Ocean Kayak and Reps.

[GregAndrew]

I recently found a small crack near one of the scuppers on my Trident 15. It was not leaking yet, but was building in length and size over a period. I had not heard of anyone having an issue like this with any Ocean Kayak before, and did not know how to approach the problem. As it happened, I ran into Jim Sammons at LJ. We were talking about downrigger video over the next week or so online when the lightbulb above my head went from off to dim. Asking him how to deal with it, he told me to contact my nearest dealer, and also said I should first check into getting it fixed. I believe Jim was also the first to make contack with Mark Olson (the regional rep.) on my behalf. So, who do I know that repairs kayak? Hmmmm? Duh, Andy at OEX Sunset Beach of course. So, I hit up Andy to see if it is repairable to any degree of security. I was surprised to find out that he is also an authorized OK dealer (I think he is like the equivalent of a Chevy, Chrysler and Ford dealership). He tells me to send him some pics and he would tell me what he thought. With the location and size of the crack, he tells me that it would not be worth repairing. He contacts Mark to find out the procedure himself (cause he has never had to warranty an OK either). Mark gets the pics and sends them up the line, and about a week later it is what color would you like? Unfortunately the new Urban Camo color is not available yet (looks great though), so I stick with the same Tactical Camo I had. He tells me they will build it the next week and it will be at OEX Sunset Beach the following week. Pretty kewl, but Andy (being the guy he is) one-ups the deal and tells me he has one in stock that I can take and he will wait for the replacement. Now that is some great warranty coverage and some over the top service. So, at the Baytubers tournament on Sunday I spent the last few hours of the fishing time stripping down my modifications for the evening exchange. I am the proud owner of a brand new canvas to put the finishing touches to. Thanks again to Ocean Kayaks, Mark Olson, Jim Sammons and Andy Allen.