Dinghy - Caribe Nautica Venezuela: Empiric reports

CARIBE Dinghy

The relatively best dinghies come from Caribe Nautica and AB, at least it was in the past like that. In the Caribbean 80% of long-term sailors are using dinghies from Caribe and AB.
There are 2 types of Caribe dinghies:

Caribe	Double layer rigid bottom (GRP)	The traditional Caribe has a double layer rigid bottom made from GRP and should thereby be unsinkable. Thus they are to be stowed away opposite detachable dinghies more heavily and badly, this is no disadvantage in the Tropics however.
Caribe Light	Single layer rigid bottom (GRP)	Single layer rigid bottom saves weight debited to the firmness.

Unfortunately the quality of the Caribe dinghies since the introduction of the Caribe Light became clearly worse. Caribe dinghies from before 2000 (with the double bottom) were after 10 - 15 years still in good condition. Caribe dinghies from today have often heavy lack already after short use:

-	Handles and mounting plates at the tubes tear off.
-	The aluminum plate for the attachment of the outboard engines corrode and disintegrate.
-	Stainless fittings rust.

Who has an old Caribe (2000 and earlier) should not buy a new Caribe. Who needs a new Caribe, better should buy an old used Caribe, because the new Caribe is not any longer as good as the old Caribe had been.

The Caribe Light has additional heavy lack:

GRP bottom tears at the connection from the bottom to the hoses. That begins after short time with individual tears. These tears increase and connect, until the entire bottom cracks around the hoses: The bottom breaks.

Generally very badly:

CARIBE NAUTICA does not care about warranty. Caribe does not even react to announced damage. Caribe does not answer to e-mails even with photos of the damage.

One has full warranty however (2006), if one buys the Caribe at Iceland Water World (St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Grenada).

Reports to Caribe dinghies:

Juerg, "Kjaloha"
2006

Warranty completion

Caribe Nautica: Miserably, very badly, does not exist
Very well: Island Water World St. Maarten (Paul Marshall)
Very well: Island Water World Grenada (Jonathan Fisher)

After bad experiences in the Tropics with Zodiac and Avon I bought 03/2004 in St. Maarten a Caribe C9 light from Island Water World (IWW). Apart from Budget Marine IWW is the largest discounter of the Eastern Caribbean. Information from Paul Marshall of IWW St. Maarten: All cases of warranty are settled over IWW.

First tears and cracks at the lower surface of the dinghies showed up 05/2004 with the connection between hard bottom and the air tubes. These tears extended and widened themselves in the following months. Several individual tears were connected to continuous tears.

11/2004 I informed Paul Marshall of IWW St. Maarten. Ian Cowan of IWW St. Lucia visited and confirmed the damage. The tears were in the GRP laminate, not only in the gelcoat. Now the dingy was leaky. It licked at the tears. IWW informed the manufacturer Caribe Nautica Venezuela with photos. Caribe reacted neither to my damage reports nor to the damage reports of IWW.

In Trinidad I inform Echo Marine, the Caribe dealer for the South Caribbean. 04/2005 Echo Marine took the dingy for the investigation of the damage, however determined no damage, however nevertheless wanted to send a report at Caribe Venezuela. Afterwards there was no more reaction.

I inquire with Echo Marine. Answer: "The dingy was examined by experts and there was no damage determined." I require names and address of these "experts", who are refused to me.

07/2005 I still heard nothing from Echo Marine, neither the address of the alleged experts nor another suggestion on the completion of the warranty. I inquire with Echo Marine. Answer: Echo Marine is no longer agency for Caribe and from that has nothing to do with this case any more. I am to pick my dingy at Echo Marine and announce IWW, where I bought the dingy. Now it becomes clear to me that Echo Marine and Caribe never intended to carry warranty out. One tries to delay me.

08/2005 I send a report to Paul Marshal of IWW St. Maarten. I can hardly believe the answer after my very bad experiences with Caribe and Echo Marine/Trinidad:

"We will exchange your dinghy in one of our stores."

We agree upon the exchange for approximately 11/2005 with IWW Grenada. 12/2005 I arrive in Grenada. Jonathan Fisher, the branch manager of IWW Grenada, wants to visit the dingy before the exchange. Jonathan Fisher determines: The dingy has very many tears in the bottom and is cracked all over. The bottom is broken. The dingy must be exchanged. A repair is unreasonable. Together we go into the IWW store. An original packed Caribe C9L is unpacked and handed over to me. At the same time IWW hands over to me a new purchase voucher and a new warranty map. Jonathan Fisher apologizes for all the incommodities.

Result:

IWW had assumed that the manufacturer Caribe Nautica would carry out the replacement.

Caribe however did not worry about anything. The specialist for warranty with Caribe, Bruno, did not even answer to my various e-mails.

Echo Marine in Trinidad delayed and was no assistance to me.

However IWW keept the warranty perfectly. Fortunately I bought the dingy from IWW and not from Echo Marine in Trinidad or directly from Caribe. From there I would have had absolutely no support or warranty. Thanks for the warranty service of Paul Marshall of IWW St. Martin and Jonathan Fisher of IWW Grenada.