2 questions from a prospective SO32 owner...

[mikebz]

Is a 2003 vintage boat likely to have been epoxied from new?  It's not recorded in the info the broker has.

Would a boat of that age have the dreaded brass skin fittings and seacocks?

Oh, and a 3rd question, what would the recommended maintenance schedule be on the lifting keel pivot/mechanism?

Thanks,

Mike

[MalcolmP]

Hi Mike

I doubt if she was epoxied from new, if she was it should be easy to see by carefully removing a patch of antifoul, if you get to white gelcoat you have your initial answer. That said the gelcoat knowledge by jeanneau in 2003 was really good and I would expect that it would still be providing a good anti-osmotic barrier. Well worth getting some moisture readings done if you are purchasing to check

We had a 2001 boat and the skin fittings to me seemed to be the same as our current 2008 boat, I doubt very much that any were just brass, but there is of course a lot of different bronze alloy's etc. The dezincification seems to effect most noticeably on the tails rather then the skin fittings, so worth changing those at least. If the boat is out of the water have a good look at the thruhulls and scrape off antifouling to see if there is any noticeable pinking of the fitting. 

The t ball seacocks can be pretty varied, depends on how often they are used etc, but some, particularly the WC waste are notoriously hard to turn even from new. I would try them out - have you yet brought the boat? if not maybe something you could negotiate on - after 10 years might be a good plan to replace in any case.

I will leave the servicing question on the lift keel to others like Full Circle to answer

Good luck

[mikebz]

Thanks Malcolm. 

It seems that modern isophthalic and vinylester resins don't really need epoxy protection. 

There are plenty of discussions around (including one on this forum) on the subject of Jeanneau fitting brass skin fittings which fail after 5-7 years. I assume there must be a point in time at which this practice commenced. 

We haven't bought the boat yet.  There are quite a few to choose from at the moment. 

[Anwen (Deep Joy)]

Hi Mike,

I had an SO32 from 2004 until last year, bought from new. Unless the owner specifically epoxied the boat as part of the commissioning process, it would not have been done. While the hull moulding uses the modern osmosis resistant resins, I had problems with osmosis in the rudder of the boat, and this had to be fixed when we sold her, so ensure that you look carefully at the rudder of any prospective boat.

All the boats you are looking at would have the standard skin fittings and seacocks from the factory unless a fastidious owner has specifically replaced them. Again, something to look at when you are considering different boats, and possibly a negotiating point with the vendor.

As well as maintaining the lifting keel mechanism and pivot, don't forget the linkages for the twin rudders on the lift keel boats. These are more complex than a single rudder, especially if the boat has wheel steering.

[lateron]

Hi Mike B. I too have 2004 SO32 bought when 6 years old. I had had a problem with my raw water cooling engine seacock on my last boat and so noticing the Jeanneau one was the same [ with red handle ] I replaced it and found it was beginning to corrode [ pinkish metal]. Replaced it with the green handled alternative which I believe is superior DZR but still not bronze.
So yes I would assume boats of that era and later have the less robust seacocks.

Anwen ...how did the osmosis in the rudder reveal itself? Blisters or/and high moisture content?

Also can a builder's damp meter be used for checking the moisture content of a hull?

cheers Ron

[tedp]

Same in my case - a 2004 boat. I'm not sure about the seacocks as my berth is on fresh water. They all run well enough and show no sign of corrosion.

The rudder also has some osmosis evidence - shallow bulges on the sides that weren't there before. I haven't yet attended to them, perhaps I will drill a hole or two in one and see what comes out. Another cause suggested by the local marine engineers is water leaking into the rudder from above.

An epoxy coat was definitely not applied to my boat. Again, as my berth is on fresh water, probably I won't yet see much trouble in the next few years. When berthed on salt water things are very different.

[Anwen (Deep Joy)]

Ron,

Just like Ted, I noticed that the rudder blade was covered in bumps around 25mm in diameter. I noticed these in 2011 when the boat was being relaunched after antifouling - it wasn't really obvious when I was actually painting the rudder in the yard, but when the boat was in the slings, I could look down the surface and see the bumps. There wasn't much I could do at the time, and the following year, I traded the boat in for Anwen, so the dealer took the lead in getting the rudder fixed for the new owner. Therefore, I'm afraid that I don't know how it was fixed, or whether the cause was internal from leakage into the blade or external through permeation.

Cheers, Jon

[lateron]

Hi Anwen/ Tedp..........guess I'll be having a close look at my rudder this week. i hadn't noticed anything yet, hopefully still ok. With regards to fresh water I thought that could still create osmotic problems according to marine surveyors?
Ron

[mikebz]

Thanks for all the replies folks.   We are going ahead with the purchase.  The survey showed no osmosis/moisture concerns.  Although it also said all the skin fittings/seacocks were good it isn't really possible to tell without removing them and cutting them in half, so part of the deal is that they are all replaced with items which I will provide (therefore quality is down to me).  Rudder linkages will be replaced & adjusted.  Drop keel has a lot of rust coming through so that will be ground back & epoxied.

The boat has shorepower which I assume was fitted from new - does anyone know whether a galvanic isolator will have been fitted as standard, or where I should look for it?

Oh, and I need to replace the hull anode and prop hub anode - to save making a special trip to the boat can anyone identify the exact anodes required?  There is a bewildering array of shapes and sizes available (http://www.asap-supplies.com/marine/hull-anodes and www.asap-supplies.com/marine/prop-nut-anodes and www.asap-supplies.com/marine/shaft-anodes-for-boat-propeller-shaft).

Mike

[Anwen (Deep Joy)]

Congratulations Mike, I'm sure that you will love the boat. The standard shore power installation didn't include a galvanic isolator, so if you think you will need one, then you'll need to have one installed or DIY. I never had any problems with accelerated anode depletion, but this varies from place to place, so if it is a known problem in your marina, then best to get it done now.

Regarding anodes, there is one on the shaft ahead of the P bracket which is 25mm. ASAP part number 812405. The prop nut anode is the 22/25mm Beneteau type, ASAP part number 812460. I used to prefer the MG Duff shaft anodes, as although they are a bit more expensive, they have stainless straps cast into them which prevent loss of the anode if it corrodes around the screws.

[jamesmcpherson]

I have a SO 34.2 bought in 2002, just about to fit prop anode and cannot find correct size of screw in order to secure anode. Any suggestions please ?

[mikebz]

Feb 13, 2014 17:13:50 GMT Anwen (Deep Joy) said:

Regarding anodes, there is one on the shaft ahead of the P bracket which is 25mm. ASAP part number 812405. The prop nut anode is the 22/25mm Beneteau type, ASAP part number 812460. I used to prefer the MG Duff shaft anodes, as although they are a bit more expensive, they have stainless straps cast into them which prevent loss of the anode if it corrodes around the screws.

Brilliant, thanks Jon.  I just need to figure out the hull anode now.

Our mooring doesn't have power - we will visit marinas and plug in occasionally but maybe it's not worth fitting one for that, you can buy a lot of years worth of anodes for the price of the isolator. 

Mike