Name the one thing you dislike about your boat

[BandB]

There are many relatively happy Volvo engine owners, and due to good marketing and pricing, are being used in many new boat models.
However, beg to differ HiDHo, from my personal experience, I would never own another (Volvo). Poor customer support, extreme difficulty accessing parts (even when only 4-5 years old), some mechanics would not work on it, and I also found parts to be expensive compared to other manufacturers. My engine, just after warranty (ended by time (years) not engine hours) experienced a total failure of the lower end due to a connecting rod cap (nut) not having been properly torgued from the factory. This finding was determined by a metallugical engineer who specializes in failure analysis, the insurance adjustor, and the repair mechanic. Each came to the same conclusion independently. Volvo blamed me for any number of things I "could" have done wrong (but in fact did not do) as to being the cause without even taking the time to investigate the issue. However, to be fair, after many hours of back and forth, me presenting several reports and all of the evidence, Volvo finally agree to pay my insurance deductible and let my insurance company pay for the rest.
Just my experience (oh, and by the way, a couple of other local owners of the same engine experienced similar failures). Others may have had different experiences with Volvo.
I would look at engines where parts are available like Ford Leman, Cummins, etc. even Yanmar.

Can we please note the vintage of the engines we're talking about. What is being said may not reflect experiences during other periods.

 

[SteveK]

There are many relatively happy Volvo engine owners, and due to good marketing and pricing, are being used in many new boat models.
However, beg to differ HiDHo, from my personal experience, I would never own another (Volvo). Poor customer support, extreme difficulty accessing parts (even when only 4-5 years old), some mechanics would not work on it, and I also found parts to be expensive compared to other manufacturers. My engine, just after warranty (ended by time (years) not engine hours) experienced a total failure of the lower end due to a connecting rod cap (nut) not having been properly torgued from the factory. This finding was determined by a metallugical engineer who specializes in failure analysis, the insurance adjustor, and the repair mechanic. Each came to the same conclusion independently. Volvo blamed me for any number of things I "could" have done wrong (but in fact did not do) as to being the cause without even taking the time to investigate the issue. However, to be fair, after many hours of back and forth, me presenting several reports and all of the evidence, Volvo finally agree to pay my insurance deductible and let my insurance company pay for the rest.
Just my experience (oh, and by the way, a couple of other local owners of the same engine experienced similar failures). Others may have had different experiences with Volvo.
I would look at engines where parts are available like Ford Leman, Cummins, etc. even Yanmar.

Can we please note the vintage of the engines we're talking about. What is being said may not reflect experiences during other periods.

B&B, my thoughts as well. Volvo is still in business. I have not had a volvo since the bad taste back in the 80's. Back then once I had the problem everyone was saying they are experiencing problems. I never wanted another volvo. HiDHo may have nailed it with they all have lemons, perhaps a bad run of parts causing premature failures over a period of time once discovered and fixed kept them in business.
Along the same track I almost bought a LEHR propane outboard. They are now out of business but had a solid rep and good reviews for many years until sourcing parts from China which caused too many warranty claims ending a good product run and no recovery.

 

[BrianG]

I have a 20 year old 28hp nonturbo volvo. No smoke, no leaks, spotless, runs like a top. Previous owner just did basics, oil changes, flushed out after use. I've talked to a few commercial guys about Volvos, their only complaint was parts are pricier. Take care of it and it'll take care of you.

 

[Zoar]

It needs to be headed to Bimini right now! It is not. That is the worst problem.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
The ONE thing that is not to our liking now that our boating habits will be changing is our current vessel is too large.

 

[menzies]

Greetings,
The ONE thing that is not to our liking now that our boating habits will be changing is our current vessel is too large.

Only you know, since we don't actually know what boat you have!

 

[OldDan1943]

Only you know, since we don't actually know what boat you have!

RT, Time to confess. What boat do you currently have?

 

[Lou_tribal]

I know that Mr RTF is shy so I will lift the mystery.
Here is his main boat, and problem is that when you reach a certain age it start to become hard to clean all these windows

L

 

[RT Firefly]

 

[MurrayM]

ooooo-la-laaaaaaaa

 

[OldDan1943]

RT wanna swap for a AT34?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. OD. Thanks, but at this point, we're looking for either a Mainship Pilot 30 (hardtop) or an Albin 28 TE. I might be interested in a swap for the right boat.


She's been a GREAT boat for us for the last 15 years or so but our extended, long distance cruising days are done, I'm afraid. We now have a shore base in FLL so it's day trips and short stays in the islands. No longer any need for all the comforts of home+.

 

[johnma]

Headroom once in bed in the forward stateroom; chine slap. Otherwise it’s the perfect boat for our needs.
John

 

[amapola]

Rolling in rough water. Stabilizers are too $$$.

 

[Northern Spy]

Maintaining 40 year old blue gelcoat.

 

[AdamC]

Difficult access to outboard sides of the main engines. There's only about 10" between the motors and the fuel tanks and one can't go over the top and down the side because the sole hatches aren't wide enough. In short, everything on the outboard side must be done with one hand and on the starboard engine its the WRONG hand!

 

[Brooksie]

Is there one thing you don't like about your boat? One thing I dislike about mine is the gear lever positions are the opposite of every boat I've owned. To Reverse you push the gear lever away from you, to go Forward you pull the gear lever toward you. Makes it difficult to operate the boat intuitively in tight spots. Muscle memory kicks in.

Brian, this should be easily changed and should be changed for safety sake. You didn't mention if you had a hydraulic transmission w/ cable driven control or an older linkage driven setup. In either case your linkage should be able to be reversed either at the transmission or control end to get the result you need.


I someone else should have to operate your boat (yard/marina employee or a guest) for some reason, he/she would almost certainly crack it up.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Currently boatless but what I have always disliked about both various work vessels and my own cruiser style vessels is poor access to the foredeck for both mooring and anchoring, requiring you to put yourself at risk to climb around the cabin like you are in a high wire act. Forward hatches being useful for ventilation and maybe forced egress in a fire but not much else. Granted, this is usually a “feature” of smaller cruisers and closed-bow work vessels, not trawlers, but as I’ve admired several Beebe-style passagemakers in recent months as we shop online I can’t get over the single dogged door at the rear of the pilot house. Great for the one time that I might be caught out in a storm mid-Atlantic climbing thirty-foot water walls, but not wonderful for regularly catching lines or having to move forward in a hurry for some other reason. I think I’ve resolved to make helm access from the sides - or at least one side - a requirement, and a decently-wide walkway with at least waist high railing or wires, covered or not.

 

[AusCan]

When I re-powered my boat the new engine rotated the opposite way, and was temporarily hooked up with the gear lever positions reversed like BrianG's boat.

During a pass through the lock, the boat was drifting forward and getting close to the gate. It needed a quick shot of reverse. You can guess what happened. I came very close to ramming the gate.

I reconfigured the cable gear change setup the next day. Easy job (less than an hour).

 

[HalcyonDays]

Defiantly the engine room door header. I feel like I'm in Hollywood with all the stars that I have seen...

 

[NoKaOi]

A first world problem. The PO put in a completely new Furuno electronics system. The AP electronic compass has a hard time keeping a good fix on true north. Yes its mounted low and on centerline, but its only 24 inches from the engine so it wanders a bit. This affects my radar overlay so I must adjust it often. But at 7 knots you have lots of time.

The only other problem is there isn't room to land a helicopter on deck.

 

[Glaukos]

I'd like to have a windlass with switches on the fly-bridge and at the lower helm, rather than the vertical capstan with foot switch that I have.
I would also like to have longer biminis for more shade.

 

[Salish Nomad]

Chine Slap.

 

[dirtdoc1]

My boat has a huge swimstep and a smallish cockpit. I would gladly give up 1' of swimstep for an additional 1' of cockpit. Other than that NP Yachts has taken care of the other short-comings in more recent models such as increasing the fuel capacity, adding a larger fridge, adding better sight tubes on the fuel and water tanks. Any other complaints would not be fair because the only way that they could be addressed would be with a larger boat. Such as more room in the engine room. Actually they did manage to add more room by moving the water tanks out of the engine room and put them under the floor in the hallway leading to the staterooms. That change also lowered the center of gravity.

I must say that the layout of the boat was very well thought out and every subsequent 45 that is built is improved in some way be it little or significant.

I think the perfect NP45 would be the NP49 with a walk-around. Oops, there I go making it bigger.

 

[skipperguy]

The fact that I sold it a couple years ago

 

[firehoser75]

Can we please note the vintage of the engines we're talking about. What is being said may not reflect experiences during other periods.

Sorry I have not been back to this thread for a while.
The engine I am describing was a 2004 model MD2030 (29 HP) in a brand new Bavaria 36 sailboat (2005 model year delivered in November of 2004).
As far as taking care of it, I followed the owner's manual religiously. I used only the expensive Volvo oil filters, and never once exceeded the recommended 100 hour change interval, using top quality brand name (recommended) oil. The engine was never started without first doing all engine checks. The engine was never "overloaded", and I varied the rpm several times per hour. It was operated well within it's suggested cruising rpm. The failure was caused by an assembly issue as determined by a metallurgical engineer (among others). It was not properly torqued. In the 12 years that I owned it, the engine basically "ate" glow plugs (Volvo again said it was my fault even though I followed their instructions to the letter), we had to wait for one engine part to come from Florida and another time for one to come from Sweden.
So my experience was that glow plugs failed with some regularity and without warning (the engine would just not start), and I had several different mechanics look into the cause including replacement of the entire circuit (not the wires but all else) with limited success, parts were expensive and sometimes very hard to source with long wait times or expensive freight charges, and in addition the lower end of a 5 year old, lightly used engine "tore itself apart".

On top of that, Volvo's (Canada) customer support and service were terrible, with them ALWAYS blaming the customer for their faults, even though I am a very careful owner who goes out of his way to maintain his boat and engine to high standards following the OEM recommendations. Yes, I read and follow manuals.

I am only relating my experience, and stating that due to this experience I will not own another Volvo. As I stated, others may have different experiences .

 

[AusCan]

I'm surprised that so many people have an issue with chine slap. I'm lucky in that department. Having a very curvy hull helps.

Engine room door header issue? I dream of an engine room with a door of any type. I spent the last couple days climbing in & out of the engine "hole" and contorting my body into the most unnatural positions to R&R the engine mounts. With each attempt I'd last 5-10 minutes at the most and then would start to cramp up and would have to get out and stretch.

 

[Captain James]

Just disassemble the Morse control underneath and put it together the other way around.

 

[Swa]

Maintenance and repairs costs I laugh when people say they got a great deal on a boat.

 

[BrianG]

Brian, this should be easily changed and should be changed for safety sake. You didn't mention if you had a hydraulic transmission w/ cable driven control or an older linkage driven setup. In either case your linkage should be able to be reversed either at the transmission or control end to get the result you need.


I someone else should have to operate your boat (yard/marina employee or a guest) for some reason, he/she would almost certainly crack it up.

Exactly my concern as well. First thing I did when I bought her was stencile Forward and Reverse. For my sake and in case someone other than myself operates her. see the pic

it's mechanical linkage. I haven't even looked at the feasability yet. I do know that these things can be easy or next to impossible depending on how it was engineered. Sometimes there simply isn't physical space to do it.