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bradvo
06-10-2005, 11:31 AM
Kinda nice to be able to talk or write Navigator - now that I am in a boat site that is not a Bayliner site , but a site that is for All Boats.
I am about to embark on a story of my first 6 months with our Navigator.
Man, so much to say and have done I will probably miss something.
Well here goes:
The admiral and I took advantage of the low rates and Bought a bigger boat, it was in our future that we wanted to be live aboard for the summer months.
We had seen this boat we bought at Marinas from Gig to the San Juans, we kept running into her in ports where ever we went. I told the owner to let us know if she was ever going on the market. last memorial a year ago Arnie the PO seen me at the docks in Poulsbo and said she was at West Port yacht sales in Elliot bay for sale. Well we pondered until Sept then went to the Lake Union show to see her- My wife said to Mike Williams the sale man that we would be making an offer on her. Couple weeks later we did. It was refused, that was ok. we laid back a month and then decided to go see her again, again we made the same offer. Mike called back and said if we lowered our price down on the 39 a bit it would fly- we did and all was good. At the end of October the Navigator was ours, we really wanted this boat- only a few around like it with this lay out. In fact only 4 made of the model bought, at least in 93- have yet to see others around that are 50 ft, one 57 I seen in Seattle.
So off on our maiden voyage from Elliot bay to Gig harbor for the week end at Arabella's- How exciting. First thing I noticed was the power cord went from a 50 amp cord to a 30 amp pigtail for shore power, and I could not get the adapter off-so I plugged into 30 amp power-all was good.
Sunday came and we had to leave to home port, put her in slip and went home. next day we come back after work and no power on boat. Not Good- I check out shore cord and figure it is toast at the adapter connection. So off to WM to buy new cord- 500 bucks. I get to docks, by the way it is dark this time of year. The cord fits the boat but not shorepower, ah crap- back to WM. I make exchange, this time it fits shore power but not boat. Now I am getting a bit UN nerved, so I take this new cord and my old cord back to WM, I get there a few minutes before closing and the salesmen tells me that I need to buy a new inlet power source for my boat that will except the new cord- ok, I say. 170 bucks. I go back to boat and install new power inlet and plug in new cord. I have power. Couple days later I find out my track vision 4 does not work??? few other minor things are acting weird. My inverter is also messed up, remote panel not working. I am going over a few things that I mentioned above to a electrician foreman at work and he wonders if I have 220 going through my boat instead of 110. Huh, I say. So we leave work with a fluke meter and sure enough I hooked up a 220 v system to a 110 v boat. I just learned the difference between 50amp 220 and 50 amp 110, the hard way( salesman at WM was as dumb as me). So I unplug and change back to 30 amp system for temp. power to get the wrong voltage off my boat- I had put 110 volts through a neutral wire. this was the beginning of thousands of dollars of repair work. it took awhile to find everything. I even had bought a new remote panel after bench testing the inverter/charger and thought all was well with this unit. The certified fix it shop for Xantrex told me it was good I kept paying a tech to fix my track vision and it kept going out. ticking me off.
I will try and make this quicker now. On the way to Pouslbo to spend a weekend and maybe see Steve and Marsha ( we did) we hit a log-could feel vibration but continued.
Got home after weekend and called diver- Diver called with bad news- yes you have a ding like you suspected but you also have a massive corrosion issue. Dive bill and both props checked and repaired $1,500. Had to be pulled, all most lost prop to corrosion but shop was able to shave enough metal off it and still pass ping test- Shaft and all through hull were toast and lucky for us strut was ok.
So while in yard getting all this fixed I requested an electrician to do a systems test- he had to do some rewiring and found that every time the charger came on he would find current in a neutral wire ( this is what was taking out my track vision) my last bill on the track vision was for $1,850. Lucky for me it was back at the factory getting fixed before I put it back on and fried it again. Yard bill $7,300, lucky I had spare shaft. I had to also replace inverter/charger. ($2,300)
So I was my own worst enemy- this cost us thousands.
During and up to this time we have replaced Boothe electric heads from Raritan ( base exchange) at a cost of a 1,200
I went ahead and pulled out both bathroom floors and put in teak and holly. I just finished re carpeting the forward berth.
Oh I forgot, while we were in the boat yard we were broken into and had several thous sand dollars of stuff stolen- all our flat screens, bose stereo hand helds, binoculars etc, even the custom bedspread and pillows.
We just finished putting things back together a few weeks back and our new bed spread is finally finished.
I feel like I know the boat better now, for awhile there I was ready to burn it.
Was a hard way to learn about the different shorepower voltages :lol:

Oh, just replaced Windlass bought on ebay for 900 bucks, paid $1,500 for install.
Out boat budget is blown for this year and maybe next- but we still want diesel heat- I need to get the admiral to begin working highway 99 :lol:
ya really have to have this boating in your blood to continue, like some sickness . So now I really enjoy a cold beer on the boat, hopefully all the bad crap is behind us.
I know this was long winded but now ya know the story.

Brad

heymagic
06-10-2005, 11:50 AM
Brad, you don't have to worry about diesel heat...what with the way you've been burning money ! :wink: I remember the break in post, did they ever get a line on the culprit? Gene

3788sam
06-10-2005, 12:22 PM
One of the other members here, Never Again II, Told someone if they where thinking of getting into boating they should-
Get $10,000 in cash put on the table and light it on fire!
If you can live with this- go ahead and get a boat! :lol:

06-10-2005, 12:29 PM
If you can live with this... give the $10,000 to me. I'll burn it for ya :)

dumluck53
06-10-2005, 12:30 PM
Great story. Thanks for taking the time to post. There are a lot of lessons here for all of us but especially me. Sounds like a mistake I could make very easily.

In any event, sounds like you're really enjoying your boat now. I'll buy ya a cold one if and when I see ya!

Welcome to the board!

bradvo
06-10-2005, 02:40 PM
Never did find out who did the break in, the cops never even came on to the boat to look at anything. I suspect that somebody working at the yard , a pick up person has a couple buddys that hit the boats-who knows? After I got back to my marina I find out another Navigator that was there also got hit. I am really paranoid now about break ins and wish it never happens to one of you.
I talk to the previous owner quite a bit and now when I call he says" what now?- :lol:
I think I will keep my electrical work to just installing LED lights. :lol:
My expertise has turned to unclogging or replacing toilets.
I did not get some manuals with this boat for the engines and trannys and have found some workshop manuals on the net I have downloaded and putting together a portfolio of some sort to help me better understand what I have. I have read allot of Tony's post about Breakwater marina and Kevin and this looks like the local place for me to go for some motor work if needed. I have talked to Kevin there and they service alto of Navigators with the Volvo motors.
Tomorrow I will be changing the oil and getting ready for trip at end of month. I have asked the diver Ian to come back and give the boat a bottom scrubbing before we leave also- I still have this fear that something will be wrong and Ian will be calling me about some new problems with corrosion- My wife says I worry to much- Sheesh, wonder why.
This seems like a good place, nice to converse with boaters in the same waters.
Well, gonna head down to the docks for a bit- I should have fresh ice by now.
Tedster, Like you said " Life is Good again"
I do worry to much.... my nature I guess.
Brad

3788sam
06-10-2005, 02:49 PM
Brad,
Here's a link to Imtra, they make the high end LED lights.
There's a section with clearance items - Prices are about Half

http://www.imtra.com/index.cfm?fa=category&categoryId=1

RobS4588
06-10-2005, 06:31 PM
Hi Brad,

I had a similar introduction to 50 Amp / 220 volt connectors. Our new 4588 only came with a 30 Amp shore power cable and 50 amp connectors. We took delivery of our boat in Blaine and I visited the West Marine there to make up a cable. Everything went fine that night (that was a 50 Amp/120 Volt connector at that marina). The next evening, we moored at Shilshole marina and plugged our shore power cable into a 220 Volt socket (it fit just fine).... luckily ... as I was plugging it in, I saw the Red Power Fault light make a minor explosion AND I hadn't jumpered power from the Line 1 Connector to my main internal AC bus yet. So - I investigated the small explosion and quickly learned that we had 220 onboard. It only cost a new fault indicator - it could have been much worse.

-Rob

bradvo
06-10-2005, 08:08 PM
Rob, you just gave me more reason for concern to make sure my 50/125v does not make it into another 220 outlet. One thing a electrician told me to watch for was the double breaker throw. He said that was a good sign it would be 220. I now have an adapter that goes from my 50 /125 to a 220 volt shorepower. I guess I better continue to be very cautious of this or just anchor out like I have been doing last couple weekends.
Brad

Forgot, thanks for the link on the lights. I bought my windlass from the Imtra ebay store. Good deal for the unit.