Falcon 23

[trafalgar]

Hi can anyone help. I have recently bought a falcon 23 which needs a BSS, the guy who did my last boat a norman 20 with an outboard wants me to strip down various pannels so he can see fuel ines etc.are there any plans / drawings out there to show which panels would need to be removed etc. In addition it would appear the boat only has a sea discharge toilet ?? which is a no no on inland waterways any ideas of options ?? or converting to a pump out version ?

 

Last but not least the boat has a volvo penta engine V6, what needs to be done re winter ? the boat will be staying in the water on the grand union canal.

[JawsOrca]

 to the forum firstly!

I can't overly help with this style of boat as I've not seen them. 

The BSC is a pain and there's lots to it. Sadly having a petrol engine too it will be alot stricter. You may want to refer to the online manual and study closely (http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/180428/bss%20guide%202005%20complete%20web.pdf) 

The inspector is obviously right and needs to see the fuel lines, they need to be marine graded to ISO 7840 (For diesel not sure on petrol) and need to be marked to show this. If it's a professional install these hoses should be short runs to and from the fuel tank and to the engine. The main run should be copper so he shouldn't really need to see the full run. Unless it's not copper, so therefore he should just need access to the engine bay and wherever the fuel tank is.

Fitting a waste tank is sadly going to be a big job and will likely set you back a full grand perhaps another You need space for a tank which is normally easier said than done.  You can do it yourself though but you will obviously be running hoses etc everywhere so it may not be easy. You may want to talk to and look at Lee san -  www.leesan.com  this company are the authority in pump out systems.  A quick fix is to get either a bucket  or a portapotti type loo which you can grab in caravan shops/online etc. 

With regards to winterising hopefully there's a list somewhere which someone can provide but it's mainly a fact of draining your fresh water system (taps etc), Adding 50/50 antifreeze (refer to engine manual) to header tank/heat exchanger, removing water from the raw water system. Again probably wise to talk to a boatyard (or other members) for further advise regarding this boat/engine.. it's certainly worth doing sooner rather than later though.

Hope this helps a little and hopefully other more knowledgeable members will be along shortly!

 

[Guest]

I'm afraid it won't be very practical to add antifreeze to a Volvo Penta V6 engine because they're raw water cooled and the intake from the leg is hosed straight to the pump and then into the engine block.

It's therefore vital to drain the engine coolant if there's any risk of freezing. The V6 has 4 drain plugs, one on each vee block and one on each exhaust manifold.

The Winter before last was one of the occasional ones with very low temperatures, and a great many raw cooled sterndrive engines were ruined because of cracked engine blocks caused by freezing.

As for the access to hoses, tanks and wiring for the BSS test, that's a very convoluted answer, where you really just need to remove whatever panels the examiner requires, I doubt there is any Falcon specific manuals on it.

Even things like the fuel filler and breather hoses will need to be checked, and if they haven't got the correct ISO markings, they'll need to be replaced, even if they were OEM and still in good visual condition.

Sorry to sound so depressing, but it's better that you are pre-warned, than have it come as a shock.

 

[BroadScot]

Sound advice I would say Strowie.

Iain.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Trafalgar,

Welcome to the forum from Tan & myself.

Regards

Alan

[trafalgar]

Thanks very much guys, I will have some more questions for sure.

[Baitrunner]

Hi Trafalgar, not sure where you are based but NYA in Horning have a Falcon 23 for sale - it doesn't have a holding tank, but they did have one for sale previously that had one fitted. I would be cheeky and go look at it and ask if one can be fitted and where it would go - might if nothing else confirm your thoughts.

Cant help with the panels I'm afraid. 

[diesel falcon]

don,t know about 23,s , but on my falcon 27 the pump out tank is under the dining table.....and it,s impossible to get at as it,s glassed in, the diverter valve is behind the wall in the cabin and the pipework is horrendous, i would take the toilet out for the test and fit a porta potti, not ideal i know but the cost of a tank pipes skin fitting and perhaps labour would never be made up on re sale ,, 

[MBA Marine]

7 hours ago, JawsOrca said:

The inspector is obviously right and needs to see the fuel lines, they need to be marine graded to ISO 7840 (For diesel not sure on petrol) and need to be marked to show this. If it's a professional install these hoses should be short runs to and from the fuel tank and to the engine. The main run should be copper so he shouldn't really need to see the full run. Unless it's not copper, so therefore he should just need access to the engine bay and wherever the fuel tank is.

 

 

Gonna have to argue that the ISO7840 does not have to be kept to short lengths and there is no requirement for the main run to be in copper. Every new boat I worked on and many boats that I have worked on since have long runs of 7840. some boats have had to have long runs of unmarked hose replaced with that that is marked.

[Guest]

I agree with DF, a 23 foot sports cruiser is too small really to be able to fit a holding tank of any practical size.

I actually went the other way with mine.

It was originally fitted with a holding tank by the previous owner, together with a diverter valve, vent, and pump out connection.

It took up so much room in the engine bay that it made engine maintenance more tricky, and the stainless steel tank only held about 50 litres (10 gallons), so it was the same as two porta potti tanks.

I took it all out and sold the parts on ebay for about £150, and fitted a Porta Potti.

I bought two identical Porta Pottis for £100, so that I had a second tank and a complete spare top unit. They hold the same as the old holding tank and can be emptied as often as I wish at no cost.

I also removed the skin fittings and epoxied them over.

 

[Baitrunner]

I dont think there is any requirement for a holding tank as part of the BSS, it's more a broads/river requirement.

I do know a few boats who don't have them though!! 

My old 25fter had a small plastic holding tank in the engine bay - maybe 2 days worth for a couple if you stay off the curry and go careful with the flushing!! 

Strowy's option is probably the best, easiest and cheapest. 

[MBA Marine]

It shouldnt be too difficult to gain sufficient vision to see the filler pipe, vent pipe and fuel line. the tricky part comes when things need to be rectified, being petrol the requirements are greater, the filler and vent hose will need to be ISO7840 where as a diesel the requirement is that the hose be in good condition (except for hire craft they must also be piped in ISO7840).

The sea toilet as already said is not a BSS fail just on a motor cruiser you are not permitted to use it (a rule that all adhere to, honestly they do! ).

[Guest]

Yes, it was certainly easy in my boat, this photo shows the screwed on panel removed at the back of the quarter berth under the cockpit.

It then gives full access to the fuel tank area, complete with fuel filler and vent hoses.

This photo was taken after I'd replaced them with ISO7840, with the markings carefully placed to make subsequent surveys easier. I also kept the receipts in my boats receipts folder.