I’ve been locked in a cruel struggle with my Edson pedestal for the better part of a week (see my recent posting in the M&M forum) so I’d like to chime in here.
On my 1988 E34, the raised cockpit floor is very solid. It’s about 1 1/4 inches thick, and half of that is plywood. You can see that in the photo, where the bronze plate that backs the pedestal (and holds the steering sheaves) has been removed. The other photo shows the corner area. It’s heavily reinforced.
I suppose it is possible that there is structural damage and/or a rotten core problem, but maybe the four bolts that hold down the pedestal are loose, or the bedding material around the base has deteriorated. Is the deck really flexing? I can’t tell from the videos.
Let me warn you about those 1/2-13 bolts. They are made of aluminum and, if they are at all corroded, will break if you try to turn the nuts. That’s what happened to me and I had to drill them out from the top. Unpleasant job. Stupidly, the hex heads are captured in the pedestal base casting, so you can’t grab them with a wrench or use a screw extractor. I assume that Edson chose aluminum to avoid interference with the compass. Anyway - beware!
BTW, if you are considering the boat in Blaine, I would say that the asking price is about right (assuming they will come down 10%). I would drop and retrieve the full length of the anchor rode with that windlass (a couple of times at least), and also run he heater for a while. The engine hours are VERY low, which could be good or bad, depending.
Interesting. Aluminum, so no dissimilar metals issues. Recessed heads, so one person can tighten them.
Arguments against both are available.
Or someone at the factory was really loaded when the work was done.
I don't recognize the component in the second picture (xxx90.jpg) but the tube looks rusted past the limit.
BY the way, as you go through the surveyor exercise examine closely the forestay and backstay tangs, which can be hard to inspect without a dinghy. (I recently discovered a large crack in my backstay tang after turning the boat around in the slip). Same with the stays and turnbuckles and fittings. Any crack no matter how small means replacement. A magnifying glass helps.
If you rotate the picture 90 degrees, it looks like the bottom of the dip stick tube where it bolts to the pan.
Loren
Does this order sound about right?
It may be a matter of the surveyor's preferences.
They're there to discover big stuff, and they will miss most of the small stuff, and may put in some eccentric stuff while they're at it.
This particular surveyor is saying that he doesn't get a lot of calls from brokers because brokers don't like it when he points stuff out to buyers. I guess he kills sales? He's the cold bucket of water type but if he finds out a boat is a nightmare it'll could be money well spent. I should find out in three weeks.My experience with surveyors has been that they do not like to kill sales. It's bad for business, and no broker would recommend them.
Personally, I would ask this surveyor how many 1989 boats he has recommended new engines for, and some further context for what he's saying.
I guess he thinks I would be pulling up to a marina and saying to the foreman "hey boys! she's all yours send me the bill!"