Fairline Squadron 55 MK 2 2009 MY – Advice wanted please

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statgar

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I’m looking to purchase an SQ55 with D12/800 ‘s (775 HP) and have a couple of worries:
• The starboard engine has had to have its flywheel coupling replaced requiring gearbox removal, is this a known fault and should I assume that the port one is about to fail?
• The boat requires full trim to plane at 18 knots (lightly loaded 4 on board with half tanks), currently there is an issue with the starboard engine and so I haven’t been able to do a maximum RPM speed test but I have been told that its top speed is 27 knots whereas new she should do 32 knots and the MBY used boat test showed 30.5 knots
• There is also and AC electrical fault and so I can’t check AC services, what can I run off of the standard invertor and why would a, recently fitted, separate battery charger be required just for the two invertor batteries
• It doesn’t have a cockpit door which, from an access point of view, I can do without but would it help with ventilation to the helm as it is behind the driver anyway and is it a ‘must have’ on this boat thinking of resale?
Any advice on these issues, and anything else I should know about, would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
 
statgar said:
I’m looking to purchase an SQ55 with D12/800 ‘s (775 HP) and have a couple of worries:
• The starboard engine has had to have its flywheel coupling replaced requiring gearbox removal, is this a known fault and should I assume that the port one is about to fail?
• The boat requires full trim to plane at 18 knots (lightly loaded 4 on board with half tanks), currently there is an issue with the starboard engine and so I haven’t been able to do a maximum RPM speed test but I have been told that its top speed is 27 knots whereas new she should do 32 knots and the MBY used boat test showed 30.5 knots
• There is also and AC electrical fault and so I can’t check AC services, what can I run off of the standard invertor and why would a, recently fitted, separate battery charger be required just for the two invertor batteries
• It doesn’t have a cockpit door which, from an access point of view, I can do without but would it help with ventilation to the helm as it is behind the driver anyway and is it a ‘must have’ on this boat thinking of resale?
Any advice on these issues, and anything else I should know about, would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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Re the flywheel coupling , depends what make and model of gearbox it has , I’d guess that the rubber coupling is slowly disintegrating , evidence of this will be small rubber parts and dust coming out of the flywheel housing .

As for the speed you need to give results of rpm attained on the sea trial as it sounds like ther is a shortfall in rpm .
The D12 is heavily reliant on cooling to the intercooler because it is fresh water cooled and not sea water cooled it blocks up, this causes high air inlet temperature, in turn the signal from the boost air temp sender backs off the fuel to the engine causing lower rpm at full throttle position .

Sounds like you need a proper sea trial with an engineer on board as he would have given you all the answers to the issues noted .
 
statgar said:
The boat requires full trim to plane at 18 knots
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Having seen some videos of that boat, I am not surprised at all to hear that.
I am not a fan of hull debates, deadrise, weight distribution, whatever - my train of thought being that for the average pleasure boating conditions, anything that floats is good enough.
But frankly, the Sq55 mk2 cruising attitude is among the worst I've ever seen, and it really takes an "anything that floats" attitude to accept it, imho...
I'd rather pay MORE for a 5 years older Sq58, for instance. But that's me, of course.

PS: If you think that the boat is fine for your needs regardless of the above, +1 ref. getting in touch with volvopaul for any engines check.
Even more so if you didn't finalize the purchase yet!
 
statgar said:
I’m looking to purchase an SQ55 with D12/800 ‘s (775 HP) and have a couple of worries:
• The starboard engine has had to have its flywheel coupling replaced requiring gearbox removal, is this a known fault and should I assume that the port one is about to fail?
• The boat requires full trim to plane at 18 knots (lightly loaded 4 on board with half tanks), currently there is an issue with the starboard engine and so I haven’t been able to do a maximum RPM speed test but I have been told that its top speed is 27 knots whereas new she should do 32 knots and the MBY used boat test showed 30.5 knots
• There is also and AC electrical fault and so I can’t check AC services, what can I run off of the standard invertor and why would a, recently fitted, separate battery charger be required just for the two invertor batteries
• It doesn’t have a cockpit door which, from an access point of view, I can do without but would it help with ventilation to the helm as it is behind the driver anyway and is it a ‘must have’ on this boat thinking of resale?
Any advice on these issues, and anything else I should know about, would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I had a 2014 Squadron 65. Different but similar in many ways.

1. Coupling. No idea. Ask the surveyor. I have not personally heard of one going ( on any boat!) but maybe i lead a sheltered life.

2. The boat should be doing 30+ knots. It should not need tab to plane. There is something wrong with it. Simply tell the vendor to call you when it is fixed. They are trying it on

3. AC Fault. ( I assume you mean AC power not Air Conditioning? )Are you sure you are still interested? Seems neglected ....

There is no standard inverter. There are small local inverters that power the TV and music in the saloon and cabins.If there is one for the whole boat is is more likely than not aftermarket.

If there are separate inverter batteries then again this is not likely to be factory fit. The standard spec is 2 start and 4 domestic.

Inverters kill batteries so the charger was i suspect as the existing charger was full committed to the domestic batteries and they needed a way to charge the inverter batteries rapidly on anchor.

What AC Fault? These boats use Energy Solutions system that is a CAN Bus for boats ( 24 v ring main with the electronics doing the switching as opposed to wires all over the boat). It is not reliable and can fail ranging from total failure ( had that once) to particle local failures ( had the 3 times). I would punt that based on personal experience this is the issue.

4. Missing Door. You knew that before you looked at it ( but i assumed it was standard)

Ventilation of the lower helm is poor if you front have the AC running. Just run the AC.

If does help yes, but the reason you are helming form below is usually as the weather is poor which is not conducive to having the door open.

5. The pilot control. There were 2. The early one had a touch screen and had a poor reputation as it went wrong all the time. The later one which just has push buttons is better but still controlled be the Energy Solutions modules.

The vendor seems to be taking the p*** to be honest. It is I guest £600k of boat. School report. Must try harder. Alternatively knock £150k of the price and take it away.
 
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Missing side door does not affect resale in 17 seventeen meter flybridge boat, as nearly none have it.

Yes the old Squadron 55 had it, as did the 58, but it was an exception rather then the rule.

We have two of these in Malta and I think they do not run worse or better to most other Fairline Squadrons. Bow high (five degrees or more) is very much standard with Olesinski hulls fitted with propeller tunnels.
Yes 58 does run better but it does miss a balance at twenty knots plus, in the sense that trim it down and it pulls water or close them and rides a bit bow high.

Watch for electronics on these 55 Squadrons, as I know they where a mess and some (but not all) where changed under guarantee.
 
Thanks VP on the button as always! during the sea trial with non engineer surveyor the stbd engine alarm went off at + 1800 rpm 'Air Temperature' thus we couldn't check full rpm, hoping to get OEM survey after they have fixed this problem I've heard about the intercooler issue before
 
Funny you should say that as my original intention was a late SQ58 Mk1 not thinking I could get a 55 Mk2 which IMHO has a better internal layout more up to date etc. Point taken about VP what a helpful chap he is shame he's UK based, I think!
 
Thanks jrudge clearly there is an issue with the CAN bus system I thought it was just the Pilot system. Located in the lazarette this boat has 2 x 370 ah batteries attached to a big tin box on the port side to which is also attached the aftermarket Victron charger, on the centreline there are 2 x 270 ah batteries, I couldn't see a third battery. Do you have any knowledge of a fix/upgrade for the Energy Solutions setup or does the whole lot have to come out and start again?
Other points noted particularly the last one!
 
Any ideas on how to get the test video, Hugo Andrea kindly sent me a copy of the test but I don't see a video link. I find it very difficult to navigate the MBY site the search doesn't seem to work for me.
 
Thanks poweryachtblog I know its a different boat but my P46 with D9 500's weighing 22 tons (far too much stuff I know) planes at 16+ kts and I only have to use minimal tabs to correct either lean or upwind motoring. I'm very worried about the electrics though.
 
statgar said:
Any ideas on how to get the test video, Hugo Andrea kindly sent me a copy of the test but I don't see a video link. I find it very difficult to navigate the MBY site the search doesn't seem to work for me.
Click to expand...

You Tube can be your friend.

This and others can be found.

 
Yeh there’s too much suction at the stern .
Those prop tunnels amplify suction and along with a lightest general build + engines and other weighty stuff like tanks shoved rearwards ,further away , rearwards from the centre of lift then that happens .
How ever as said by the OP “ like the layout “ ie the owners cavernous mid cabin - that normally sells em tied up on a boat show dock .

Centre of lift and Centre of gravity are too far apart , that must gobble fuel or need to be at the upper rpm end of those D12 ,s

How fast did it go before the “ charge air temp “ to be exact alarmed off @1800 rpm ?

Btw
Two aspects , two side to the charge air shitting up .
1- seawater side - easy fix routine strip n clean
2- airside from excess oil mist - needs further investigation Q Volvo Paul please ?

Where are the tanks btw ?

Like all boat engines there’s two sides to the coin of equal merits.
One the actual thing D12 on paper a good un .
Two the instal , what’s it in ? If it had to run round with it’s nuts screwed off at or over 2000 rpm all day to get any meaningful performance with adding the caveat of dirty sterngear then that where the excess oil mist crapping up the charge air cooler is coming from - hence investigate or reassure your self that engine is really OK .
 
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statgar said:
Thanks poweryachtblog I know its a different boat but my P46 with D9 500's weighing 22 tons (far too much stuff I know) planes at 16+ kts and I only have to use minimal tabs to correct either lean or upwind motoring. I'm very worried about the electrics though.
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46 Phantom rode a similar bow high, I actually think the 55 Squadron runs a bit better to the 46 though then I think the 46 Phantom looks better. I think the 46Ph is one of the most beautiful flybridge's ever made from Fairline and a British boat builder.
We have half a dozen of 46Ph in Malta but I think all are fitted with Tamd74 or 75s 480hp.

Does the boat in question have a big tender aft weighing 250kg or more, how was the fuel load at the moment of the sea trial.
 
Portofino said:
Yeh there’s too much suction at the stern
Click to expand...
Spot on.
She's not just riding bow high (which is worse than in most FLs anyway - and surely much worse than in the 58).
It's her stern which doesn't lift anywhere near enough, and digs a big hole in the water.
That's hardly acceptable even in a SD hull, imho - let alone in one supposed to be good for 30kts... :ambivalence:
 
Thanks Portofino I agree with your assessment of the hull but confess to being an Olesinski groupie having owned six of his hulls across the Princess and FL range. The fuel tanks are amidships each side of the engines and I believe that water is across the boat in front of the engine bulkhead, at the time of the test there was 50% fuel 20% water. We cruised nicely for six hours (don't ask) 1700 rpm 19 kts perfectly clean bottom and only an engine less tender 70 kg maybe so I don't think that was too bad. The alarm is a mystery the surveyor took temperature readings from the good engine he got 45 degrees and the alarm one gave him 56 degrees but there are no signs of excess oil mist. Hopefully they will get that sorted before the next sea trial and OEM survey.
 
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