I took delivery of WWP 19 #1096 in early May of this year. She showed
up in generally fine shape on the truck. The boat was set up pretty well
for the cross country trek to South Carolina. Even though I am a
diehard Potter supporter, and was generally pleased with my purchase
experience, let me start off with the negatives. As best as I can
recollect here were the problems:
IM forgot to put on the alternator that I ordered for battery charging.
IM put one set of window ports on instead of the two I ordered.
There were two spots where the gelcoat finish was suspect (on a corner
of the sink and on a spot on the floor of the cockpit.
I did not receive any information on the Mast Raising System. Thanks to
Eric Pedersen's website I figured it out.
The carpet on one of the trailer bunks was burned in a 3 by 8 inch
section. I have no idea how this could have happened.
The wood in the rudder was swollen making the kick-up rudder
non-functional. I had to shave it down a little bit, and it works fine
now.
Generally, the rigging instructions very inadequate. And, as we found
out later, the mainsheet rigging instructions are wrong. For a first
time sailor, this was very frustrating. But I suppose old timers feel
this is just a rite of passage that we all must go through.
On the plus side, the people at IM could not have been more
accommodating about my problems. They took care of everything to my
satisfaction without any hesitance. They have been fabulous in terms of
after-the-sale service when I have had questions. They really want
their customers to enjoy sailing and enjoy their Potters. I can't say
enough nice things about Glen, Scott and Bruce.
As a first time sailor, I have found it easy to rig and sail my Potter.
I have a wife and two young daughters who leave all the work to me, so I
essentially rig and sail single-handed with a couple of interested
observers around to point out my shortcomings. After reading a couple
of books on sailing (Bond's book, I can't remember the title and, of
course, Sailing Illustrated) I went out and did a fine job of sailing my
first time out. No harrowing adventures for me thank goodness. I find
that I learn something new every time out. I mostly do lake sailing, but
I have been out in some stiff winds around here and down on the coast,
and I have never felt that the boat was in danger of capsizing.
The net of all of my experiences is that I love my boat. I am
comfortable sailing it. It is extraordinarily functional. If I had to
do it all over again, there is not doubt I would make exactly the same
decision I made last spring. Anyone out there trying to find a
functional trailer sailor that can comfortably handle a family of four
for a day sail or weekend should go no further than the Potter.
WWP 19 #1096
Curt Westlake
Greenville, SC