A Novice Inspection

[zorrro]

Okay have finally found my boat (I think,maybe). Started looking at multis and finally about to settle subject to an inspection. Thing is its not a sail boat but a 34 ft displacement fiberglass trawler style /1979 / with a 120hp ford lees . Have been on many an older yacht and looks the same inside from the pics. What major defects should I look for in the few hours I will have? I wont buy without a surveyor however I would like to know what to look out for when i first see the boat next week. Great site here has kept me awake way past my bedtime many a night zzz



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Mod can you move to correct forum

[JeanneP]

First. If you smoke, don't for several hours before inspecting the boat. Smells can be important clues to the quality of the boat.

Next, do you like the looks of the boat? Is it pretty? A 31 y.o. boat, how clean and well-maintained is it? Is joinery well-cared for? Cabinets/doors - open and close easily, latches function? You're looking for loving care. Scuffs, wear, that's normal. Broken hinges, latches, laminate, etc., not cared enough to keep it nice.

1. Look in engine room. How clean is it? Is there rust on the engine? A lot? What's in the bilge? Stick your fingers in it - oily? dirty? stinky?

2. Look in all the bilges. Use a flashlight. Look for corrosion and dirt. A dirty bilge is an indication of how well the boat has been cared for. there should not be a drop of water in the bilge.

2. Holding tank. Is there one, where is it? Where's pump out? It had to be added to the boat after it was built, so look at hoses, connections, bypass lever (does it work, how easy is it to move?) What is it made of? How smelly is the head? How old are the hoses? (old hoses, smelly, could very well be the old hoses which hold the smell. Replacements are an easy fix, IF IT'S JUST SMELLY HOSES. Look under floorboards, here, and everywhere.

3. Engine hours. Our 2003 power cat has over 3,000 hours on the engines. How many hours?

4. Fuel efficiency. How many gallons/hour does it burn?

5. Look in primary filter/water separator. Any water at the bottom of the bowl (I'm assuming a Racor filter)

6. Electrical. Check every circuit. Does every switch do what it is supposed to. Does every light work? If not, the owner probably hasn't cared for it as well as he should have.

7. Does it have a fly bridge? Interior helm? Everything work both up and down? Gauges, all working? (start engine to see.)

8. Are there are any signs of obvious damage.

9. Did the owner keep a maintenance log? How often was the oil changed? If diesel, fuel injectors inspected, cleaned, etc.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

[Nausikaa]

Great check list Jeanne.

I am sure this will help our foxy friend zorrro and many others too

Aye // Stephen

[zorrro]

Wow what a reply! thats great thanks , I should be able to get a further price reduction , just need to do a lot of slow head shaking after each point is checked lol.

The boat is a flybridge Chung Hwa Clipper 34 Aft Cabin Cruiser , which I need to get back to Thailand

Engine hours 1330 Head off and new valves in 2003. Pump and HE overhauls in 2005.

Broker tells me 1litre / hour at 7kts

up and down steering and teak deck replaced with fibreglass which is the same in other adds as the teak gets leaky.

heck i might even turn up in overalls , keep them on their toes

[zorrro]

I think he said litre/ n.m / not per hour

[MMNETSEA]

Hello Zoram,

To add a little to Jeanne's excellent check list, a couple of points regarding the engine and gearbox :-

Believe this engine to be a standard Fordson Major tractor engine :- parts are available, but only in countries where this tractor was imported. If this is the 6 cylinder engine, I find it very difficult to accept that this engine will only use 1 litre of fuel per 7 nautical miles on a displacement hull. Parts for the Paragon gearbox are very hard to find outside the USA.

My understanding is that the boat needs a complete exterior topsides repaint. Because the teak decks had to be replaced with fibre glass, hull needs checking for Osmosis -- this probably also means that not only was the teak replaced but also the timber structure supporting the teak. The joint between the deck and the Pilot house needs a careful survey for ROT.

New Outboard Motor, New Stove. New Batteries ??

[JeanneP]

Originally Posted by zorrro

I think he said litre/ n.m / not per hour

Yes, sounds more reasonable, almost 4 miles per gallon. Why so few hours? How old is the engine?

I thought it was the Chien Hwa that I saw advertised. I like the looks of it from the pictures.

A few more thoughts. Are the fuel and water tanks original? What are they made of? If aluminum, I'd be wary. If cast iron, I'd be very, very wary. Check the fresh water system, pump some water into a clear glass - is it cloudy? Does it smell? Not a good test, perhaps, but a "kick the tires" for now test.

good luck!

[MMNETSEA]

Hello Zoram,

Further to Jeanne's question on the age of the engine - another important factor is the passage from Australia to Thailand - without stopping night and day = 6 weeks. 1250 gallons of diesel.

And not forgetting only one engine - consider getting minimum of a 15 hp outboard for the 11ft dinghy. At least you will be able to tie alongside and get yourself to an island.

I am not sure if the sale of a boat incurs sales tax in Australia.

[JeanneP]

You aren't really considering taking this to Thailand from California on its own bottom, do you?

Here are the considerations. Fuel consumption: 2 gallons per hour. expect to consume more.

speed: 7 knots. Expect 6 knots. Max. speed might be 10 knots, but you will consume 50% more, probably, or 3 gallons per hour. So assume you would be able to travel at about 3 miles per gallon. That's 1,800 nautical miles per tank.

here's a simple tool for back-of-the-envelope calculation of distances: http://www.geobytes.com/citydistancetool.htm

Converting from statute miles to anything else, the "convert" tool: http://joshmadison.com/software/convert-for-windows/

Distance from California to the closest landfall with fuel - probably Hawaii. Distance - approximately 2,170 nautical miles. That's a 300 n.m. shortfall if everything went perfectly, which it will not.

Keep doing that to cross the Pacific.

Okay, enough from this old wet blanket. Still to be discussed - stabilizers, "flopper stoppers", paravanes?

ADDITION. My apologies, I found an almost identical trawler ad for one in the US. I wasn't paying attention, I guess, that yours was in Australia. Much easier. Still, I love the simple tools up there, you can use them for quick estimates, anyway.

Good luck!

[zorrro]

Hi , If it all works out Im planning to join the Darwin to Indonesia rally . From Darwin to Indo/thaialnd shouldnt be a problem, I think......Is there a greater than 500 litre spread between refueling on that route? thanks for the links and the very informitive posts . Its late here so I will digest all the info next few days.

[zorrro]

Originally Posted by MMNETSEA

Hello Zoram,

Further to Jeanne's question on the age of the engine - another important factor is the passage from Australia to Thailand - without stopping night and day = 6 weeks. 1250 gallons of diesel.

And not forgetting only one engine - consider getting minimum of a 15 hp outboard for the 11ft dinghy. At least you will be able to tie alongside and get yourself to an island.

I am not sure if the sale of a boat incurs sales tax in Australia.

thanks, first thing I thought of was errmm, 1 engine so your suggesstion is a very good one. Problem is displacement trawler types are very rare down here and right across s/e asia so options are limited.

[zorrro]

turns out she has no holding tanks and they dont know how old is the engine. Im now waiting for a reply email on how they confirmed engine hours which are listed very low.

Anyone have a very rough estimate for costs of installing holding tanks duel head 34 footer?

[JeanneP]

Re age of engine. Can they provide you with the serial number? You should be able to determine the year of manufacture from that. Though I know nothing about that mfr's engine.

Holding tank. Such a nuisance, can't help you. Does this boat really have two heads? I'd get rid of one if it does. Our SV Watermelon was designed to have two heads, but we turned one into an all-purpose room - radio, spare tools, line, etc. Much easier to keep clean than a second head.

[zorrro]

well the boat will end up in Thailand where holding tanks are not required but was just curious. the very low engine hours appear to be genuine as the meter is working and has been serviced accordingly for the last 9 years by current owner.

totally agree about 2 heads on a 34ft boat, one has to go. Anyway am flying to inspect tomorrow ,will keep an update going..