Beneteau 38

[homerobarros]

Originally Posted by Fluer de Mer

O38 50 hour Hall out...

Boat pulled out for 50 hour service. Will report more when I get the final report & invoice…but the yard noticed something right away…the anodes that I paid my Marina’s diver [who the Marina Mgmt. recommended] $160 to replace just 2 weeks ago were, it appears, never replaced (note severe degradation of propeller cap anode and that one of the two shaft 'collar' anodes has completely fallen off while the remaining one is greatly eaten away). The yard owner told me that this fraud is all too common in the Bay Area. Going forward, we will find a new diver and insist on being present when s/he replaces anodes so that we can ensure the work is done.

FDM, I am very sorry to hear that. Didn't you post a picture of the rotten anode? You think it was not from your boat and the guy just had with him? is there a way to measure if there are stray current near your boat?

[Fluer de Mer]

I have a certified marine electrician coming out later this week to both install a galvanic isolator (so I can plug in), and do a galvanic survey. He will be able to tell me more and I will share.

[homerobarros]

Originally Posted by Fluer de Mer

I have a certified marine electrician coming out later this week to both install a galvanic isolator (so I can plug in), and do a galvanic survey. He will be able to tell me more and I will share.

Please do. I am very thankful to be able to participate in this forum. Learned a lot of things already.
Thank you, FDM

[mstrebe]

Thanks for the tip about the iPad--I checked it out on my phone and thought it was kind of worthless, but the iPad integration makes sense.

FdM, you seem to be running into every bad actor on the waterfront! Our diver takes a video of the boat post-dive so we can see the work and zooms in on the anodes every dive. A cheap go pro is all it takes, and it's good proof of work done for him and us. No questions. Insist on that, and I would say that any diver not willing to video his work has a reason...


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[RKsailsolo]

I know of no other experience of a CF thread or thread from any other source that enables a prospective Oceanis 35/38 future owner take an imaginary ownership trip. Great resource, thanks!

[Fluer de Mer]

Matt, the video idea is brilliant and we will use it...and yes, I feel like it must be me or bad karma on some of the less than satisfying experiences...still all this is small stuff and nothing compared to the great time we are having with the boat out on the water.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Fluer de Mer

The yard owner told me that this fraud is all too common in the Bay Area.

Having been in the hull cleaning biz here in the Bay Area for over twenty years, I can tell you two relevant things:

1.- Fraud perpetrated by hull cleaners is NOT common in the Bay Area

2.- Boatyard owners are nototrious for having a hard-on for hull cleaners


While it is certainly possible that your diver billed you for parts he never intended to install, far more likely is that he planned to do it but the boat was hauled before he was able to. Perhaps he had to order your anodes, as Flex-O-Fold prop and Yanmar saildrive leg anodes are not available at every chandlery. Invoicing before all the work is completed is (of course) not a good business practice, but most hull cleaners are well-intentioned small businesspersons who want to do a good job and keep their clients happy.

That said, clearly your diver burned a bridge with you and hopefully this will be a lesson learned. I encourage you to communicate your displeasure to him. If he's a standup guy he will admit to his error (assuming it was one, of course) and reimburse you for the anodes and installation labor.

[RKsailsolo]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Having been in the hull cleaning biz here in the Bay Area for over twenty years, I can tell you two relevant things:

1.- Fraud perpetrated by hull cleaners is NOT common in the Bay Area

2.- Boatyard owners are nototrious for having a hard-on for hull cleaners


While it is certainly possible that your diver billed you for parts he never intended to install, far more likely is that he planned to do it but the boat was hauled before he was able to. Perhaps he had to order your anodes, as Flex-O-Fold prop and Yanmar saildrive leg anodes are not available at every chandlery. Invoicing before all the work is completed is (of course) not a good business practice, but most hull cleaners are well-intentioned small businesspersons who want to do a good job and keep their clients happy.

That said, clearly your diver burned a bridge with you and hopefully this will be a lesson learned. I encourage you to communicate your displeasure to him. If he's a standup guy he will admit to his error (assuming it was one, of course) and reimburse you for the anodes and installation labor.

Voice of reason.

[Finnsail]

Overactive autopilot, anyone?

Since delivery, our autopilot kept seesawing back and forth excessively regardless of what autopilot response setting was selected. It was overactive to the point that I stopped using the autopilot unless it was necessary during single handling. The dealer's electronics guy said that this has been a very common issue with the new 35s and 38s. His first comment was that I needed to wait for a software update. After I kept pushing him for a solution, he did figure out the issue! There is a maximum rudder angle setting in the commissioning menu where he changed the max rudder angle from 30 to 45 degrees (both left and right). This immediately fixed the issue! The seesawing is completely gone. I am extremely happy with the autopilot performance now. In steady conditions, the wheel rarely moves! These boats sail like they are on rails!

I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is having the same issue. Before the fix, the wheel was probably cycling back and forth 10 times more than necessary. During large heading changes, the wheel did even change direction multiple times in mid-rotation (e.g. after 20 degrees of right wheel rotation, it would reverse go 10 degrees back to left, then another 20 degrees right, and another 10 degrees back left etc). Very annoying! This excessive seesawing could quickly result in premature wear on steering components. I'm so happy it is fixed now.

[mstrebe]

Great info Finn-autopilot settings are critical to get right for proper performance. Sounds like the AP wasn't actually commissioned on your boat. Not sure whether the factory or dealer is responsible for that.

I've been happy with the autopilot, but it's not nearly as good at canceling out broadside wake roll as the Raymarine EV-1 on my other boat. That AP has a 9-axis gyro sensor and steers the boat specifically to minimize pitch and roll.


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[mstrebe]

Well, I've had my boat for ten months now, and I'm starting to get "mod fever".

Thinking about adding the following:

Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub: Simrad ForwardScan (B&G too): a breakthrough even in beta testing

For $700 retail, having a forward looking sonar to keep the keel off the bottom seems like a no brainer. And great that it works with the stock chart plotters on these boats.

I'm also looking for a fuel rate sender so I can keep better track of fuel usage. The stock float gauges don't go off of full until you're about half empty, so I've been having to perform fuel usage estimations based on gas usage between fills.

I'll have the sounder installed during our annual yard period.

What are you guys thinking about doing?

[Finnsail]

Originally Posted by mstrebe

Well, I've had my boat for ten months now, and I'm starting to get "mod fever".

Thinking about adding the following:

Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub: Simrad ForwardScan (B&G too): a breakthrough even in beta testing

For $700 retail, having a forward looking sonar to keep the keel off the bottom seems like a no brainer. And great that it works with the stock chart plotters on these boats.

Great minds think a like!

I actually had the dealer install a second thru-hull for the ForwardScan during commissioning. The product itself wasn't yet released at the time, but I wanted to be ready for it.

Once it became available, I ordered one. I didn't do my homework too well as I didn't realize that a SonarHub is also needed with it. They go for about $599.

B&G had good mail-in rebates on both, but they unfortunately ended couple weeks ago.

I have not had time to install yet, but as soon as I do, I'll share my impressions.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Having been in the hull cleaning biz here in the Bay Area for over twenty years, I can tell you two relevant things:

1.- Fraud perpetrated by hull cleaners is NOT common in the Bay Area

2.- Boatyard owners are nototrious for having a hard-on for hull cleaners


While it is certainly possible that your diver billed you for parts he never intended to install, far more likely is that he planned to do it but the boat was hauled before he was able to. Perhaps he had to order your anodes, as Flex-O-Fold prop and Yanmar saildrive leg anodes are not available at every chandlery. Invoicing before all the work is completed is (of course) not a good business practice, but most hull cleaners are well-intentioned small businesspersons who want to do a good job and keep their clients happy.

That said, clearly your diver burned a bridge with you and hopefully this will be a lesson learned. I encourage you to communicate your displeasure to him. If he's a standup guy he will admit to his error (assuming it was one, of course) and reimburse you for the anodes and installation labor.

Matt's right. While I use another diver, I have had fabulous and honest service from him for 17.

Other people calling other groups of people on fraud is ridiculous.

In my 35 years on the water here, I have never heard that from other skippers about their or any other diver.

BS boatyard owner.

[homerobarros]

Originally Posted by Finnsail

Overactive autopilot, anyone?

Since delivery, our autopilot kept seesawing back and forth excessively regardless of what autopilot response setting was selected. It was overactive to the point that I stopped using the autopilot unless it was necessary during single handling. The dealer's electronics guy said that this has been a very common issue with the new 35s and 38s. His first comment was that I needed to wait for a software update. After I kept pushing him for a solution, he did figure out the issue! There is a maximum rudder angle setting in the commissioning menu where he changed the max rudder angle from 30 to 45 degrees (both left and right). This immediately fixed the issue! The seesawing is completely gone. I am extremely happy with the autopilot performance now. In steady conditions, the wheel rarely moves! These boats sail like they are on rails!

I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is having the same issue. Before the fix, the wheel was probably cycling back and forth 10 times more than necessary. During large heading changes, the wheel did even change direction multiple times in mid-rotation (e.g. after 20 degrees of right wheel rotation, it would reverse go 10 degrees back to left, then another 20 degrees right, and another 10 degrees back left etc). Very annoying! This excessive seesawing could quickly result in premature wear on steering components. I'm so happy it is fixed now.

Finn, I have the same problem. Is this something I can do by myself or need a technician to do?
Glad you discovered that. Very annoying...

[Finnsail]

Originally Posted by homerobarros

Finn, I have the same problem. Is this something I can do by myself or need a technician to do?
Glad you discovered that. Very annoying...

Homero - You should be able to do this yourself. I watched the tech do it and it was not complicated. It's just a matter of finding the right screen, entering the new value, and then the system will walk you through the rest (i.e. turning the wheel when it tells you to etc). Next time I'm at the boat, I'll try to find the right screen and jot down some notes and/or take some photos for you. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Do you have the Zeus2 or the prior model?

The great news is that you'll be very happy with the autopilot once the settings are right!