Dumbest and most dangerous PO mods.

[Reefmagnet]

This was our shore power inlet installed by a PO (previous owner)...



I always had a sneaking suspicion about this, that I confirmed...


The brown stuff is Araldite. This had been installed on the boat for many years. You don't need to be Einstein to realise how incredibly stupid and dangerous this is.

What have you seen on your boat?

[El Pinguino]

I'm amazed that the standard 3 pin Australian plug seems to be the norm in Australian marinas and that instalations don't have to be checked before you can plug in.

I think you have already won this competition.......

[HansSolo]

Shortly after buying our boat we discovered we had a propane leak. We decided to replace the old copper gas line with a newer flexible one. It was when we were removing the old line that we discovered a stroke of shear genius left behind by the PO. Apparently at some point some one had accidentally cut into the copper gas line while working on the interior and rather then replacing the tube or sweating in a new piece they thought it best to repair the cut with PB Weld epoxy! This was inside the cabin and leaking! We also found a plastic dry-cleaning bag making up the difference between two different sized sections of our engine exhaust hose all held together with hose clamps.

[a64pilot]

My PO had a secondary bilge pump and high water alarm professionally installed. I guess they didn't want to add another thru hull so they T'd into the drain for the propane locker.
This of course connected the propane locker to the lowest point in the bilge, so that any propane leak would of course go into the bilge.
All in the name of increasing safety


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[ErikFinn]

My PO had T'd a bilge pump discharge hose into the head sink drain. One night we had guests stay over and someone left the sink drain plug on. I woke up at around 3 am with water slushing over the floorboards. Seawater got sucked in as there now was a lock (plug) and the sea overcame the pump.

[El Pinguino]

Not a mod as such but I knew someone who plugged his battery charger into his inverter and couldn't understand why his batteries were always going flat.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

This was our shore power inlet installed by a PO (previous owner)............

.......The brown stuff is Araldite. This had been installed on the boat for many years. You don't need to be Einstein to realise how incredibly stupid and dangerous this is.

What have you seen on your boat?

This took a bit of finding.

What you need in NZ these days
http://www.westhaven.co.nz/getmedia/...out-EWOFs.pdf/

Not just the blue plugs but the 'see-through ' blue plugs so you can see that live and neutral are connected the right way around.....

[clownfishsydney]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I'm amazed that the standard 3 pin Australian plug seems to be the norm in Australian marinas and that instalations don't have to be checked before you can plug in.

I think you have already won this competition.......

It's not from my experience.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I'm amazed that the standard 3 pin Australian plug seems to be the norm in Australian marinas and that instalations don't have to be checked before you can plug in.

I think you have already won this competition.......

Our marina requires an IP76 15 amp plug for our connection to the marina power stands. . I think I am one of about three boats that actually do have the proper plug and I don't even use it because we don't use the mains.

But regarding horror PO stuff. Our boat originally had a State Electricity Commission certified electrical installation. But the PO wanted more power outlets so cut the plug off a Kambrook power board, hard wired it into the main electrical feed BEFORE the switchboard and put it under the galley behind the kick board. Needless to say ANY water in the bilge would have quickly found that little monster. After discovering that little treat I decided I no longer trusted any of the mains power setup and removed the lot.




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[weavis]

When I bought one boat, the owner had a photo of his wife sans clothing etched onto the shower wall. She was not an attractive woman. I had to replace the shower wall.

The waking with sweating and horror has diminished over the years...

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by clownfishsydney

It's not from my experience.

Interesting....

I was surprised to see the OP's disaster... as in early 2003 in NZ I was told that the NZ regs were based on the Queensland regs. Then a 'lockable' shoreside style 3 pin was required on the shore end in Tauranga....

Pre 2003 I never used anything but bog standard 3 pin ashore in SE Oz although I had the 'blue' fittings on the boat end. I know it is still the norm in a few places in Victoria at least.

Late last year in Gulf Harbour all shore connections were checked... $15 a boat I think... I had to replace both my 'blue' ones with the 'see through' ones. I think that is a fairly recent change.

[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by weavis

When I bought one boat, the owner had a photo of his wife sans clothing etched onto the shower wall. She was not an attractive woman. I had to replace the shower wall.

The waking with sweating and horror has diminished over the years...

Ahahahahaa.. I hope your PO is not reading this forum.. Or his wife..

[Valmika]

I didn't buy it (obviously) but I looked at an islander 36 that the owner had converted the cockpit to a hot tub. When he wanted he would plug the drains and fill it with saltwater pumped in through a propane powered instant hot water heater. He ran that with the five propane tanks he had lashed to the mast

[DDabs]

Originally Posted by Mark Killam

I didn't buy it (obviously) but I looked at an islander 36 that the owner had converted the cockpit to a hot tub. When he wanted he would plug the drains and fill it with saltwater pumped in through a propane powered instant hot water heater. He ran that with the five propane tanks he had lashed to the mast

still for sale?

[paulajayne]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Not a mod as such but I knew someone who plugged his battery charger into his inverter and couldn't understand why his batteries were always going flat.

Very funny ---