Submitted: 05-12-2004 by mangymutt
I've owned the Castine for 3 years now... I use it quite often as I live on a lake. It did come with it's share of problems however: The bulkheads both leaked, the sealant used around the foam bulkhead walls was missing in many places. A call in to O.T. and they sent a type of silicone out, but it was the wrong stuff. A year later I called to complain it hadn't worked and they sent the right stuff out - which meant I first had to remove the old stuff, not an easy job and then replace it with the new stuff. Now why should I have to fix a boat that was wrong in the first place? The foam bulkheads are flimsy, the rubber hatches are a pain to use - the hatch cover (an added option) isn't waterproof, which defeats it's purpose - all of these make this boat a dissapointment to say the least. On a brighter note I also purchased the running light with mount which I really like esp since I paddle a lot at night and need to be seen by powerboats - So my overall take on this boat is it's a good boat to paddle, but the details that make it up are dismal. I guess for the money it's not too bad - but I'll update at some point and it won't be another Old Town brand. |