More shoddy work?

[Tony Brooks]

Following on from Garry's long running piece.

 

I get fed up with advising people to employ a surveyor of their own choosing during the build AND to get a BSC before making the final payment, but that nice shiny boat simple can not be wrong, can it.

 

Recently I got contacted by a boater with an under one year old boat who was having fridge and freezer problems. After some questions it seemed to me that both were wired in cables way thinner than the manufacturer's specification.

 

I then discovered that the wiring loom had been produced by a well advertised specialist in inland marine wiring. They denied it was a cable problem because they had done their own volt-drop calculation (I have no problem with the calculation, but may have with the currant they assumed - I think it is much higher for an instant).

 

The issue went all the way to Danfoss Germany who stated in a fax that it was a volt-drop problem, but then went on to say that the fridge settings should be "adjusted" to overcome the problem.

 

At this stage I must state that I am have a feeling that the owner contributed to the problem by long term possibly not charging his batteries fully.

 

If Danfoss and the fridge makers state a minimum cable size why do "specialists" think they know better just to save a few pounds? Why should Danfoss collude in the underspecification of cables? If the fridge manufacturer states a minimum cable size and it is ignored does the fridges CE marking still hold good? Are the boat's RCD documents still valid?

 

Even if the boat builder was trying to build a good boat when a supposed expert subcontractor decides to do his own thing what chance does the builder have.

 

Tony Brooks

 

PS I say stuff a new boat - too much to go wrong, buy ex-hire from a reputable company and spend a bit of care rejuvenating it.