SO 35 Legende

[holgerc]

Hello,

I bought this year a SO35 Legende built  in 2006. There are some things which I thought that they are ununsal.

If anybody knows , please let me know.

1. Bilge pump: 
 works only by operating with a switch, an alarm sounds, it should be operate automaticly?

2. Engine:
In 2012 the engine was changed, from a Yanmar 3GM30 to a 3YM30, now one cable is bridged, see photo.
What electric component is bridged? Why?

3. Stern tube leaking:
Not the stuffing box is leaking, a few drops ( 100ml per day), it looks that the stern tube is leaking, did anybody heart from this?

I would be happy if someone could answer this questions for me

thanks
Holger

[Don Reaves]

My boat is a 2004 SO 35, not much different from yours. My bilge pump has a breaker on the panel that needs to be on. However, this feeds a circuit containing a float switch located in the bottom of the bilge. I would guess that in your boat, the float switch has either been removed or has failed in the "on" position.

The wiring over the engine in my boat looks quite a bit like yours, including the white box with two plugs and discrete components. I don't know what this particular circuit is, since it's never failed on my boat, so I had no reason to investigate. In your picture, you can clearly see the red and white wires that were joined with the blue splice were previously connected into the white box.

I'll investigate what these circuits are next time I'm on my boat if I can remember to do so, but it won't be until next spring since my boat has been stored for the winter. Perhaps some other SO 35 owner still has access to their boat and can check for you.

Regarding the stern tube. It doesn't sound like an emergency situation, but I would have it repaired the next time you have the boat hauled out.

[Charlie-Bravo]

Hello, and congratulations on your boat, I hope you enjoy your 35 as much as I do mine.

The bilge pump I have has a float switch, but this only is functional if switched on at the panel, so it really only functions to switch off the pump when the bilge is empty.
The arrangement you have is I believe standard, and float switches are often added later by owners.

Some owners wire their bilge pump via float switch direct to the batteries , bypassing the panel switch, in the hope that it will stop the boat sinking whilst they are away from the boat, …… having lost a boat from sinking I know this is unlikely to work, although it will pump out until the battery dies, perhaps the noise of the pump will alert others to an unoccupied boat making noises, who knows. Money and time is better spent on ensuring the likelihood of sinking is reduced by replacing all under water through hulls and valves every 5 years, the standard through hulls are not of great quality.

My stern tube leaked on first launch, requiring a quick lift out. My remedy,  whilst not quite perfect, was to dry the area outside the hull, and create a bed of sikkaflex where the tube enters the hull, I had to do something quick as crew were coming and a 400 mile trip arranged. I have intended to pull the tube out and do a proper job of re sealing it each time I lift out, but my temporary fix still holds well without a drip for over 3 years now, and my bilges are dry. Any attempt to seal the tube from the inside will fail due to water pressure.

I also have a 3ym30 Yanmar, but no bridged wire as you have indicated on your photo, it is part of the ‘entertainment’ of buying a used boat discovering what the last owner has changed, and importantly ‘why’. you could un bridge it and see what doesn’t work ….. at a risk of destroying something, or leave alone if everything works , and one day the reason for the bridge will become apparent.

Enjoy the boat

CB