How are the L'edge's holding up?

old · Post by **old** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:11 pm

Smurfwarrior wrote:Vince, from Esquif, looked at the boat and spoke with him in person within minutes of him getting off the river and they worked out a solution right then and there. Not sure why he's not including that in his posts here and on FB. Seems an important fact in regards to customer service.

That it is. Torre has given Vincent ample opportunity to do the right thing. My opinion is that he was all smiles and helpful when it occurred. However, once he returned to CAN and as Vincent put it in his email to Torre, “he talked to the boss” and the offer was much different. Torre has contacted several individuals associated with Esquif to try to help work a solution that both could agree to but to no avail as of now. He did not bitch or make an issue at ALF nor has he made any derogatory comment here or anywhere else while giving ample time for the one that can to make a decision. I also know of another individual that his ledge broke on the Friday before ALF that has not received an offer or a response from Vincent@esquif about his boat. This could be an issue of which rep you are dealing with. Is seems that Jeff had an excellent experience with his ledge and esquif (became a sponsored paddler/rep whatever) and I'm glad he did and hope that the new gig works great for him. I like Jeff, met him at ALF and he is a fellow warrior. However, Torre has not had this same experience in dealing with esquif about his ledge.

SlovenOC'er · Post by **SlovenOC'er** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:31 pm

It's my understanding that Esquif's Fly and Prelude are made of the same material and have similar outfitting (please correct me if this is wrong). Have any of those owners experienced similar breaks? If not, what's different?

markzak · Post by **markzak** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:51 pm

A previous thread on warranties http://www.cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic. ... ee&start=0

fleckbass · Post by **fleckbass** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:53 pm

It's my understanding that Esquif's Fly and Prelude are made of the same material and have similar outfitting (please correct me if this is wrong). Have any of those owners experienced similar breaks? If not, what's different?

Good Question!

markzak · Post by **markzak** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:00 pm

I have a Pyranha Prelude and put it through a lot of abuse before I finally cracked it last weekend. I think the take-home is that all plastic boats can and probably will crack over time, unless you just paddle your local class II for the rest of your life. Sometimes they break when they are newer, sometimes they break when they're older. Proving a manufacturing defect is nearly impossible but a reputable dealer and manufacturer MAY choose to replace a cracked hull at their discretion.

Ask any creekboater you know, kayaker, C1ers, open boater, whatever and if they've been around while, they will agree.

I have heard people bash every company on the market at one time or another for having weak plastic, or whatever. You hear LL complaints, pyranha complaints, etc etc...

Plastic can and will crack! If you're lucky enough to get a replacement hull, awesome, if not learn to weld like the rest of us.

kslund · Post by **kslund** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:19 pm

I don't know markzak. I would have a hard time accepting that "plastic just cracks" and that sometimes new boats just crack - especially after I dropped 2 grand on a new boat. If I only had the boat out 7 times and was not boofing every rock in sight, I would demand a little satisfaction...

ian123 · Post by **ian123** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:51 pm

I want a crack-proof, 25lb PE creek OC1 and i don't want to pay more than 500 bucks for it...

kslund · Post by **kslund** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:11 pm

I want a crack-proof, 25lb PE creek OC1 and i don't want to pay more than 500 bucks for it...

I don't care what its made from - as long as it's crack-proof and 25lbs...

YTcanoe · Post by **YTcanoe** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:32 pm

What exactly have been the deals with warranties?
Are they covering the shipping costs if a new boat is sent? (I've had that before, the "OK we'll replace it but customer pays shipping", $500 plus)
Have replacements been readily available or are you waiting?
What are the shipping times? (3 to 4 weeks to the Yukon is not uncommon, could be half a season for us)
As there are no competent plastic welders up here, how many dollars do I need to invest in equipment and training if frequent welding is considered part of owning a PE boat?

These are questions I'm struggling with right now.

TonyB · Post by **TonyB** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:49 pm

Im wondering if the cold temperatures have any effect on plastic crackin.

Something non paddler friends of mine had commented on several occasions. never gave it much thought till now.

markzak · Post by **markzak** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:17 pm

You can learn to weld pretty easily. You don't need any equipment really. I've made some welds with 2 butter knives heated on the stove that are bomber. A heat gun, solder iron (with big flat tip), or any heat source will work. You can find many options online. Instead of buying filler plastic (welding rods), myself and many others just cut some plastic from a spare boat or inside the cockpit rim. You can usually also get free plastic scraps from the manufacturer. Just be extra careful not to overheat the boat during the process, you can always lay another weld, but you can't fix it if you melt out a giant hole.

Here is a welding video from Liquid Logic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bos4lfOA3k

Here's another video that's pretty good too:
http://vimeo.com/7931904

Gary B · Post by **Gary B** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:06 pm

I was wonder if it was just the open models cracking, or has anyone heard of a decked one presenting the same problem? I've partially removed the deck on mine, left 2" all the way around. But I'm about to remove that and put gunwales on it, just completed them making them.. But I can see were that "could" cause a bit more flex on the hull once that is done, if they are not rock solid.

BTW How does one add a picture to a post?

markzak · Post by **markzak** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:29 pm

Hey Gary, to insert a picture use this symbol

I like Picasa and recommend their service if you need an online place to store photos and share.

E.G.

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:57 pm

I've been paddling an Esquif Prelude for 2 years now, over 100 paddling days at least. No issues other than the usual gouges. I'm sure someday it will get a crack, but that's the nature of the beast. Now, if it had cracked in normal use in the first year, and I hadn't done anything like seal launch onto a pointed rock, I'd hope the manufacturer would stand behind it. I've seen kayak manufacturers do that. These are whitewater boats and they should be designed to withstand the rigors of our sport within reason. The L'edge is a first year design and it seems to be having some issues. It would seem to me that the manufacturer should look hard at this and decide a course of action to both satisfy their customers and attack the problem with material or design changes. In my opinion, Esquif should be giving customers with cracked L'edges that seem to have a legitimate claim a new boat, but perhaps saying that's where the warranty stops. After you get a new boat, that's it. And Esquif definitely should be looking into how they can make a L'edge that doesn't crack so easily.

kslund · Post by **kslund** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:31 pm

Agree with you milkman 100%.

BTW, I cracked my prelude (pyranha version) version the first year I had it. Probably about 20 riverdays. I was a little surprised, but since I bought the boat used (not a scratch on it though) I didn't make any stink to pyranha. Could have been stored outside in direct sun - who knows. Currently has about 10 cracks, all welded, and I recently had a PE plate welded to the bottom for extra protection.

On that note, if your planning on coming to Colorado for the OC Nats, there is an outfit in Boulder by the name of Boulder Boat Works that does extremely good welding work. Every weld they have done for me has been bomber (and every weld I did myself eventually failed

) You would probably want to call them ahead of time just to make sure they can fit you in.