Surveyor Tidbits

The picture shows a Saildrive on a recent sailboat survey. Pulling fluids for analysis is one of my optional services. Can anyone identify the problem with this vessel? The answer will be updated in a few days.

This bow thruster installation was in a compartment under a forward deck sail locker with a non-gasketed access panel. Salt water from wet sails and waves could leak through the access panel directly onto the thruster battery fuse connections. The results are obvious in the picture- corrosion of both sides of the fuse. The thruster stopped working and the new owners had to overhaul the connectors and use copper crush washers to ensure a tight fit. A cover to keep salt water off the connections was recommended as part of the survey.

Before modification of standing or running rigging on a sailboat, careful thought must be given to proper fairlead angles, expected loads, and fastener/hardware installation. The picture shows the results of an installing a longer furling jib pole on the bow of a large catamaran. The original fairlead was for a shorter pole and the resulting change in halyard angle has pulled the fairlead fasteners almost out of the mast.

Plastic thru-hull fittings are found on many boats as drains for bilge pumps and air conditioners. The plastic will UV degrade over time and become brittle. Combine that with vibration from a clamped hose (and sometimes a short hose which puts sideways pressure) and failure will ultimately occur. I have broken several of these during my surveys and most were within one foot of the waterline. It took very little pressure from a screwdriver to separate the hull side flange from the hose fitting. This one had been cracked for a while and had been leaking seawater into the interior. Regular maintenance should include inspection of all your thru-hulls and replacement at the first sign of degradation.

Most battery charger installation instructions will tell you not to mount their units over batteries due to the corrosive emissions. This setup would likely void the warranty. Even AGM batteries can off-gas. I normally flag this installation and recommend a cover to protect the charger if the owner cannot relocate it.

This is a good example of sailboat rigging about to fail. The swage fitting has cracked along it’s length and the wire will eventually pull out. Periodic inspection and maintenance of your rigging is necessary to prevent this type of failure and a sizeable repair bill. NOTE: I was not aloft when I found this one but had been just previously and found another at a spreader fitting.