Check your seacocks!

xcw

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I have a 2015 Bavaria 41. Over the weekend I noticed the head outflow seacock was leaking slightly, I tried to tighten it to no avail. I had the boat lifted this morning and when the yard were removing it the through hull skin fitting disintegrated. The yard were surprised to see a chrome outer skin fitting connected to brass seacock and said that it could have resulted in a catastrophic failure at any time. I dread to think what would have happened if I was at sea at the time. Should this have really happened after just 7 years of fairly light use?
Needless to say I am having all below water skin fittings/seacocks replaced.
 

Biggles Wader

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Have you had a word with Bavaria? Perhaps they would like the opportunity to contribute towards the cost of replacement and offer an opinion on this potentially dangerous failure.
They could do themselves a lot of good if they handle it well or a lot of harm if they don't.
 

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Have you had a word with Bavaria? Perhaps they would like the opportunity to contribute towards the cost of replacement and offer an opinion on this potentially dangerous failure.
They could do themselves a lot of good if they handle it well or a lot of harm if they don't.
totally agree, Bavaria if they are proper should be horrified at this and send someone round to see what happened, both customer safety and reputational reasons you'd think it would be enough motivation. Nobody hold your breath of course.
 

xcw

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Have you had a word with Bavaria? Perhaps they would like the opportunity to contribute towards the cost of replacement and offer an opinion on this potentially dangerous failure.
They could do themselves a lot of good if they handle it well or a lot of harm if they don't.
I haven't, but that's a good idea and I will contact them. I suspect I know the answer though!
 

xcw

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The ISO standard says they should last five years.
That's useful to know and probably needs to be publicised more widely. I had assumed (probably along with many other) that they lasted much longer than that. It is well known that the saildrive gasket should be replaced every 7 years but I wasn't aware skinfittings/seacocks should be replaced so frequently
 

Bobc

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That's useful to know and probably needs to be publicised more widely. I had assumed (probably along with many other) that they lasted much longer than that. It is well known that the saildrive gasket should be replaced every 7 years but I wasn't aware skinfittings/seacocks should be replaced so frequently
Bavaria, like most others these days fit brass. They are rubbish. Get them all out and replace them with Trudesign ones. You'll never have e to worry about them again.
 

SaltyC

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Have you had a word with Bavaria? Perhaps they would like the opportunity to contribute towards the cost of replacement and offer an opinion on this potentially dangerous failure.
They could do themselves a lot of good if they handle it well or a lot of harm if they don't.
I doubt it! It meets CE regulations of a 5 year life. Specifications written by those who do not understand but want people to spend to keep GDP up.
 

Biggles Wader

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It's not really about meeting five year or any other regulatory requirement, rather about brand reputation. Not suggesting Bavaria are legally bound to do anything here but lots of adverse publicity about crap quality would do them no good at all.
 

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Bavaria, like most others these days fit brass. They are rubbish. Get them all out and replace them with Trudesign ones. You'll never have e to worry about them again.
We’re talking a £200,000+ boat arent we? That has maybe 5-6 through hull fittings? And they skimp a few hundred quid on a critical safety related component? Thats appalling. Not in my price range but if it was and I saw this I’d cross Bavaria off my list assuming if they skimp there they’ll have skimped on everything less important as well.
 

Bandit

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I think you will find that most European manufacturers fit Brass , as the bean counters are in charge and it meets the RCD 5 year rule.

DZR is fine but in each skin fitting only fit DZR don’t mix and match with other fittings of different alloys.
 

Graham376

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We’re talking a £200,000+ boat arent we? That has maybe 5-6 through hull fittings? And they skimp a few hundred quid on a critical safety related component? Thats appalling. Not in my price range but if it was and I saw this I’d cross Bavaria off my list assuming if they skimp there they’ll have skimped on everything less important as well.

If you win the lottery, best cross HR off your list as well then ;)
 

Bobc

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We’re talking a £200,000+ boat arent we? That has maybe 5-6 through hull fittings? And they skimp a few hundred quid on a critical safety related component? Thats appalling. Not in my price range but if it was and I saw this I’d cross Bavaria off my list assuming if they skimp there they’ll have skimped on everything less important as well.
You will struggle to find a production builder who don't fit brass.
 

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really they all do this?! thats amazing. Is it built in obsolesce? When the boat sinks after 5 years they expect us to buy another one?
 
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