Bav30 Surveyor findings/recommendations

[Bavnav]

Hi folks,
I received the surveyors report this afternoon - not bad, however, a few things to consider.
I knew the saildrive is within the period for replacement and various minor things.
There were two recommendations which made me think more:
1. Externally, the keel joining hull area was OK. with no evidence of external leaking. However, in the bilge where the keel bolt heads were located there was some evidence of corrosion on some below the bolts. There was some water in the bilge. It was advised to clear the water and inspect the bolts further and then monitor for poss. leaks or corrosion.
2. The starboard engine mounts show corrosion. Also, the engine /gearbox bilge area is dry.
Why would just the starboard mounts show corrosion, especially if dry?
Would this be a sign of galvanic electrolysis. Poor bonding of hull anode?
One other puzzle why would the starboard stanchions reg. tightening?
Any ideas?
I will check with the surveyor anyway.
Regards,
Bavnav

[livefats]

Hi Bavnav,

Was the water in the bilges fresh or salt? If fresh, then possibly water leaking in from fittings, etc (starboard stanchions???) or from joints in fresh water system.

For the engine mounts, I might suspect galvanic electrolysis too - was the yacht in a marina with shore power available? What is the state of the keel anode/prop shaft anode?

Starboard stanchions: was this the "mounting side" when berthed on a pontoon?

I'm sure the surveyor will have a useful take on it - mine did for a couple of things on Freebird (loose stanchions, minor cracks in GRP...)

Again, good luck with the process!

Chris

[Symphony]

The engine mounts likely to be a salt water leak from the inlet pipework - probably cured long ago. Galvanic action does not cause rust on mild steel..... and the engine is not bonded to any anode. If there is an additional hull anode it will be boded to the gearbox or possibly, but unlikely and unnecessary to the skin fittings. Normally the only anode is on the saildrive and possibly the prop if it is a folding or feathering one.

Stanchions common problem and could be cause of water in main bilge. Bit of a pig to get to and reseal on some models - not sure on yours. Other common sources of water are freshwater pipework and shower on bathing platform.

Relatively easy job to undo the keel nuts, clean the plates underneath and reseal. Rust stains, like blood go a long way and often look worse than they are.

[Bavnav]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I managed to convince the broker to haggle for a grand off the original price to cover repairs. I have £700 off agreed figure, so will go ahead after a sea trial and final check of all instruments, cabin heater, winch, etc. that I have not seen working yet.
Fair winds,
Keith

[livefats]

Great, Keith: good luck with her!

BTW, you might also want to check the chart plotter, if fitted - mine had a Garmin GPSMAP 172C which was working fine - but only had charts for the South coast, and as I sail in Scotland, this was a problem. Garmin no longer support this model, and there's no compatibility with the new charts - you can get them on Ebay, but of course, they're not updated. (Of course, if you sail in the area of the original owner, that's not an issue.) In the end I had to replace mine!