"Gordon" wrote in message
...
I just had a 27' sailboat survey for insurance purposes and ran into
some problems.
Number 1. The propane tank along with its associated plumbing and
solenoid valve sit in the anchor locker forward. This locker is vented at
the bottom thru the hull above the water line which also acts as the water
drain. The running light wiring runs to a terminal strip at the top of the
locker. The surveyor says this is a no no, that no electrical wiring can
be in this locker! In that case, how can they justify the solenoid being
in there?

When I bought my boat in Florida it passed survey very well. However, when I
got it here I found that the shutoff valve for the propane bottle was
controlled electrically and operated by a solenoid and this whole assembly
was in the vented container alongside the bottle. It seemed to be taking
current all the time gas was being used and I found that the solenoid was
getting pretty warm. I did not like that at all so threw it out and reverted
to a manually operated valve. However,my point is that the surveyor did not
find any fault with that setup so it seems to be down to the individual
surveyor whether it is approved or not.

Second problem. This boat was converted from a diesel inboard to a Honda
outboard. The diesel tank was fitted and vented for gas usage. There is no
bilge to speak of in this boat, but the surveyor says the boat needs a
bilge blower because of the gas tank!

That does not sound unreasonable as long as the blower itself and its switch
are sealed against sparking.