share of challenges, mostly to do with freight costs. Sure you can buy from No-Name supplier in the US, then you have to pay for FedEx or UPS, plus their fee for clearing customs, plus HST at 13%....and are you any better off? I suggest you do a search on this Forum on this issue.... and talk to other Hobie sailors. As with other things in life, you get what you pay for, right?