fliti
Well-Known Member
Anyone about to employ the engineering services of Cleopatra Marine in Preveza would be well advised to read the following account. Others should probably skip it but take note of three cardinal rules based on our experiences;
1.Wherever possible, do your own work. You are unlikely to find anyone who will take more care over it.
2. If you have to let contractors and engineers on board, check them out extensively first
3. If you do have contractors on board, supervise them closely.
Anyone considering using Cleopatra Marine Engineering, now read on;
1. During the course of our summer cruise in our yacht, Breezer (2003 Beneteau 50), we became concerned about a flutter in the steering. We resolved to investigate the matter further during the boat's scheduled haulout in the summer.
2. The yacht was duly lifted out at Cleopatra Marine in Preveza, Greece on the 9th of July and we noticed the rudder was rather loose. We consulted the yard's engineer, Costas. He opined that the steering needed attention but that he would be able to fix it. His only concern was that if, as he suspected, the bearing was in need of replacement, he would be unable to source the part due to problems with the Beneteau agent in Greece. We assured him that we would be able to supply any part necessary.
3. This instruction was confirmed in writing by e-mail on 18 July.
4. By 11 August we were getting a bit anxious as the designated re-launch date was getting closer. We requested an update and repeated the offer to supply the necessary part.
5. On 23 August we received an e-mail confirmation from Cleopatra that the engineer had completed the work, having determined that the bearing was not in need of replacement.
6. The yacht was relaunched on 29 August, an amount of just under 2000 euros having been paid to settle the invoice for the lift, storage and the works.
7. On 2 September, we set sail for the Straits of Messina, Italy after breakfast.
8. After about 3 hours' sailing offshore in open water, the connecting rod from the helm steering disconnected from the rudder quadrant. Fortunately, this appeared to be due to a careless re-assembly and, the sea being relatively calm and the autopilot continuing to respond, we were able to reconnect the rod without too much trouble.
9. Towards midnight, some 95 miles offshore, we became aware of a very disturbing screeching sound emanating from the steering. Closer inspection revealed considerable lateral movement at the top of the rudderstock within the upper bearing.
10. We consulted our yacht manual, the Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder, second edition. On page 430 and ff, the manual states in two places that "if the rudder flexing described above reveals more than minimal play, the bearing needs replacing. (should they be left and fail in a seaway the rudder will start banging around quite violently and do a considerable amount of damage. If this cracks or breaks the bearing tube, it could even sink the boat)". We concluded that the rudder bearing was in danger of failing, which left us no choice but to head back to the nearest shoreline, in this case back to Greece. By this time, we were a long way from land and felt it prudent to prepare to abandon ship. The life raft was cut loose and the grab bag and survival clothing were made ready. We assumed that in the event of a catastrophic failure of the rudderstock, a large hole under the water would quickly follow.
11. We returned as cautiously as possible to Cleopatra Marine, arriving on 3 September. Costas visually inspected the steering and announced he thought the upper bearing had indeed worn out. He advised the yacht should be lifted back out as soon as possible and also advised strongly against any attempt at further passages offshore.
12. We spent the next week getting further opinions from Beneteau and other qualified parties. Most advised that in the event of steering problems requiring dismantling of the steering, it was standard practice to replace the upper bearing, the latter being made of nylon and prone to wear. It was quite clear that such wear could not be inflicted in a short time. It was also clear, however, that we would not be able to determine the exact cause until the yacht was once again lifted out of the water.
13. This was done, again in Cleopatra, on 17 September. The steering was dismantled and it soon became clear that the upper bearing was indeed unacceptably worn and required replacement. We commissioned a new replacement based on detailed measurements. We also voiced our displeasure to the office staff at the yard.
14. The new bearing was hand made at a cost of £750 and delivered on 24th September. The engineers fitted the new bearing and reassembled the steering, this time under close supervision. Upon payment of a further 500 euros, the yacht was relaunched.
15. Prior to relaunch, we met with the engineering manager, Mr Tellas, to voice our discontent and seek some kind of compensation to reflect the extra work, the delays, the stress of preparation to abandon ship and the expenses incurred due to the fact that the work was clearly not carried out properly in the first instance and the steering was reassembled using a worn out bearing. In apparent acceptance of our point, Mr Tellas very grudgingly agreed to a small discount on the bill. I understand enough Greek to affirm that he was extremely abusive and angry (at one point, he stormed out of the room). Amazingly, in the part of his tirade that was translated by his obviously embarrassed staff, he justified his position by saying that they could have easily overcharged us for an extra crane lift to drop the rudder. To be clear, no such crane lift was carried out. He also stated that boats were nothing but trouble and the happiest day in a boat owner’s life was the day he sold the boat!
16. It is worth pointing out that we took video footage of the play on the rudder bearing both during the original overnight passage and after dismantling onshore. This clearly shows the bearing was faulty and should never have been put back on the steering. Please see the attached for the footage, which was uploaded to Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=-X-iC_CiS4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbd396JCXE
Proving the point further, the steering has performed completely satisfactorily since the new bearing was installed and we were able to safely resume our cruise, albeit too late to reach our transatlantic departure point. However, there have been major costs and consequences incurred, not the least of which was the delay for another year in our plans to cross the Atlantic. We estimated the total incremental costs at well over £2,000. It is worth pointing out that we engaged a lawyer to assess our position and he concluded that we definitely have a valid case for complaint under Greek law, which we are pursuing in the courts.
Before publishing this account, I submitted it to Cleopatra for their comments. Aside from threatening me with prosecution, the only points they made were that they believed the upper bearing was in good condition when the steering was reassembled and that, according to the greek Beneteau agent, the rudderstock would not have broken in the event that the rudder failed. The reader is referred to points 12 and 10 above, respectively, for my response on these points. I would also refer to point 2 as regards the Beneteau agent in Greece.
The fact that no other point in this purely factual narrative was questioned speaks volumes.
1.Wherever possible, do your own work. You are unlikely to find anyone who will take more care over it.
2. If you have to let contractors and engineers on board, check them out extensively first
3. If you do have contractors on board, supervise them closely.
Anyone considering using Cleopatra Marine Engineering, now read on;
1. During the course of our summer cruise in our yacht, Breezer (2003 Beneteau 50), we became concerned about a flutter in the steering. We resolved to investigate the matter further during the boat's scheduled haulout in the summer.
2. The yacht was duly lifted out at Cleopatra Marine in Preveza, Greece on the 9th of July and we noticed the rudder was rather loose. We consulted the yard's engineer, Costas. He opined that the steering needed attention but that he would be able to fix it. His only concern was that if, as he suspected, the bearing was in need of replacement, he would be unable to source the part due to problems with the Beneteau agent in Greece. We assured him that we would be able to supply any part necessary.
3. This instruction was confirmed in writing by e-mail on 18 July.
4. By 11 August we were getting a bit anxious as the designated re-launch date was getting closer. We requested an update and repeated the offer to supply the necessary part.
5. On 23 August we received an e-mail confirmation from Cleopatra that the engineer had completed the work, having determined that the bearing was not in need of replacement.
6. The yacht was relaunched on 29 August, an amount of just under 2000 euros having been paid to settle the invoice for the lift, storage and the works.
7. On 2 September, we set sail for the Straits of Messina, Italy after breakfast.
8. After about 3 hours' sailing offshore in open water, the connecting rod from the helm steering disconnected from the rudder quadrant. Fortunately, this appeared to be due to a careless re-assembly and, the sea being relatively calm and the autopilot continuing to respond, we were able to reconnect the rod without too much trouble.
9. Towards midnight, some 95 miles offshore, we became aware of a very disturbing screeching sound emanating from the steering. Closer inspection revealed considerable lateral movement at the top of the rudderstock within the upper bearing.
10. We consulted our yacht manual, the Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder, second edition. On page 430 and ff, the manual states in two places that "if the rudder flexing described above reveals more than minimal play, the bearing needs replacing. (should they be left and fail in a seaway the rudder will start banging around quite violently and do a considerable amount of damage. If this cracks or breaks the bearing tube, it could even sink the boat)". We concluded that the rudder bearing was in danger of failing, which left us no choice but to head back to the nearest shoreline, in this case back to Greece. By this time, we were a long way from land and felt it prudent to prepare to abandon ship. The life raft was cut loose and the grab bag and survival clothing were made ready. We assumed that in the event of a catastrophic failure of the rudderstock, a large hole under the water would quickly follow.
11. We returned as cautiously as possible to Cleopatra Marine, arriving on 3 September. Costas visually inspected the steering and announced he thought the upper bearing had indeed worn out. He advised the yacht should be lifted back out as soon as possible and also advised strongly against any attempt at further passages offshore.
12. We spent the next week getting further opinions from Beneteau and other qualified parties. Most advised that in the event of steering problems requiring dismantling of the steering, it was standard practice to replace the upper bearing, the latter being made of nylon and prone to wear. It was quite clear that such wear could not be inflicted in a short time. It was also clear, however, that we would not be able to determine the exact cause until the yacht was once again lifted out of the water.
13. This was done, again in Cleopatra, on 17 September. The steering was dismantled and it soon became clear that the upper bearing was indeed unacceptably worn and required replacement. We commissioned a new replacement based on detailed measurements. We also voiced our displeasure to the office staff at the yard.
14. The new bearing was hand made at a cost of £750 and delivered on 24th September. The engineers fitted the new bearing and reassembled the steering, this time under close supervision. Upon payment of a further 500 euros, the yacht was relaunched.
15. Prior to relaunch, we met with the engineering manager, Mr Tellas, to voice our discontent and seek some kind of compensation to reflect the extra work, the delays, the stress of preparation to abandon ship and the expenses incurred due to the fact that the work was clearly not carried out properly in the first instance and the steering was reassembled using a worn out bearing. In apparent acceptance of our point, Mr Tellas very grudgingly agreed to a small discount on the bill. I understand enough Greek to affirm that he was extremely abusive and angry (at one point, he stormed out of the room). Amazingly, in the part of his tirade that was translated by his obviously embarrassed staff, he justified his position by saying that they could have easily overcharged us for an extra crane lift to drop the rudder. To be clear, no such crane lift was carried out. He also stated that boats were nothing but trouble and the happiest day in a boat owner’s life was the day he sold the boat!
16. It is worth pointing out that we took video footage of the play on the rudder bearing both during the original overnight passage and after dismantling onshore. This clearly shows the bearing was faulty and should never have been put back on the steering. Please see the attached for the footage, which was uploaded to Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=-X-iC_CiS4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbd396JCXE
Proving the point further, the steering has performed completely satisfactorily since the new bearing was installed and we were able to safely resume our cruise, albeit too late to reach our transatlantic departure point. However, there have been major costs and consequences incurred, not the least of which was the delay for another year in our plans to cross the Atlantic. We estimated the total incremental costs at well over £2,000. It is worth pointing out that we engaged a lawyer to assess our position and he concluded that we definitely have a valid case for complaint under Greek law, which we are pursuing in the courts.
Before publishing this account, I submitted it to Cleopatra for their comments. Aside from threatening me with prosecution, the only points they made were that they believed the upper bearing was in good condition when the steering was reassembled and that, according to the greek Beneteau agent, the rudderstock would not have broken in the event that the rudder failed. The reader is referred to points 12 and 10 above, respectively, for my response on these points. I would also refer to point 2 as regards the Beneteau agent in Greece.
The fact that no other point in this purely factual narrative was questioned speaks volumes.
