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Random Quote: What's wrong with this dang blasted machine?
I guess that the doughnut guy feels that since I have only posted information regarding Maxweld that I must be doing so because I have "an axe to grind". If you read my earlier posts, you'll see that I have a friend who had a boat there and had to pull it out of the yard and find another builder to finish it. In fact, he had paid Maxweld for engines and other accessories that never were ordered and the money not refunded.
I was very excited about having Maxweld build a boat for me up here in Alaska and was eager to see the finished product of my friends boat when finished, before I put in my order. Obviously. things have taken a turn for the worse.
Out of curiosity, I googled Maxweld and found this site with the original thread from Lorrick asking what the story was about Maxweld. So, I joined this and shared my information.
I have been careful not to sound too accusatory in my references and only have shared information that I have heard and found from very legitimate sources. But it didn't take very long to piece together my own interpretation of what has transpired between Maxweld Boats and his clients, who are actually now his victims.
So, maybe you can call it an axe to grind. Yeah...I don't like it when people are taken advantage of and if I can somehow help others from making the same mistakes that I've uncovered I will. But personally, I have no issues with Maxweld other than they took advantage of a very dear friend of mine who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and worked very hard to save the money for this boat. He has since had to borrow another $200,000.00 to get his boat finished...even after paying Maxweld most of the contracted amount for completion.
This is a great forum for people to learn what can go wrong with boat builders and contracts. In the excitement of wanting a new boat, many may get sloppy indoing their research and checking out exactly who they are giving their money too. Any contract should be reviewed by an attorney prior to signing and a certified marine surveyor should inspect your boat prior to releasing further payments.
In the case of Maxweld, there may be as many as a dozen people who have been taken advantage of. In financial terms, this could equate to several million dollars in lawsuits and losses!
I feel that this is very pertanent information for this forum and I hope you will all agree.
If you actually read that "Doughnut guy's" post, youd know that "he" defined "axe to grind" "He " wasn't insulting you, "he" was asking a question. No need to defend yourself, or garner support, "He" is just trying to see your angle, so to speak. Relax, no need for wadded panties
__________________ "a doughnut is only one step above a rent rod"
If you actually read that "Doughnut guy's" post, youd know that "he" defined "axe to grind" "He " wasn't insulting you, "he" was asking a question. No need to defend yourself, or garner support, "He" is just trying to see your angle, so to speak. Relax, no need for wadded panties
Sure thing doughnut, but you have shown scepticism in my posts since I started. Obviously, I wasn't the only one who had noticed that you were questioning my motives. In fact, it was so obvious in your exchange regarding that my first five posts all were referencing Maxweld boats. So, my panties aren't the one's that are wadded. It's clear that it has been yours. So what's your angle with Maxweld? Obviously you have taken exception to what I've had to say about Maxweld.
Really, i meant what i said. Thats all i meant, the panty thing was whats called a "joke", i dont really think you wear panties. So, lighten up Francis.I DID question your motive. Didnt you read my post before you responded?
__________________ "a doughnut is only one step above a rent rod"
Really, i meant what i said. Thats all i meant, the panty thing was whats called a "joke", i dont really think you wear panties. So, lighten up Francis.I DID question your motive. Didnt you read my post before you responded?
OK then. I think we've wasted enough time with this exchange...don't you? I didn't join this thing to have negative exchanges with anyone. Just wanted to shed some light on a bad situation before someone else lost money on a bad boat deal.
You really dont read do you? See you in the bilge.
OK now little buddy. I think it's time to move on. You got the last insult in and I hope that makes you feel better now. Heading out for a deer hunt for a few days. Hope you have a nice weekend.
I dont know if Armstrong will work on a boat started by someone else, but it might be worth a call to them for those needing assistance since they have built a very large number of aluminum catamarans, and they are within a reasonable driving distance of those boats that may have been left unfinished in Oregon.
Really, i meant what i said. Thats all i meant, the panty thing was whats called a "joke", i dont really think you wear panties. So, lighten up Francis.I DID question your motive. Didnt you read my post before you responded?
Well I do wear " panties " and I am offended sir ! Panties are not something we Joke about in my home . Good Day Sir .
__________________
2005 20' Pacific Skiff
1980 15 ' Hobie Power Skiff
1975 Triumph TR6
1964 National Tractor
1958 National Tractor
" cut bait , cut grass , or cut out and get some wind in your face "
Last edited by Nuke; 09-26-2009 at 06:25 PM.
Reason: stil Kan't spel
Some of you guys seem to thrive off of a high quality boat builders demise. If some people don't come to their senses all boat builders will fail and there won't be anything out there to replace old and out dated technologies. Imagine if the only car your had to choose from was the year 1980 and below. nothing new, no innovations just the same old same old used up piece of junk. I'm Just a little concerned about uor future in boating. Maybe this subject is a whole new thread??????
Not trying to insults our member opions just food for though
Some of you guys seem to thrive off of a high quality boat builders demise. If some people don't come to there senses all boat builders will fail and there won't be anything out there to replace old and out dated technologies. Imagine if the only car your had to choose from was the year 1980 and below. nothing new, no innovations just the same old same old used up piece of junk. I'm Just a little concerned about our future in boating. Maybe this subject is a whole new thread??????
Not trying to insults our member opions just food for thought
I own a Maxweld. Got it this spring. It was 14 months overdue. Andy Heathershaw handed me one line after another, making repeated schedule promises only to break them with no explanation or apology. Friendly and smiling while he lied to your face. I would not do business with Andy Heathershaw again.
I must say the boat is well-built from a hull integrity standpoint. He hired great welders and fabricators. The boat has some issues, as all new custom boats do, and Andy promised to address them. Guess I'm on my own now.
I'm in no way surprised by the lawsuits. Nor am I surprised that he left a lot of people hanging. I'm just extremely relieved that I received my boat before he folded.
Nora Jayne...I was going to have him build me a boat as well. My friend got screwed really bad by the guy. He told me the exact same story as you, that Andy would just lie to him right to his face and just smile. I've been helping him to figure out what to do or if there is any legal recourse at this point. We found the owner of the last two crew boats that Andy built for work in Prudhoe Bay. As it appears, he screwed over a very big hitter in the oil industry and they are very pissed off. I'm almost sure that they too are getting ready to file a lawsuit and they are in fact looking into criminal prosecution against Andy and his wife. I'm happy you got your boat!
I bought a Maxcat 29 from Andy in 2005. The job went well, the boat came out great and the price I paid in the end was roughly equivalent to the numbers we discussed at the start even though I kept asking for changes. I found him to be a little tough to communicate with at times but not an unusual personality trait for a small boatbuilder who spent most of his time in the shop working. Bottom line . . . at one point a decent company building a good product. Desperate times can bring out regretful behavior. Good luck to those trying to get resolution, there likely isn't much there to go after.
a quick note to all with a grievance with maxweld boats: the crew who labored on maxweld boats are also victims and been left in the wake of Andy and his wife. I personally know that the crew members worked long hours and were very dedicated and took pride in their efforts to craft beautiful boats. They have nothing to do with the financial aspect of the company, but is suffering the direct loss of jobs, income, and health insurance for their families. No warning was given to the employees and the shock of the gates closing on them was a direct insult to Maxweld Boats dedicated crew of loyal and trusting employees. Release the Kracken....
Very good point! I'm sure that those people are devastated. I hope that they at least were paid what they were owed before the doors were shut. The owner of the last two crew boats that came out of there paid the wages for the guys to keep working just to finish his boats. That's a horrible blow for a community as small as Hebo.
All youve discussed here in your 5 (five) posts is Maxweld's demise, so I thought perhaps you were one who was suffering as a result of their closure. Do you have a boat in the yard? Do they owe you money? That kind of Ax is what I was referring to.
Never mind.
Last edited by My Gal; 10-06-2009 at 03:25 AM.
Reason: Topic
That's all I want to talk about right now. Didn't know that we were limited on how many posts or reply's we could make on a certain subject. I happen to find this of extreme interest since Andy Heathershaw was trying to pry a $125,000.00 deposit from me right up until the day that he locked the gates at his shop. He knew he was folding, but still kept calling me and trying to negotiate the deal. Even told me he'd discount the construction of boat and that he could get me a pair of Cat engines at cost, but I had to act now! He was desperate and trying to screw anyone within reach. Too bad his crew got the shaft.
I thought that this forum would be a great place to let other potential boat buyers know to beware before they buy a new boat. My only intention here is to educate people before they give up a deposit for a boat that they'll never see. It almost happenned to me and it did happen to many other people who did business with Maxweld.
That's all I want to talk about right now. Didn't know that we were limited on how many posts or reply's we could make on a certain subject. I happen to find this of extreme interest since Andy Heathershaw was trying to pry a $125,000.00 deposit from me right up until the day that he locked the gates at his shop. He knew he was folding, but still kept calling me and trying to negotiate the deal. Even told me he'd discount the construction of boat and that he could get me a pair of Cat engines at cost, but I had to act now! He was desperate and trying to screw anyone within reach. Too bad his crew got the shaft.
I thought that this forum would be a great place to let other potential boat buyers know to beware before they buy a new boat. My only intention here is to educate people before they give up a deposit for a boat that they'll never see. It almost happenned to me and it did happen to many other people who did business with Maxweld.
I dont think you did anything wrong. Many people may not understand the amount of front money a company can accumulate before they close up. Not a good situation at all. Hard to say why an individual would try to give you a bad time, but remember that the comments made are made by individuals who may have an agenda, or just might like to argue.
__________________ 29 alloy Armstrong Pilothouse. Single F350. F9.9 Kicker
First, welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting this information. Although I am not a frequent poster, I do read this forum regularly and appreciate the information you have supplied.
Since you are someone interested in a new custom boat, I would encourage you to look at Seawolf Marine (www.seawolfmarine.com). I just took delivery of my new 31' from them this February, and have over 200 hours on it, and I could not be happier. Not only is the quality of the boat exceptional as is the customer service, their integrity is outstanding. They do what they say they are going to do and they don't stop until you are happy.
By the way, I have no axe to grind, no ownership in Seawolf, nor am I employed by them or anything else that could be imagined. I an just a happy customer. Oh yea, the boat right after mine was delivered to Kodiak AK(http://www.woodlandlodging.com/) if you have not seen one in person before.
