Just got the results from the sea trial. I could not be there for it so I'm working from what the survey indicated and what the broker has told me. I can't really troubleshoot any of these problems yet as it will probably take till the first week of June till the paperwork
is finalized and I can get the boat home from Connecticut to Massachusetts. A couple of items showed up during the sea trial and I was hoping to get a couple of opinions in the meantime. This is my first real boat so there is a steep learning curve ahead. I know often times the same problems can show up over and over again. I don't know if any of these fall in to that category but thought I'd ask while I wait.
1) the port gas tank reads incorrectly---says there is less gas than what's actually in there. I don't know if this is the original sender or if it was replaced at some point.
2) the rudder position indicator inoperative---was told it had been that way for years. Was told it wasn't really necessary--not to worry about it
3) the trim tab position indicators don't indicate. The trim tabs do work properly though. Was told the previous owner looked into replacing the part but was told it was obsolete. Is it worth finding a replacement part?
4) battery parallel switch only works one way. Probably just broken?
I did a write up on here for troubleshooting fuel gauges, I'll see if I can find it and repost, but check the ground wire.
As far as rudder indicator, it's a nice to have but not required. My last boat didn't have one.
None of my boats including my current older 36 Open ever had a trim indicator. Again, nice to have but not necessarily.
As far as the parallel switch, not sure how it only works in one direction? If you mean the switch, mine only moves in one direction; it creates a connection between the batteries. If your concerned, carry a set of jumper cables in case of emergency.
As far as the rudder position and the tab indicators, it was presented as "no big deal'. It was just that as a new boater, things not working could or could not be a big deal---I just didn't know. On the one hand, if they are simple repairs or relatively inexpensive repairs, I would opt to do them---and would probably discover over time, they really were "no big deal"
I understand the gas gauge works but the sender or the gauge is inaccurate. Thanks for digging up the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference
parallel switches comprise a momentary switch on the dash that triggers a solenoid in the ER that closes and ties both banks together. some Tiara models also have an emergency battery interconnect which is a manual switch that connects both banks same as the solenoid.
by referring to the switch only working in one direction, I can only assume he means the momentary dash switch. Some builders rig the switch so that its powered from both banks. That way regardless of which bank goes dead, the switch will still activate the solenoid. It may be that only one bank is supplying power to that switch. Could be as simple as a bad switch or broken wire. Either way as with the rest of the items No big deal. As suggested jumper cables will work. Just make absolutely sure there are no fumes in the bilge when you connect them.
Sounds like a stellar survey
The following 1 user Likes jclark003's post:1 user Likes jclark003's post Misdirection (05-23-2020)
05-23-2020, 11:40 AM (This post was last modified: 05-23-2020, 11:58 AM by Uhehner.)
(05-22-2020, 04:08 PM)SlowPoke Wrote: Hi,
Just got the results from the sea trial. I could not be there for it so I'm working from what the survey indicated and what the broker has told me. I can't really troubleshoot any of these problems yet as it will probably take till the first week of June till the paperwork
is finalized and I can get the boat home from Connecticut to Massachusetts. A couple of items showed up during the sea trial and I was hoping to get a couple of opinions in the meantime. This is my first real boat so there is a steep learning curve ahead. I know often times the same problems can show up over and over again. I don't know if any of these fall in to that category but thought I'd ask while I wait.
1) the port gas tank reads incorrectly---says there is less gas than what's actually in there. I don't know if this is the original sender or if it was replaced at some point.
2) the rudder position indicator inoperative---was told it had been that way for years. Was told it wasn't really necessary--not to worry about it
3) the trim tab position indicators don't indicate. The trim tabs do work properly though. Was told the previous owner looked into replacing the part but was told it was obsolete. Is it worth finding a replacement part?
4) battery parallel switch only works one way. Probably just broken?
The Rudder Position Indicator helps when maneuvering in tight quarters using the engines. If the rudders are not centered you will get some strange reactions, some of which are very good like walking to one side. The senders are on eBay as VDO 440-003 for single stations and -004 if dual station. -003 should read 10 to 180 ohms side to side. I have the VDO catalog with wiring if you need any info.
The fuel level sender can be changed, it's just mounted on the top of the tank and is 240-33 ohms but not easy to get out.
They are made by Rochester Magnetic Liquid Level Gauge and sold by BOW Boat Owners Warehouse.
Capt. George
If that's the extent of the issues found it sounds like you bought a nice boat. Nothing a thousand bucks shouldn't take care of. After all, it's a BOAT.
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Vessel Info: 3100 Open, 2002 Model Year, 8.1L Crusaders
Posts: 228
Threads: 45
Likes Given: 0
Likes Received: 17 in 12 posts
Joined: Dec 2016
Home Port: Long Island Sound
Vessel Info: 3100 Open, 2002 Model Year, 8.1L Crusaders
I hope this comment was not your "Kiss of death". You haven't even gotten her home yet. Tiara makes a great boat. If well taken care of they last a long time. I am sure you will find other things when you start crawling around on the boat. But as long as all of the major stuff surveyed well you should be off to a good start. The things you listed are minor. Good luck