Now a few days past our originally planned splash date, it finally felt like we had a handle on the motor problem. We had a replacement motor delivered, a couple solid theories explaining the original failure, and at least some sort of path forward.
Naturally, that’s when the next chapter decided to write itself.
Remember that little “damaged lid reported” note on our very delayed shipment? Yeah…that turned out to be a lot more than just a harmless tracking update.
What showed up in that crate, how the install unfolded, and what we uncovered next turned this from a frustrating delay into a full-blown saga.
A Quick Recap from “Part 1: What’s wrong with our Oceanvolt Motor“
What started as a fairly straightforward week long haul-out at Lauderdale Marine Center to diagnose a failing Oceanvolt motor and remove our rigging quickly spiraled into something much bigger.
We discovered saltwater intrusion and sheared bearings in both the motor head and saildrive leg, chased down competing theories for what caused the failure, and then spent over a week sitting on the hard waiting for a delayed replacement setup from the Finland Oceanvolt HQs (that was supposed to arrive BEFORE we hauled out).
Add in temporarily living off the boat, commuting nearly two hours round trip every day by bike and train in the Florida summer heat, and watching costs climb by the day…that’s how we arrived at the moment where the replacement motor landed on Nordic Marine’s Miami doorstep.
You can read the full story in The Tale of Many Motors HERE.
The “Damaged Lid” Tracking Note
When the shipment first landed in the U.S. from Finland on June 2, everything stalled again.
The only update we could get from FedEx was that the package had signs of damage. No explanation. No photos. No details. Just… “damaged lid noted”. Then it started moving again. So it was probably just cosmetic damage…something minor like maybe a cracked crate panel or a forklift hole in the wood. Cosmetic stuff. Right?
Wrong, on June 9th, we unfortunately got our answer.
A Brand-New Broken Toy
The crate was visibly hammered. Both sides were slightly crushed inward, the base was coming apart and looked damp,. The whole thing had clearly taken a beating somewhere between Finland and Florida. We gave Nordic Marine the go-ahead to open it in hopes the actual damage was limited to the packaging.
It was not.
The second the crate came apart, it was obvious we had a much bigger problem.
We had no idea exactly how the motor and saildrive assembly left the facility in Finland, but based on what we were looking at, it definitely was not packaged well enough for international freight.
Inside the crate was a messy pile of parts.
The motor had obvious impact damage. The phase cable connectors were crushed, seals appeared compromised, and oil had leaked throughout the packaging and soaked into the crate panels—which explained the damp staining on the outside of the box. Note: The motor comes with the oil already filled. The Saildrive leg looked undamaged.
At that point, our excitement over finally getting the replacement motor dissipated pretty quickly.
“Just Swap the Connectors…”
We immediately contacted Oceanvolt to figure out the next step forward while simultaneously preparing ourselves mentally—and financially—for an even longer stay in Florida.
Their initial solution was to replace the damaged connectors on the brand-new motor using parts from our failed motor.
That…did not inspire confidence.
Based on the condition of the crate, the visible impact damage, and the fact that oil had leaked throughout the box, we were extremely concerned there could be internal damage we simply couldn’t see yet. Rewiring a brand-new motor with used parts from the failed unit already felt questionable, and the leaking oil suggested this thing had taken a serious enough hit to potentially compromise seals or internals as well.
No. We were not accepting this motor.
Adding Insult to Injury
Another reason we weren’t about to accept a “new” motor repaired with old parts?
Let’s talk about Oceanvolt’s warranty coverage on motors they market as systems that should last a decade or more.
Because this is where things got…interesting. Oceanvolt informed us that our motors were already out of warranty.
Wait…what?!
We were not prepared for that conversation.
The two motors currently installed in our Vision 444 were not the original motors the boat sailed away from the Vision factory with in 2021. Both had already been replaced under warranty in Valencia, Spain in September of 2021 after the original owner reported that “something just wasn’t working quite right.”
Future us really wishes we had recognized that as the warning sign it clearly was. Hindsight…amiright?
Naturally, we assumed replacement motors came with a new warranty clock.
Nope.
Oceanvolt’s standard warranty covers the system for:
- 2 years from installation date (when the Installation Certificate is issued), OR
- 2.5 years from delivery
- Whichever comes first.
And the kicker? The warranty does not reset when components are replaced.
So even though both motors had already been swapped once under warranty, the clock kept ticking from the original 2021 install date.
No reset.
No extension.
No grace period.
And since owners can’t realistically service or repair these sealed systems themselves, you’re heavily dependent on factory support when something goes wrong and even then, it doesn’t appear there is much they can do. It is an electric motor after all.
So What Does All That Mean For Us?
In June 2023—just over two years after the original install (and we’re talking barely over…something like two months past the warranty window)—we suddenly found ourselves buying what would now become the fifth Oceanvolt saildrive and motor installed on our boat.
Out of pocket. What’s another 15-18 boat bucks? CHA-CHING.
(For the non-boaters: one “boat buck” = $1,000.)
Then add shipping costs, extended time on the hard in Fort Lauderdale, and all the little expenses that quietly pile up while your floating home is stuck in a shipyard.
This was REALLY starting to hurt.
And honestly? Bigger questions about the long-term future of our propulsion system were starting to creep in. These motors are not cheap, and if they’re only going to survive around two years before major failures, that’s simply not sustainable for a long term solution on a world cruising catamaran.
Adding to the frustration, Oceanvolt largely ignored our repeated requests for more information about the original failures in Spain and how we could avoid ending up right back here again.
Either way, one thing remained true: we STILL needed a good motor if we were going to get out of Florida before hurricane season really ramped up.
More of the Waiting Game
As our confidence in the system—and the timeline—was fading fast, we figured if we could just get one good motor installed and calibrated, maybe we could finally get out of Fort Lauderdale and continue north then look at everything from a fresh perspective on the backside of the pain.
We were still waiting on our Insurance to tell how our delay into hurricane season was going to effect our policy. It could come out anywhere on the spectrum from they could grant us a grace period -to- potentially outright cancelling our policy leaving us high and dry (pun intended).
Thankfully, Oceanvolt eventually agreed to source another replacement motor along with newly redesigned flanges. However, one of the challenges with these Oceanvolt setups is that they’re typically built to order. There usually isn’t a shelf full of spare units sitting around on a shelf waiting to ship. That meant Oceanvolt either needed to build another replacement or pull one already allocated for another customer.
That was their problem to solve—not ours—but it still translated into one thing for us:
More waiting.
More yard bills.
More delays.
Meanwhile, everyone pointed fingers at everyone else over the shipping damage. Oceanvolt blamed FedEx. FedEx blamed customs. Customs apparently treated the crate like they were opening a suspicious refrigerator full of contraband.
Who knows.
At this point, we just asked everyone to photograph the internal packaging before the next shipment in case we somehow ended up doing this a third time.
So Where Does that Leave Us?
Another replacement motor was already on the way from Finland, along with newly redesigned flanges.
We have AT LEAST another 6-10 days on the conservative end of how long the last shipment took to get to us. So to stay productive, we’ll have to kill some time with other lingering projects. There are always plenty to do.
Then, once the shipment arrives (hopefully undamaged), all we had to do now is install it, calibrate the system, and finally get out of Fort Lauderdale.
Simple…right? If only…