Opacmare Hydraulic Passerelle
Jul 13, 2019 13:09:57 GMT
Post by jy51 on Jul 13, 2019 13:09:57 GMT
When placing my order for a Jeanneau Yachts 51, knowing that most of our marina berthing would be mediterranean style, stern too, I ticked the extra box for an Opacmare hydraulic passerelle, seeing the cost of almost 12,000 € my wife thought I was mad, what’s wrong with a cheap fold up aluminium gangway she said!
I justified the cost by saying it was a safety issue which was priceless, how many people had injured themselves falling from rickety aluminium ladders or planks of wood, crushed between two moving hulls. The purpose built gangway would give us strong support and confidence of access in our ageing years.
Little did I know that within 4 months a friend would get to experience the security that this gangway offered, climbing on to the boat during a swell he lost his balance, and reaching out for the handrail fell against it. The whole handrail broke away leaving him surprised, and if not for a quick response from friends, head first into the water!
On closer examination it could be seen that the retaining bolts that supported the two uprights and took all the weight of the handrail were secured through a 4 mm thick cast aluminium bar which had a thread taped into it to take the bolt. To be fair at the point of the two holes there were collars moulded into the aluminium to increase the length of the thread and therefore the bolt penetration to 13 mm, however, these holes were located just 11 mm from the edge of the 4 mm thick aluminium casting, it is at this point that the two holes along with the retaining bolts snapped away from the main structure.
I had already made a warranty claim against Opacmare, as on handover we noticed that our very expensive teak covered gangway had a large split in the wood and later we claimed for a hand remote command that didn’t command. Opacmare’s response, which took more than 3 months to come through, was to say it wasn’t split when it left the factory. To be fair to Jeanneau they did order a new teak and paid for it themselves. However the remote is still an unresolved issue, an item that probably cost Opacmare no more than 50€. yet they are dragging their heels and looking for ways not to replace it.
Their response to my warranty claim over the broken structure was no better. I had complained that the product was not fit for purpose, as I foolishly believed the hand rail was there to support a person. Alternatively I suggested that maybe under the white powder coated aluminium casting there was a flaw or hairline crack which caused it to snap off when under load.
Opacmare responded by saying the hand rail was not designed to take the weight of a person and is only there to steady the hand, how much force would deem steading, they didn’t say, but they did say it was not a warranty issue.
Unfortunately the back bone to the gangway is made up of a number of parts welded into one so with a small part like this it will require the complete structure replaced, the part alone is more than 1,100 €. Jeanneau, who sold me the gangway obviously is not keen to pay for a 1500€ plus repair bill, so have sided with Opacmare, implying that the hand rail is just there for show and is not designed to take somebody’s weight.
Nobody is even willing to make any kind of goodwill gesture, not even a replacement part at cost! I am also led to believe that this particular model is no longer in production, I wonder why?
The moral, well if I had known what I know now I would not have purchased this gangway and defiantly would not have purchased from a company like Opacmare who have shown not a single ounce of customer care or support.
On a brighter note I purchased a 3 in 1 MOB system from SeaGo in the UK which turned out to have a problem, One email to claim under the warranty and a replacement was sent out from the UK to Spain the next day, no arguments and no quibbles, and they paid the postage to Spain, I know who will be getting my custom in the future.
I justified the cost by saying it was a safety issue which was priceless, how many people had injured themselves falling from rickety aluminium ladders or planks of wood, crushed between two moving hulls. The purpose built gangway would give us strong support and confidence of access in our ageing years.
Little did I know that within 4 months a friend would get to experience the security that this gangway offered, climbing on to the boat during a swell he lost his balance, and reaching out for the handrail fell against it. The whole handrail broke away leaving him surprised, and if not for a quick response from friends, head first into the water!
On closer examination it could be seen that the retaining bolts that supported the two uprights and took all the weight of the handrail were secured through a 4 mm thick cast aluminium bar which had a thread taped into it to take the bolt. To be fair at the point of the two holes there were collars moulded into the aluminium to increase the length of the thread and therefore the bolt penetration to 13 mm, however, these holes were located just 11 mm from the edge of the 4 mm thick aluminium casting, it is at this point that the two holes along with the retaining bolts snapped away from the main structure.
I had already made a warranty claim against Opacmare, as on handover we noticed that our very expensive teak covered gangway had a large split in the wood and later we claimed for a hand remote command that didn’t command. Opacmare’s response, which took more than 3 months to come through, was to say it wasn’t split when it left the factory. To be fair to Jeanneau they did order a new teak and paid for it themselves. However the remote is still an unresolved issue, an item that probably cost Opacmare no more than 50€. yet they are dragging their heels and looking for ways not to replace it.
Their response to my warranty claim over the broken structure was no better. I had complained that the product was not fit for purpose, as I foolishly believed the hand rail was there to support a person. Alternatively I suggested that maybe under the white powder coated aluminium casting there was a flaw or hairline crack which caused it to snap off when under load.
Opacmare responded by saying the hand rail was not designed to take the weight of a person and is only there to steady the hand, how much force would deem steading, they didn’t say, but they did say it was not a warranty issue.
Unfortunately the back bone to the gangway is made up of a number of parts welded into one so with a small part like this it will require the complete structure replaced, the part alone is more than 1,100 €. Jeanneau, who sold me the gangway obviously is not keen to pay for a 1500€ plus repair bill, so have sided with Opacmare, implying that the hand rail is just there for show and is not designed to take somebody’s weight.
Nobody is even willing to make any kind of goodwill gesture, not even a replacement part at cost! I am also led to believe that this particular model is no longer in production, I wonder why?
The moral, well if I had known what I know now I would not have purchased this gangway and defiantly would not have purchased from a company like Opacmare who have shown not a single ounce of customer care or support.
On a brighter note I purchased a 3 in 1 MOB system from SeaGo in the UK which turned out to have a problem, One email to claim under the warranty and a replacement was sent out from the UK to Spain the next day, no arguments and no quibbles, and they paid the postage to Spain, I know who will be getting my custom in the future.