[Rhodes22-list] Paying Stan (GB) for his knowlege on solar panels

[stan]

Michael,

    Your kind words prompt me to take the time to help you a bit further 
with the Triad issue:

    If you are not in business I suppose I should not find it so hard to see 
why you feel it is proper for a sub-contractor to be the one to set the 
retail price instead of the prime contractor.  I just took it for granted 
that everyone understands that it is the ultimate seller that sets the 
selling price, not the various suppliers.  If it were otherwise you could 
have bought a Rhodes from us based on a price set by sub contractor Columbia 
Fiberglass, also in CT, when they built boats for us.  Why doesn't it work 
that way in the world of business?   Because the sub-contractor does not 
know what the ultimate cost really is.  The sub-contractor has covered his 
cost and profit but has he then also covered the sellers costs: freight, the 
cost of handling and hoists, assembling, repairing manufacturing faults to 
say nothing about the costs of creating a market (showing at boat shows, 
printing promotional materials, mailings, phone calls questions) or 
promotional discounts already accounted for within package sales pricing?

    But this is just the obvious.  You seem to also raise the question why 
shouldn't the sub-contractor have the right to also sell the product?    And 
in fact, Columbia Fiberglass also woke up one morning and unilaterally 
decide why shouldn't they have the right to also sell our boat direct.  A 
federal court corrected them.

    Triad did not decide one day to design and build a trailer for Rhodes 
sailboats and then ask us if we would like to be one of their customers. 
They did not stand in the water in the middle of the night at the Hollywood, 
FL boat ramp to work out a new kind of trailer design that would make 
launching and retrieving a Rhodes easier than was possible with their 
trailers.  They did not overturn the conventional wisdom of pulling up the 
center board before getting onto a trailer to lowering the board before 
going on the trailer and then redesign trailers to accommodate this obverse 
thinking.   We handed Triad our ideas on a platter as a gift in exchange for 
their building a trailer to our design at the best price they could.  Triad 
are not sailors.  Triad has never used a Rhodes trailer.  Triad has no 
ongoing program that keeps fine tuning the design for things like adjusting 
the axle location as the weight of the Rhodes has varied over the years - we 
do that.
    We helped the two Triad founders (now both deceased) get started with 
our design help and our cash orders.  New management understood our business 
relationship and followed the policy of simply turning all inquires over to 
us to process.  An apparently expanded management has, without consultation, 
decided they would now not only set the price the trailer should be sold for 
to our buyers but also is now deciding what our profit should be  - all with 
no knowledge of our long term, immediate or ongoing costs in selling these 
trailers; an amateurish business decision that now published to our future 
buyers would force us to sell a product at a price that does not cover our 
cost.   You would be mad at us for letting such treatment by 
sub-contractors, close our doors.  We would be labeled poor business people 
if we did not get off our butt and find other contractors willing to play by 
business rules.  And, if we did elect to stay with Triad's altered business 
relationship and calm ourselves by hereinafter considering our selling the 
Triad trailer as a loss leader, we certainly would no longer be motivated to 
keep wondering how we can make "their" Rhodes trailers even better.

    Michael, I can go on pointing out many other business element supports 
for our position but I think you may be beginning to get the idea and it is 
2 AM and I have other projects to get to that will more directly help meet 
his week's payroll.

ss

PS:  Rose has hit the send button with a vengeance.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael D. Weisner" <mweisner at ebsmed.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 4:04 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Paying Stan (GB) for his knowlege on solar panels


> While I may at times disagree with Stan regarding certain aspects of
> business (Triad Trailers), I applaud the 2 posts (reproduced below) by 
> Stan
> regarding solar power on your R22.  Please buy your solar panels from GB
> (and have him install them if possible), in an effort to repay him for 
> these
> invaluable gems.
>
> For those who have never had to fish wires through the space on top of and
> around the cabin, the knowledge of removing windows to access the cabin
> headliner space for wiring is truly worth its weight in gold.  When
> replacing the windows, don't forget to properly clean and reseal them to 
> the
> deck.  In addition, knowing to mount the solar panels on a stainless 
> plate,
> off the deck (air below for cooling), will add years of life to your
> installation.
>
> Sometimes, the very small details are the most important, especially those
> learned through expensive experience.  Thanks again, Stan.
>
> Mike
> s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
> Nissequogue River, NY
>
> From: "stan" stan at rhodes22.com Monday, July 09, 2007
>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Solar Panel Wiring
> take out a side window and you can fish thru the air space between the
> headliner and cabin wall.
> ss
>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Solar Panel size
> we have 10 watt panels that fit on the cabin tops next to the pt opening -
> we sell them as a kit with diodes and mounting strips to allow air under 
> the
> stainless steel base plate.
> ss
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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