I have nearly completed the Insurance Survey report for the inspection of this Etap 32i. These boats were designed by Philippe Harlé & Alain Mortain and built by Etap Yachting of Belgium. About 150 were built between 1992 and 2000, making this 32i one of the earlier ones.
Insurance Survey of Etap 32i at Northney Marina
They have double-skinned hulls, with the majority of the voids filled with closed-cell polyurethane foam. Etap claim that this makes the boats unsinkable, but also like to point out that the foam improves sound & heat insulation and adds to the stiffness of the hull too. This particular yacht has been very well maintained by her first and only Owner. Approximately three years ago I managed the partial re-fit of this boat, which included the overhaul of many bits of equipment, including the replacement of all of the below-water skin fittings & valves with ones made from glass-reinforced nylon by Forespar. Yesterday’s survey of the boat was fairly uneventful, but the lack of hose connections to the vessel’s only manual bilge pump was a surprise. If the boat was flooded during an incident, the built-in buoyancy might prevent it from sinking, but would their insurance policy cover them if the pump was known to be poorly maintained?
Manual bilge pump, no hose connections
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