FARR 1220 OWNERS' ASSOCIATION

Maintenance Notes Update

May 2004

Introduction
Most owners will have a copy of the maintenance dossier that was last updated in 1999 (If you do
not have a copy please contact me). As vessels "mature" there will no doubt be non-regular
maintenance requirements or issues that are worth sharing with all members of the Association.
Members are encouraged to report appropriate information and ideas related to the operation,
maintenance, modification and/or enhancement of their vessel.
Some matters that have come to the Committee's attention recently follow.
Disclaimer - Important Notice
While your Committee endeavours to corroborate the information in this update, it has not been
formally verified by designers, builders, manufacturers, equipment suppliers, or other appropriate
specialists. Accordingly, it is a condition of use of this information that such use is entirely at the
discretion and risk of the user and that neither the Association nor its executive shall be liable or
responsible in any way.
Sail Drive Gasket
The Volvo manual recommends replacement of this critical hull-to-sail drive gasket every 7
years. Sir Ron Carter removed and replaced the seal from Justforkix last year after it showed
signs of hardening and was not able to flex as it should. Justforkix reached the age of consent "16" - in November 2004, well past the recommended replacement date, (the gasket Ron, not the
boat!!).
With most 1220's well into their teens now, members who are not aware of the gasket having
been replaced are advised to regularly check the condition of the gasket.
Sail Drive Transmission Train
Justforkix had logged 2245 hours on the engine when the above check was undertaken. The
spline on the transmission to the sail drive was found to be seriously worn and could have failed,
as the teeth were worn to the point of fracture. Volvo have acknowledged the problem and the
replacement parts include a shock absorbing device to take the load when forward and reverse
gears are engaged.
Engine Heat Exchanger & Oil Cooler System
During the same check on Justforkix some pipe work to the closed circuit heat exchanger was
corroded to the point of replacement and could be worth examining on motors of similar age.
Volvo has in the past recommended that the heat exchanger, oil cooler, and exhaust elbow should
be dismantled and cleaned every 5-8 years. Ovlov Marine's comments to me were that it should
be more frequent To keep them (and yourself) honest test the waterflow at the exhaust through-

hull outlet. At 2000rpm it should be 20-25 litres per minute. If the water flow is much less than
this then further investigation is warranted.
Refrigeration System
Owners are reminded that the condenser units in the refrigeration system use sea water for
cooling and can also be subject to internal corrosion. Failure of the unit and associated piping can
start with a pin prick size hole and increase over time. Increasing amounts of bilge water
following running the motor andfreezerare a sign of this problem.
Propellers
Several owners have fitted the Volvo three blade folding propeller with favourable reports. In the
case of Sea'scape I estimate that this prop provides approximately an additional 0.5 knots at
2000rpm, but more importantly much enhanced reversing.
Rudder Bearings
Mike Malcolm reports that the rudder bearing replacement job he had done on Redeemer II had to
be reworked after a relatively short period due to swelling of the new bearing bushes. The second
batch of replacement bushes were of a different material. We suggest that owners contemplating
replacement of the rudder bearings contact Mike for further information.
Steering System
During 2003 Sea'scape experienced a very small increase in steering resistance through the wheel
which did not develop any further. Apart from checking the grease gland into the lower rudder
bearing and a check of the quadrant assembly and cables, no further action was taken as it almost
seemed like a "mind over matter" issue. However, several months later (and to our dismay,
immediately before Christmas!) the steering suddenly became stiff to the point mat two arms
were needed to turn the wheel. What was unusual was that this only occurred when the boat was
underway under motor or sail, which seemed to rule out rudder bearing deterioration. The
problem turned out to be in the turning block mechanism directly underneath the steering
pedestal, which can only be inspected by crawling through the access hatches in the quarter berths
and looking back to the engine area. Whilst you don't need to be a midget to do this, fixing the
problem is a different matter.
Sea'scape has an Edson steering system with pulley blocks taking wire steering cables from the
chain inside the pedestal out to the quadrant (NB: not all 1220's are fitted with this system). The
original pulley blocks were mounted on a simple bush system that relied on an application of
grease or oilfromtime to time that this owner was not aware of. Over time the lubrication dried
up and the sheave, bush and pin "bound" and rotated as one to the point where the split pin
holding the pin in place wore through and parted company with the pin. The effect was for the
pin to work its way out of one flange of the assembly causing the pulley sheave to twist on an
angle under load. In Sea'scape's case the initial resistance must have been this problem occurring
with one of the pulley sheaves and the major problem when the second pin worked its way half
way out

Edson have replaced the bush system with needle bearings and have also changed the base plate
from galvanised steel into either brass or hardened alloy. We have replaced both as the base plate
was showing patches of rust
For more information check the maintenance section of the Edson website:
www.edsonintl.com
Emergency Bilge Pump
Mike Malcolm reports that whilst undertaking an inspection of his vessel prior to an official Cat 1
inspection for last year's Noumea race, he tested the Whale Gusher emergencey bilge pump
accessed in the cockpit and found to his dismay that the inlet and outlet pipes were reversed. No
doubt this may have been the result of some inattention during building. Worth checking!! Mike
heard only bubbles coming into the pre-flooded bilge water, but if his transom had been low
enough as the result of a genuine emergency, one presumes water would have been pumped in
instead of out.
Propeller Removal
Robert Elvin reports that he had Endurance on the floating dock for a clean recently and had the
prop off for inspection. When it came to replacing it the tabs on the stainless steel washer that
fold to lock the assembly he was caught out with them breaking due to having been folded once
or twice before. A quick trip to Ovlov was to no avail as they were out of stock. Moral of the
story - keep a spare.
Anchoring
After much research and trialling, Jon Blomfield has installed a cockpit operated anchor lowering
and raising system on Legal Tender. He is happy to pass on his knowledge to members wishing
to install similar systems.
Engine Maintenance
From time to time we hear of routine engine maintenance work that evolves into long and
expensive overhauls initiated at the behest of the workshop involved, without entire justification.
Beware and get a second opinion if your engineers seem to be overly enthusiastic. The Volvo
engines are generally extremely reliable outside of the areas that have salt water circulating, so
seriously query calls for cylinder heads, etctobe removed.

Fair winds to all

John Mandeno