Check points for survey

I am looking for a 342 and had a short mail conversation with Johan Hackman on issues to look for at a survey.

Edited by PALM - 06 November 2009 at 20:56

It's good to see that yet another buyer finds this forum useful.

Obviously, buying second hand is a lot different from buying brand new (which is my only experience) but I think the major disasters have been covered in this thread already. The single most important issue in my opinion is the anchor locker drain because if there has been water ingress in the balsa core repairs can be very costly. A damaged rudder can always be replaced albeit expensively. Jefa have announced that they have a ready rudder to offer. If the bilge pump is not fit for the purpose you just have to replace it with one that is to a relatively small cost. The only thing you have to do is to test it to see if it works or not. Only two people at this forum have reported that they have tested theirs though, so you might want to leave that until you boat actually starts to sink.

Had your prospective boat been a bit younger you would have had to face the dreaded bath platform problem but your boat has inherited the 341 stern so you can luckily forget about that.

I would check the aft part of the keel just to make sure that it is not damaged from any groundings. Even a grounding at fairly low speed will make the keel crack because the aftermost keel bolt is positioned way to close to the edge of the keel.

Johan



Edited by Johan Hackman - 02 November 2009 at 21:16

kirkelund wrote: As you point out, drilling through the sandwich laminate should be avoided unless, of course, precations have been made to prevent water ingress.

Ole, you are right about "precautions". For example, if you look at the through-hulls in the bathroom you will see that Hanse have been wise enough to make it single laminate around that area. If you take a look you will see that the hull is thinner there.

The below picture shows the "precautions" around the anchor locker drain on my boat, which was a metal pipe and some sealant. Needless to say, this was far from satisfactory and sure enough there had been water ingress in the balsa core already after two years.



The anchor locker is probably the place that dries last after a sail or a rain so I would say the drain is one of the most vulnerable places when you drill a hole through the sandwich. I know for a fact that Hanse is well aware that they have made the same mistake on a lot of boats and still I haven't seen any sign that they are willing to make it straight. I think a general recall is in place here. I have got my boat fixed though, but it involved hiring an expensive lawyer.

Then, if you take a look at the first post at the top of this thread you will see where in the anchor locker the hole should have been drilled to make sure that it is drilled through solid laminate. Petter has been kind enough to show where, using one of my pictures taken after the repair.

I personally wouldn't bother too much if the hole is not at the lowest point of the locker. Since the locker will be wet almost all the time a little standing water will not be such a great problem. On a sunny day the water will find its way out by the movements of the boat anyway.

The below photo shows how the hull around the drain was repaired on my boat. The sole was removed, as well as the inner laminate. The damp balsa was then replaced with GRP and the sole laminated back in place and a new hole was drilled in the original position.

Johan

I just came to think about another thing that has previously been discussed.

There should be a delrin washer between the upper bearing housing and the stopping ring on the rudder stock. Otherwise it will be aluminium to aluminium which might create problems with friction and ugly noices. The collar on the stock is pressing upwards since the rudder blade has quite some buyancy which can be seen here.

If the washer is missing one should make sure to get one.

Johan

There should be a delrin washer between the collar and the bearing housing even on a wheel-steered boat. The only difference should be that the steering is attached directly to the stock. That might be the reason you don't recognize it.

Johan