In the second part of the PBO project boat survey we will learn about sea valves, gas installations, electrical equipment, engines, sails and more…
Last month, we asked oceanographic surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies to take a look at the PBO project vessel, Maximus.The 43-year-old Maxi 84 was offered to us by reader Daniel Kirtley, but before we take it, I’d like to know how much work is involved, because it’s going to be me – the magazine features editor – taking on the project and becoming a Owner for the first time.
Considering a ship survey?If so, check out this video of ocean surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies…
I never thought I would own a boat.I grew up around yachts; patrolling them, racing against them, and occasionally jumping over them, but now,…
So far so good: the hull is pleasantly dry, the deck is sturdy, and the rig – from its initial appearance – appears to be in good condition.However, the running rigging and gas needed to be upgraded, and there was some other work to do, such as polishing the top, applying antifouling paint, repairing leaking deck plugs and upgrading deck fittings.
Ben has already condemned the DIY gas tank, so before getting into the sedan, he took out his gas probe.Although the gas was turned off, he needed to check the bilge for gas entrapment just to be on the safe side.
“For £40, I think the gas detection stick is a great kit,” Ben said.”I use it mostly on narrow boat surveys because they’re notorious for leaking gas lockers, but it’s well worth having.”
Ben bought his from Screwfix, but also recommended a company called Nereus that sells gas alarms with waterproof sensors that can be used on wet bilges.
Now is the time for an internal hull inspection.Maximus was built in Sweden in 1978 to good standards, using teak veneer marine plywood in the engine room and fully encapsulated plywood frame and stringers in the lockers and bilges.Ben got down on his hands and knees, crawled across the boat, lifted the soles of his shoes, tapped, listened to the hygrometer, and scribbled on his notepad.
He showed me the chain plate anchor points and assured me that they were strong with no signs of stress or movement.The same goes for the front and rear fender accessories.
“It’s not a traditional arrangement,” comments Ben, of the lower part, which is attached to the sedan’s anchor points in a cantilever arrangement.“Most yachts have them bolted to the side of the hull. On this particular boat, they rely on the main bulkhead here, which looks like a 12mm layer.”
Still, he was happy with the arrangement.”It all looked nice and dry. No corrosion streaks and similar on the other side.”
There were a few places Ben couldn’t get to, including around the tank and under the bilge area of the car.Most of the areas he inspected were clean and dry.However, the cushions and canopy of the rear pilot berth were damp and the hull anode studs in the lockers corroded in inches of standing water.
The front peak was also wet due to leaking deck cleats and vents.Ben pulled the wet spinnaker out of the locker and found several inches of water below.Above the head are visible water droplets.
“Ah, what’s going on!” Ben exclaimed, finding water stains near the chain plate.”Look, the water coming out of the loose deck sockets is actually coming out of the internal moldings here and then out of the various branch holes.”
The other ingress, this time through the gangway, has damaged the box around the kitchen sink, which is completely decomposed.In case I needed proof, Ben kindly ran his fingers straight through it to demonstrate.
Ben put the cushions aside and opened all the lockers to let in the air.Fixing all of these vulnerabilities must be a top priority.
On the plus side, the upholstery is in good condition.I especially like the curtains and the pretty blue cabin cushions.The beige pinstripe cushions look new, and it’s clear that Daniel took great care to make Maximus look like home.She has some lovely touches and lots of gleaming teak, and I love boats from this era.
The cushions needed dry cleaning, a couple needed new zippers, and the fabric underneath they ripped.Ben points out that they should be painted with a flame retardant spray, as there is no label to confirm this.
“You can get some from the screws,” he suggested.”Spray all your soft furniture. If you’ve ever had a fire on a boat, the foam is horrible. It’s going to smoke and smoke very badly.”
“Well, the gas pipe is from 1984,” he said.”It’s more concerning to see the gas hose running through the back of the cooktop like this.”
He pointed to the notch in the rubber where the hose was cut from the metal shield.Anything with a gimbal should have a reinforced hose.Not only that, but the cooker itself has no thermal cutoff.
“A lot of people have these and don’t realize that if you sail happily and the flame goes out, the gas will continue to flow without being shut down,” he said.
Considering the cost of replacing cookware, gas lines, tidying up gas cabinets, and everything else, this suggestion may be cheaper to remove the gas entirely and buy a diesel or spirits stove.
I made a note to get quotes for both and investigate the pros and cons of gas vs diesel and spirits.
While Ben was delighted with the old Sailor radio—”We had one on our fishing boat a few years ago!”—we couldn’t actually test it.The battery was dead, so we couldn’t test the engine either.
“That voltage is below 2V, and ours is 8V, which is why we can’t do anything!” Benn said, putting away his voltmeter.
“From an investigative standpoint, it’s always worth making sure the battery is charged. Surveyors usually switch to test everything to make sure it’s working. We’re blind to it all at the moment.”
The two batteries installed under the access steps need to be replaced.They are not physically fastened and have no end caps.
“Obviously we’re not connected to shore power, but when you have water running over the top of shore power like this one, it’s not very smart,” Ben said, pointing to where the sidewalk leaked.electronics, “and I really don’t like the idea of a metal back case because it’s going to vibrate constantly.”
Maximus has an indirectly cooled 3-cylinder Volvo 2020MD engine.While Ben couldn’t get it started, he did give it a good check.
He wasn’t happy with the corrosion to the frame and brackets due to leaking channels.
“This all needs to be cleaned up,” he suggested.”You can see all this water coming in and it really doesn’t help. Look at the corrosion of the flywheels on the pulleys here and stuff like that. The first time corrosion starts tearing up this belt very quickly. So you lose your communication Generator and internal water pump.”
“One of the great things about Volvo is that they use a Perkins base engine. It’s always worth getting that information because anywhere in the world if you need a spare, it’s the same with Perkins.”
Engine drive is through a Volvo Saildrive gearbox.Ben checked the legs and saw no obvious corrosion, the rubber socks on the outside were intact.The oil was clean and luckily there was no sign of water contamination.
The unit has a large rubber gasket seal that needs to be replaced every seven years.When it was last completed – in 2015 – it cost around £1,500 so, along with the rig, will need to be budgeted for in the near future.
“The engine mounts usually need to be replaced at the same time you’re doing the donuts on the sail drive. If you don’t have a sail drive and you have a normal axle, consider doing it every 10 years,” says Ben.He cranked the engine with his hand and invited me to listen.
“Can you hear the turning?” Well, at least you know it hasn’t been seized in two and a half years, which is a good sign.”
“When it comes to engines and a boat that’s been lying around for a few years, the last thing you want to do is put the boat right in the water,” Ben said.”You need to be very religious about fuel management. Empty the tank, flush, replace the fuel line, the fuel filter, turn it over, see the engine running ashore and water in. Don’t just throw it in the water and hold hope!”
Ben could not determine the capacity of the tank or the condition of the fuel.However, he did notice that the filler seal was slightly damaged and needed to be replaced.
“They’re not windows,” Ben corrected.”If they’re fixed, they’re portholes, and if they’re opening, they’re portholes.”
It was a nice sunny day during the survey and there were no signs of leaking acrylic portholes (although there will be on the next visit!).That said, Ben points out that moisture intrusion is very common on these due to the internal sealing of the abutment.
Maximus has a Jabsco sea toilet that drains directly into the sea.The intake fittings all need to be replaced (see sea valve), but Ben also points out that the intake and exhaust should have taller swan necks, preferably with anti-siphon valves.
“The water intake should extend almost below the deck,” he said.”It’s also prudent to replace the hoses. They’re obviously over 5 years old, so they become porous, and when you start using them, they get smelly.”
“Look at those hoses,” exclaimed Ben when he saw the sea valve assembly for the head and sink.”It makes me laugh; we’re talking about double clamps, but the clamps aren’t actually at the end of the hose tail. It makes absolutely no sense.”
The ball valve sea valve is apparently over five years old and corroded badly.While the puffins are a replacement, it looks like they used the original skin accessories.
“This one does,” Ben said, holding the handle, “but I’ll replace them all. Kick them out and start over.”
Bronze has a much longer lifespan than DZR, Ben suggests, but many are now opting for composites; brands like Tru Design or Marelon.
Ben also looked around for the sea valve for the kitchen sink.He had identified the exit hole on the outside of the hull, but it took him a while to actually find the sea valve.After opening the locker and removing the pan, he found the drain hose, but it wasn’t until he removed the bottom drawer under the cooktop that he actually found it – an old-fashioned gate valve that was completely stuck and needed to be replaced.
The Maximus has a stainless steel water tank installed below the forepeak berth.Ben was able to manually pump the water system and got very polluted two year old water!
Post time: Jun-07-2022
