They didn't bother with backing plates ANYWHERE on my '88 P19.
<snip>
> Today, with International Marine, you will see none of that.
> Their pride is
> obvious. Of course, as with any boat, poop happens. Sometimes
> they may ship
> a boat and forget to include a sail or a line, something may be a
> little out
> of adjustment, but let's remember, these boats are built to be as
> economical
> as possible. International Marine seems to stand behind the Potter 110
> percent. They have even helped me upgrade the stuff done (or not done) by
> their predecessor. In many cases, years after I purchased the boat.
>
> In summary, the older Potters are a fine craft, but be prepared
> to do a little
> work. Also, with the pre-IM boats, be prepared to notice sloppy
> stuff where
> you can't help but say, "I can't believe they did that." There
> is nothing I
> have encountered that is not repairable or upgradeable and I am hardly a
> master craftsman. A little sanding, varnishing and elbow grease can do
> wonders. The only job I paid to have done that I was afraid to
> attempt myself
> was the replacement of the motor mount along with the reinforcement of the
> transom.
My thoughts:
The general design is sound and the construction of the hulls of the craft
seem to be fine. As Geoff mentioned, the problems are all in the little
details -- the vast majority of which are easily fixable. If you only
trailer the boat and take it out in light to moderate winds and always keep
a tarp over it, many of these things will be of no consequence to you and
not worth fixing.
I'm a little obsessive about my boat, and for me, my boat is like therapy.
I'm a very messy sloppy person. I can barely get to my keyboard from all the
clutter on my desk. But my boat is the one part of my life where I make an
effort to have everything just right and tidy, and so I am very picky about
everything on it. Maybe I should write Zen and the Art of Potter
Maintenance. :) But I get great satisfaction out of changing things for the
better, and it is therapeutic for me to have something I can obsess about :)