formulating a warrenty policy

[Phil Locker]

As background, I've been carefully growing my little fabrication business (Sailboat rudders/centerboards/daggerboards) for nearly 3 years now, and its time to have a formal warrenty policy. Very interested in others opinions here. I want happy customers and good word of mouth in order to keep this business growing, but don't want to be taken advantage of.

As an aside, I state on the website that I bill for fabrication services only, that I have no formal qualifications in design, and any design advice is free and given in good faith and unwaranteed. Not that it would stand up in court, but at least the customer should have his eyes open. Very few of my own designs have had issues anyway, the problems seem to come with work from other designers. Worst comes to worst, I do have product liability insurance.

1) current problem. Carbon gudgeons have broken on the first sail of a new design. I stuck to the letter of the design when fabricating these. Now that I look at it in hindsight, its far lighter constructed than similarily loaded designs I've worked on before. If no fabrication errors are shown, is this my problem?

2) past issue. A certain mid sized sport boat of short production run has had the original rudders break on all the boats made. I've done a replacement, following the designer's laminate schedule and with his agreement on a stronger core material. It cracked (repairably) at 18 knots boatspeed, shearing along the forward face of the head, where the laminates were overlapped but not wrapped around. I did the repair and paid shipping at my cost, wiping out profits from the original job. Am I too nice a guy here?

3) past issue. A customer comes to me with a multihull daggerboard design he had custom developed for him. I build it according to spec, it breaks early in its life. My personal opinion (and of engineers I consulted): core material was completely unsuitable to the compressive loads at the waterline. Peel tests were done by the designer, and the laminate was fine. He shirks his responsibilities by saying the transition from foil to square head was too short (although this was not drawn in his design). Eventually he coughs up his design fee to cover cost of materials, and I put 20 hours labour in for free to build a replacement. Am I too nice a guy here?


So, how to formulate a reasonable warrenty policy on fabrication of sailboat foils, which are often subject to huge dynamic loads? My ideal would be a warrenty period of 1 year from date of sail, waranteed only against fabrication flaws (how to prove?) - whether of my design or others - and relief only in the form of replacement or reimbursement of purchase price.

Phil

[MikeJohns]

Phil

As a parts fabricator You cover manufacturing defects but exclude design flaws and inadequacies. There is clear precedence here across the manufacturing world.

Problem is you have to document everything and you make sure you have full and detailed specs from the designer.

Too many designers have no engineering background. If you think the designer is specifying too weak a section you can recommend that he refer it to an engineer, but your responsibility ends there. Document your comments!

Cover you butt and refer claims due to design flaws. Take a professional approach formulate and publish your warrantee policy and stick to it.

[gonzo]

As an expert, you may have to share some of the burden. If the design is an experimental prototype, state so in the contract. If it is a design for regular use, put any concern in writing if it looks like the design is substandard.