PAYING THE PRICE
A major repair bill forces Harry Metcalfe to consider his options
O wning a boat has always been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but with Bateau9, the ride has been a bit too lumpy for my liking in recent months.
I ended the last report back in May on a wave of optimism because a new captain had just been appointed and the first charter of the season was a four-day trip in late May. It all added up to a cracking start to the season, or so I thought...
The optimism didn’t last as two days into that first charter (and some 14nm offshore), the starboard engine alarm triggered. The new captain was on the flybridge and had no idea what was causing the alarm but thought if it was something serious, the engine would automatically shut down. It was and the engine did eventually shut down but only after it had run for around 30-40 seconds with the alarm going full bore. Once in the engineroom, it was soon clear what had gone wrong, the main engine oil pipe from engine to oil filter block (located on the side of the engineroom) had burst, spraying all the engine’s hot oil into the engineroom, making a proper mess as you can imagine. The only option was to limp back to the marina on the port engine and see what damage had been done.
Initially, the burst oil pipe was replaced and the engine spun up but it was soon clear the engine internals were damaged too. There was nothing for it but to remove the engine.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever gone through the process of removing a 14.9-litre V8 MAN engine from the bowels of a Princess 61 but it’s a big job involving removing all the flybridge furniture plus floor, then stripping the interior saloon (ceiling, furniture, carpets and floor). Next, a crane plus lorry are required to remove the engine and transport it to the local MAN workshop. That little lot added up to a bill for £15,000 before we’d even had the engine inspected.
Stripping the engine revealed major damage due to it running without oil. All the pistons were knackered, as were the liners, the cylinder heads were junk too, and the turbos. Basically, the only salvageable parts were the crank and block but most parts were available and the rebuild time was put at five weeks, meaning B9 should be back in the water for late July. The quote for the work was £51,000, including installation.
As time ticked by, it was discovered the injector pump was damaged too. Bosch quoted £14,000 to repair it but then took their time doing the work. The weeks continued to tick by and B9 eventually went back in the water on the 29 August, missing most of the charter season and leaving me with a repair bill of £90,000, plus captain costs, craning and three-month standing charges from the boat yard.
THE FINAL STRAW
I’d had enough, this wasn’t the pleasurable boating experience I’d hoped for when we bought the boat back in 2016, so it was time to consider my options. Should I take it on the chin and hope for a better year in 2020, sell
B9 and run away, or revert to her being a private boat again and explore the idea of shared ownership? After much debate,
I decided to go for the third option because it meant we could get back to enjoying her for ourselves, without the pressure of charter, so after reading a complimentary article in
MBY on shared ownership, I signed a contract with the Yacht Share Network.
I’m pleased to report they have already received plenty of interest for the five eight-week shared ownership options (I will hold the sixth share) on offer that cost £50,000 each, plus a sixth share of the annual running costs on top. At the time of writing, two deposits have already been paid and there are several more viewings organised for the remaining shares over the coming weeks.
Next time, I’ll report how this boat share scheme works in practice but for now I’m thankful the 2019 season is coming to a close, it’s not been fun but by joining the Yacht Share Network, 2020 should be a whole different season and, hopefully, a lot more enjoyable!