Some time back in July we arrived home from sailing and The Mate wheeled the dinghy trolley down the hard as I drew up in the tender. We duly floated and pulled the tender onto its trolley and set off, laughing about something or other, up the slipway. We hadn’t gone far when all of a sudden the trolley tube broke in half on one side … we managed to keep it all together for the final run into our club’s dinghy pound. It had lasted a jolly long time!
Knowing that we were planning to go back out sailing in a few days I came down the next day and made a temporary repair to a broken join with a length of tubing – it is still in use after around five outings now … there is a reason for this, as you will glean…
Some years ago I purchased a shiny new trolley made of tubular steel. It was anodised. The u-frame lasted around 18 months! Fortunately I had kept an older trolley, why I don’t really know, but its galvanised u-frame was fit for further use and I was able to fit that to the newer wheel and axle unit.
In all that tubular u-frame lasted from 1980.
Into the future…
Dinghy trolley as advertised on the Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies web site…
I had immediately looked on line at what was available on the market and placed my bets on a unit that looked robust, but more importantly, was constructed of galvanised steel. I ordered one direct from the manufacturers: Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies Ltd.
It cost a total of £169.99, delivered.
I was feeling quite chuffed!
Then, a saga then began to unfold…
First of all, the trolley failed to arrive on the date on the delivery information I received from the company concerned with that side of things. I spent much time in trying to contact them too. It required log ins to do with the order – info I was not party to. It was impossible … I tried telephoning the manufacturer, Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies, to no avail.
I had had a whole day utterly wasted. I was not amused.
After leaving telephone messages and also emailing numerous times in all, with a threat to cancel the order, I finally received a terse message from the proprietor, Mr Phil Beardmore, saying there had been problems. A new delivery date appeared in my email.
The new delivery date was a couple of days before we were due to go sailing … I was up to eyeballs (with The Mate) dealing with hospital appointments with specialists during this period too and just did not need the hassle.
I contacted Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies Ltd yet again to say that we would be going away and asked that they inform the delivery firm that the package could be left down the side of the property. Our son was briefed and he was ‘programmed’ to remove it to a place of safety.
We went away. There was and has been NO further communication from Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies Ltd.
I have kept the paper trail…
My paper trail…
The package duly arrived on a day after we had departed…
Upon returning home from a three week period away from home I unwrapped the package. There was a problem!
This is what is advertised by Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies Ltd…
Picture Anglesey Welding web site advertising.
This is what I got…
The dinghy trolley laid out for fitting together…
I sent yet another email to Anglesey Welding and Marine Supplies Ltd.
I went ahead and put the trolley together, expecting to receive a set of wheels.
Preparing to fit the ‘last’ piece…
Oh dear something seems to be amiss with the trolley…
Finally after another three weeks, I lost faith in the supplier: there was still no response.
I went on line and quickly found that wheels were obtainable from various suppliers – a popular item I expect. I decided to order these from Castors-online, P&L Industrial Equipment Ltd, Manchester, M11 3ER. The wheels I found were costed at £13.70 excluding VAT, for a pair.
The post, packing and delivery amounted to the cost of one wheel, but I have a date for my wheels to be delivered!
See: https://www.castors-online.co.uk/acatalog/Boat-Launching-Trolley-Wheel-GB260.html
My wheel order…
So, Mr Phil Beardmore at Anglesey Welding, I hope you are very proud of this little tale: to me it has been an utter pain, at a time I just didn’t need it.
Thanks.
And more on this … I was contacted by two people. One had problems with the wheels sent, some while ago. Another chap has contacted – he’d read this after ordering a trailer and has now also had an incomplete delivery…
The word needs to be spread!