James Gray wrote:

I suppose the traditional answer is to use the poor starting to negotiate a better price...

Alas at the end of the day Tigerlily was just too much work for me at any price. If anyone reading this in the near future is thinking of buying this boat,  I have a survey dated 13/12/14 which cost £520 (including the lift etc)...some sort of contribution to my now depleted boat fund would be appreciated:)

Best Regards

Martin

Many thanks for the replies. It does seem that the dv10s reputation for being slow to get going is unfair,  plenty of people online have one that starts on the button (even in colder weather),  which begs the question of why this one doesnt.

This particular VV has a hatch in the fore deck (thats a good bit of deck removed right in front of the mast),  I'm wondering if this is contributing to the crazing around the fill-in moulding that support the mast???

There's movement too in one of the bilge keels,  the backing plates being slightly curved...

Regards

Martin

Martin Gronow wrote:I've just had a JR Virgo voyager surveyed. There are a few issues, if you have any experience  I'd be very grateful to hear your thoughts:

1. Some deck delamination on foredeck.

2. Crazing around mast partners.

3. Bukh 10hp seems to have a reputation for being reluctant to start.

1 isn't unusual in balsa cored decks but its not a job I've ever attempted, if you've ever done this I love to know the reality of this undertaking.

2 doesn't sound good and I'm in the dark with this one.

3 really isnt going to make for relaxed boating I fear, there's a glow plug upgrade possible...anyone tried this?

2 Star crazing can be sorted by using something life a Dremil (sp?) drill to take the cracks back to the fibreglass and then filling them with a thickened, solvent-free epoxy such as WEST.  For extra peace of mind, why not first grind back the gelcoat over an area up to say 50mm beyond the cracks and laminate on some more layers of glass, using either vinylester or epoxy?  Fill and fair and paint.

3  When I first bought Fantail, her circa 1982 Bukh single-cylinder engine was a nightmare to start.  I'd usually decompress it and it would still take a lot of cranking.  The head had been replaced, but it turns out that it hadn't been properly machined before going back on (long story to do with previous owner's excessive frugality), so it had to come off again and I got the job done again properly (at my expense, alas).  This work was carried out by an engine maestro, one Bill Whittington of Nelson, NZ.  I asked him how I could keep the newly-reformed engine reliable.  'Run it for a quarter of an hour every day that you're on board and change the oil once a year whether it needs it or not.  It will probably see you out if you do this.' (The manual says every 300 hours, for this robust little beast).  I have religiously followed this advice and it starts without any hesitation, even just recently when Fantail went back in after being out of the water for several months.  When this transformation took place, I was living in Nelson, where the water and temperature can both be pretty cold, so I think the treatment should work for your engine, too.  These engines do have a bit of a reputation for cylinder head problems, but it's the only thing I know against them.  Get a proper engine surveyor to check the head, and then follow old Bill's advice.

Martin

In reply to your questions:

1. Replacing GRP and/or balsa core is a messy job but not difficult.  All you need is a grinder and lots of PPE.  Grind off the top layers of glass until you are down to the balsa.  If the balsa is dry (unlikely) you can just lay new glass on top.  If the balsa is damp (likely) then you need to remove it and replace it

2. Crazing in the gelcoat is due to the mast partners not being properly constructed.  The crazing is probably not an issue but I would be inclined to build/reinforce the partners.

hope this helps

Peter