Bristol Bronze

jim ventrilio · Post by **jim ventrilio** » Mar 18th, '09, 20:25

Has anyone else had a bad experience with Bristol Bronze and the guy who runs it, Roger Winiarski? I returned a builder's plaque I bought from him two months ago to have my hull ID stamped...which wasn't done when I bought it, and now, two months later, about a half dozen e-mails, one phone call where I actually spoke to him, and one fax...I'm still waiting for him to return it...does this guy just not care after he's gotten your money? I was planning to buy more stuff from him, but not now. If you've had a similar experience, please let me know. I hate to do things like this, but I don't care for merchants who don't care about customers.

John Vigor · Post by **John Vigor** » Mar 18th, '09, 20:32

Jim, you will find a lot about Bristol Bronze and bad experiences in the archives. Your experience is not unique.

John V.

Tom Javor · Post by **Tom Javor** » Mar 18th, '09, 21:54

I've never had direct dealings with Roger but know of several folks doing Herreshoff restorations who have. Your experience is not unique. Slow to ship, material does not perform/last and he has been reluctant to honor any sort of warranty.

Jeff Burke · Post by **Jeff Burke** » Mar 19th, '09, 00:26

I think it is fair to offer more positive feedback. My wife ordered a builder's plate for me before Christmas. She didn't really know what I was asking for, but it was on my list and she went through the motions. Undoubtedly, she needed some help. Bristol Bronze came through and on time for xmas.

Jim Sullivan · Post by **Jim Sullivan** » Mar 19th, '09, 06:33

I have always found Roger to be very helpful and responsive over the years that I have known him. On this basis, I can offer nothing but positive feedback.

Jim

BrianW · Post by **BrianW** » Mar 19th, '09, 07:05

I bought several Herreshoff pattern blocks from him a while back. They worked well and I had no problems.

sfreihofer · Post by **sfreihofer** » Mar 19th, '09, 11:46

He did a Builder's Plate for me, and I have no complaints... as a matter of fact, I think it's beautiful work. I spoke with him on the phone and he was a nice guy. He may not be the fastest, but I wasn't in a hurry so I didn't notice the time frame. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again.

John Vigor · Post by **John Vigor** » Mar 19th, '09, 16:17

Some people have been lucky with Bristol Bronze, others have been unlucky. You might want to check with the Rhode Island Better Business Bureau and judge for yourself:

http://reports-boston.bbb.org/Boston/Pu ... x?i=106175

John V.

Tom Javor · Post by **Tom Javor** » Mar 19th, '09, 17:14

If someone is looking for Herreshoff style blocks check with www.bronzeblocks.com Jim's product line is more limited than the other place but the qualty of his work is outstanding. I had redone my entire S boat with his blocks. The presence of his material was a selling point when the boat sold to another fellow with experience in the class.

sfreihofer · Post by **sfreihofer** » Mar 19th, '09, 19:39

John V,

I see your point. His record with BBB is not good. So I would ask why this board provides advertising for his business? I ordered a Builder's Plate from him because I saw it advertised in this board's Chandlery. I consider that an endorsement by CDSOA.

If his track record is poor, perhaps the CDSOA should consider denying him the plug, or apply leverage in disputes he has with members.

I assumed CDSOA is selective with advertisers. Is that not the case? Can I not trust what the CDSOA presents?

Stan

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Mar 19th, '09, 20:20

Hi Gang,

The CDSOA does not provide advertising, per se. But we do provide links to merchants/manufacturers that provide discounts to our members. You'll find those links on the 'Member Benefits' page of our web site at:
http://www.capedory.org/benefits.html

We also provide links to merchants/manufacturers that provide items specific to Cape Dory boats or Cape Dory owners associations. You'll find those links on the 'More Cape Dory Stuff" page at:
http://www.capedory.org/catalog/more_cd_stuff.php

You'll also see, clearly stated at the top of 'More CD Stuff" page:

The organizations, merchants, manufacturers and suppliers listed below are not associated with the CDSOA, Inc.

The CDSOA Inc. neither endorses nor recommends any of the manufacturers or suppliers listed below. They are listed here for informational purposes and your convenience. Any questions or problems concerning any of the merchants, manufacturers, suppliers or their products should be directed to the individual merchant, manufacturer or supplier.

And we provide links to those merchants/manufactures that support our events. You'll find those links on the 'Fleet Events' page. As a matter of fact, we provide all sorts of links, just explore the rest of our web site -- and it's all for your convenience.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that you're having difficulties with one of these merchants and hope that you can work things out. By the way, last I heard, Roger had been deployed to Iraq. If that's true, I'm glad he's back. His company is also a small operation and works on stuff one order at a time. You may just need to give him a little more time. Hope that's the case.

Cathy
Webmaster - CDSOA, Inc.

Clay Stalker · Post by **Clay Stalker** » Mar 20th, '09, 07:27

I have dealt with Bristol Bronze and Roger in the past. He made a builders plate for my former CD27, it was a decent product and delivered in a reasonable amount of time. While Roger can be a bit abrasive at times, I generally get along well with him. Clearly, not everyone does.

I recently ordered several shell blocks and cleats from J.M. Reineck and Son in Hull, MA. They arrived when promised, are the most beautiful things I have ever seen (much nicer than the Bristol Bronze product) and were extremely expensive.....but I still love them. And Mr. Reineck is the most friendly, accommodating guy I have ever dealt with. He didn't even want any deposit for an over $500 dollar order....just send the money when you get the product.....Just offering some feedback on a good experience. Most of the stuff he makes is for historic restorations.

Ron M. · Post by **Ron M.** » Mar 20th, '09, 07:48

I have dealt with him a couple of times without issue.
Some of the castings he produces are somewhat crude, lacking crisp detail.
I did see him last month at the Cape Cod Boatbuilders Show where he had a booth.
________
Hero hunk

Joe CD MS 300 · Post by **Joe CD MS 300** » Mar 20th, '09, 10:33

Stan,

I feel the need to come to the defense of Cathy and all the people that make this a great site and great organization. Personally I have never assumed that any source listed on this site is necessarily good, bad or indifferent. Without looking, I don't believe there is any endorsements in the source section. It's just one source of information that needs to be explored. Another great source is past posts. I have never needed anything from Bristol Bronze but just from being a member and reading a lot of posts I have gotten a sense of their checkered past. I'm sure a search of past posts would highlight this very quickly. Not trying to come at you hard, but everything with this site and organization pretty much gets done by volunteer effort. I can understand your frustration but I think it should be directed at Bristol Bronze and not the CDSOA.

Joe

sfreihofer · Post by **sfreihofer** » Mar 20th, '09, 19:28

Joe,

Maybe you misunderstood me. I had said that I was pleased with the work that Bristol Bronze did for me. It wasn't fast, but it is beautiful, and my experience was positive.

I only expressed the opinion that if his track record is poor, perhaps CDSOA should note that in the ad, or plug, or reference, (whatever it is,) to acknowledge the problems expressed here, rather than bury a generic disclaimer in the intro, which would apply equally to (for example) John Dancic. I know of no complaints regarding John Dancic, and as his customer, I am very pleased with his work.

I'm not attacking John Dancic, CDSOA, or Bristol Bronze. CDSOA is my main resource and has my steadfast support and appreciation. I'm simply postulating that if there is a recurring problem with Bristol Bronze, perhaps that warrants exposure. Or not.

Stan

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