Some of the faults and defects of our Powercat 525 Evolution - collected brand new on February 11th 2008 from Powercats Ltd, Redruth, Cornwall and which was signed off as CE compliant according to the EC Declaration of Conformity to Directive 94/25/CE by Barry Philpott on the 18th February 2008 to comply with EC Regulations and Standards:
ISO 12217
ISO 14946
ISO 14945
ISO 10087
ISO 10240
ISO 11591
Keel band improperly joined.
Insulating tape used wrongfully to join important electrical cables.
Generally messy wiring with batteries beneath which are difficult to access and without evidence of ventilation which can lead to a dangerous build up of hydrogen gas. Batteries have bare terminals which in conjunction with the potentially built up hydrogen gas could lead to explosion and or fire. No wiring diagrams supplied with vessel and when we had our electrical failure in the dark in front of a bulk carrier, we were informed by Powercats that they had 'no idea' how this could have happened!!! So one can only assume that they can't have had any diagrams that agreed with the actual wiring we had on our boat either.
Here's an excerpt from the email we received about the incident from Barry Philpott the boat's designer
"
I accept that the packet of screws should not be left in the 12V power
socket and, if so, had been overlooked during our pre-delivery inspection.
I agree that this is a likely cause of the electrical failure though, like
you, am at a loss to explain why the failure should be so far reaching and
not simply confined to a blown fuse on the accessory circuit. "
Factory fitted echo sounder. Unsightly and easily damaged by rocks or other hard objects. Does not work at speed because the twin hulls funnel air bubbles and water around the sounder and prevent it from operating.
Boarding ladder secured by spring loaded ball catches only. No safety clips to prevent the ladder being loosened by vibration at speed or to prevent it being pulled out during operation.
Keel band showing evidence of corrosion.
Ski pillar not of stainless steel and showing evidence of verdigris as due to the design of the boat this item is constantly getting wet. Not even been used once yet!!!
Throttle shown at full power. It can be seen that it crashes into the chart plotter which would result in trapped/crushed fingers. The switches are also not in the same position as in the models we trialled and which are on the Powercats website. In the position we have them, they are very easily pressed into whilst underway as they are just where the helmsman's knee goes. This means that nav lights, chart plotter, radio, cabin light and accessory socket can be switched off by accident. In the models we saw and on the website brochure, the ignition key and the switches are the other way around.
See the Powercats brochure here http://www.powercats.co.uk/powercat_brochure.pdf
This is an example of the way the cushions are fitted on the PowerCat, inside the cuddy. As can be seen it is impossible to easily access the locker whilst the cushions are in position. They have to be completely ripped off their velcro otherwise they get mangled. Even with the cushions removed the design means that the lockers cannot be fully opened, so they are difficult to use. Neither do they have any method of keeping them open so again they are difficult to use and it is difficult to get at the anchor or other equipment stored within, without banging your head or getting your fingers crushed.
Bear in mind this craft is marketed as a pleasure craft which is category C which means according to the Recreational Craft Directive it is supposed to be safe for wave heights of up to and including 2 metres (Significant wave height means the average height of the highest 1/3rd of the waves over a given period. Waves of double that height may occasionally be experienced.) and for a windspeed of up to Beaufort 6.
There are no grab handles in the cuddy which is described on the Powercats website as 'additional storage space and protection from the elements.' - so one could reasonably expect it to be somewhere safe to be during rough weather. I got thrown about and had to come out after getting my head banged at a wave height of between 75cm to 1m.
Oh and did I mention that it appears there is no oil in the hydraulic steering? That was discovered when we told the surveyor that our Powercat handled significantly differently from the demonstrators we had sea trialled. Turns out hydraulic steering doesn't work so well on thin air which explained it.
Powercats have been mailed a copy of the report to peruse at their leisure. Cornwall Trading Standards have been provided with a copy as well.
We shall see what transpires.
