Volvo gear box siezed

[Guest]

I recently chartered a 41' yacht with a Volvo saildrive (2030 or 2040 I think). We motored for no more than 3 hours and in Guernsey outer harbour the gear box siezed (as we subsuquently found out). Divers were sent down and some industrial plastic sheeting recovered from the prop. The charter company have held us liable for this on the basis that the gear box siezed when we were in charge and was caused by the plastic "getting into the gear box". Has anyone else had this problem - and if so can it happen so quickly. I am convinced we did not go over any plastic are there was no change in the engine note and the gear lever was very stiff to start with. Any help appreciated. The charter company are charging me £400!

 

[kingfisher]

I can't help you with the technical stuff, but they can't charge you for the repairs: they have to be insured for that. The maximum a charter company can charge you for any damages is the franchise on the insurance claim. Which should be equal to the security you had to pay up front.

One could actualy charge the charterer for the damages, and than have the insurance company pay the bill as well. But that would be fraud, wouldn't it ?

Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[vyv_cox]

They cannot be serious! There is no way that plastic wrapped round the prop can somehow find its way into the gearbox. Plastic or other objects wrapped around the prop can cause serious damage, like tearing engine mountings and bending P-bracket or even prop shaft, but not in the wildest of imaginations could something get inside the box. The only possibility I can see is that plastic was wrapped around the gland and shaft area of the box but this would not cause serious damage.

I don't think they can hold you liable for this type of damage, but I'm no expert. Presumably you have some small print that lays out your maximum liabilities and insurance terms.

 

[Artimes]

My boat is fitted with a volvo saildrive powered with a 2001 volvo engine.
The gear box sezed up some weeks after a jam around the prop by netting. The cost of a new box was about STG£1200. Part of the gearing had disintergrated with in the box.
My opinion is that you cannot be held responsible for this damage unless you can be shown to have been negliant in navigation. Your boat was not fitted with a cutter by the owners one supposes so they have a responsibility.
Talk to your law man

 

[Guest]

I think your charter company is trying it on. I would issue a "Notice of Proceedings" to recover your money as, from the facts you've stated, they are behaving unreasonably.

 

[Guest]

It might happen that this plastic thing , wrapped itself around the INNER s-drive shaft, in the gap between the propeller and the zinc . If so , it might have damage the delicate o-ring seal ( oil retainer) , in which case sea water enter the gear box, mix with the oil , and after a short while , if gone unoticed , damage the gear.
It is one of the weakest point , and dangerous one , on "Volvo" S-drives , and I wonder why Volvo didn't chaged the design. It happens quit often, and it is a well known negative feature of Volvos with S-drive ( only).
Actually , there should be an inner S.S. thin disk factory installed ,around the inner shaft ,which is design to work as "rope cutter". In several cases I know of , this disk bent ( while 'fending' the seal ), and sometimes discarded ,instead of replacing it. The newer Volvo MS25S sail-drive gear( on my2001 "Bavaria" sailboat) was actually without one to begin with ; when I inquired Volvo -Sweden on that , they told me that this device was found not fully helfpfull , and accordingly discarded from these newer gear design...But no other solid defense on this issue was offered..
However I still think the problem is a serious one.
One cannot be held responsible for bad design , or -maybe-missing part ( the inner disk, check if it was fitted AND at all , and if so ,not bent..).
More so , as the dangerous plastics and other garbagge that find their way around propellers , are mostly NOT the floating ones-that might be observed in some conditions-, but often the ones submerged half a meter or so , mostly gone unseen in regular conditions...
I woldn't pay a dime to that company