Re: Hydraulic or Mechanical Steering?
If the price is the same, why not go hydraulic?
Strictly FWIW, that's what we decided to do. Pluses?
-
efficient and reliable autopilot interface (very high priority for us)
-
no more upside down in lazarette fighting cables back onto quadrant,
etc. <g> -
elegant way to cross-link twin rudders
-
if well-installed & maintained it is more reliable than cable/quadrant
steering, probably about equal to Whitlock steering.
Minuses?
-
problems we've identified from a bit of research come down to poor
installation or poor maintenance (dirt of water in the oil seems to be
the main problem there). -
rusty fittings (use brass or SS)
-
several boats we've interviewed had minor leaks. I haven't determined
exactly why, nor have I been able to correlate choice of vendor vs.
results.
I'm leaning towards Hynautic simply because we know more boats with that
gear that are happy. But we keep sniffing for more customer feedback.
Cheers,
Steve
Stephen C. Darden Email: darden@xtra.co.nz
Adagio Marine Ltd. Fax: 649/4037-213
P.O. Box 161 Voice: 649/4037-801
Russell
NEW ZEALAND
Hydraulic steering suits us fine, but .....
The Caper had rack and pinion steering when we purchased her, and it broke
(easy repair at sea with a 12 v. drill). It was hard steering with our
barn door rudder. Replaced the rack and pinion with hydraulic. The 50
ft. run from wheel to rudder was the deciding factor.
We took measurements and pictures of the boat out of the water so we could
talk with the hydraulic steering it people. We didn't know the boat that
well after only having it for a few months, so went with his suggestions on
cylinder and pump size. It was the largest this particular company offered
at the time.
The steering was too small for the boat and we lost steering twice in 400
hours. The first time we thought it was our problem and replaced the
seals. When it happened 200 hours later, we decided that the steering
system wasn't adequate so it was just working too hard.
Went to a great commercial yard we have here in Gloucester and ran the
specifications with them (as well as working with the formulas from The
Nature of Boats). The new cylinder has almost twice the capacity of the
old one and the old hose will fit inside the new hose.
Lessons learned:
- Do your own calculations and check with a couple of commercial places
for their suggestions. - Don't trust the salesman when he presents himself as an authority.
- Get to know your own boat very well.
- At least on the Caper, when presented with a problem, go with the heavy
duty solution - Always keep fenders and anchor immediately accessible.
- A commercial yard is better suited to our "little ship".
- When the steering goes, it will happen when you are docking (yes, both
times).
Louise
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FWIW, we purchased a 41' Hatteras Sport Fish last April that was built in
1986 with Hynautic steering. It came to us with three steering problems, two
related to the hydraulics.
First, the rudder post mounting board had been worn around the shafts from
excessive steering forces, probably from full throttle reverse maneuvering.
This required the addition of an aluminum rudder mount across both rudder
shafts. I mention the non-hydraulic problem only to illustrate the intense
use (abuse) this system must of suffered over the years.
Next, the top main seal in the helm station had a small leak, easily
corrected with a new seal. This will need more attention in the near future
as the shaft was showing excessive wear at the seal. We visually inspect
under the helm for leaks and check the reservoir tank pressure regularly.
Finally, we had to replace the flexible hoses to the steering ram due to
cracked fittings. These had not yet failed.
In the not too distant future all of the copper lines in the lazerette will
have to be replaced due to corrosion. I am strongly considering plastic
lines for this application.
I hope this helps, I really don't know how this compares to other people's
experiences with hydraulics and I have no experience with mechanical systems
(except the tiller on my 22' sloop which has given no problems to date :))
I suppose that if these are the only problems in the 12 years since
manufacture and considering the suspected abuse of the system I would
probably advocate the installation of a similar system on new construction.
Rebecca and Ed 41' Hatteras SF "NEUROSEAS"
rebeccad@usit.net
P.S. I don't own Hatteras, Hynautic or any tiller manufacturer and have no
interest in the sale of their systems.
I'm leaning towards Hynautic simply because we know more boats with that
gear that are happy. But we keep sniffing for more customer feedback.
Cheers,
Steve
Stephen C. Darden Email: darden@xtra.co.nz
Adagio Marine Ltd. Fax: 649/4037-213
P.O. Box 161 Voice: 649/4037-801
Russell
NEW ZEALAND
Rebecca and Ed,
This is not about your hydraulic issues, of which I am still interested,
but about which motors you have in your Hatteras SF. I am partners in
basically the same model and it has 6v71 turbos and the turbos are shot. We
are having a difficult time in finding replacements or even parts for the
turbos. Which motors do you have and have you had any problems? For that
matter, anyone on the list got any good Detroit Diesel turbo contacts???
Myles, thanx in advance !!!
At 09:13 AM 10/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
FWIW, we purchased a 41' Hatteras Sport Fish last April that was built in
1986 with Hynautic steering. It came to us with three steering problems, two
related to the hydraulics.
---======================
On my last boat which I had custom built, I personally installed a
Hynautic system piped with copper tubing throught and properly placed and
there were no problems 22 years later and probably still going strong.
Captain Al Pilvinis M/V Driftwood--- Prairie 46
2630 N.E. 41st Street
Lighthouse Point, Fl 33064-8064 954-941-2556 Fax 954-788-2666
Email - CaptainAl@Juno.com Check site for color photos and info.
Website http://home.earthlink.net/~yourcaptain
chud wrote:
Rebecca and Ed,This is not about yo
.
turbos. Which motors do you have and have you had any problems? For that
matter, anyone on the list got any good Detroit Diesel turbo contacts???
Myles, thanx in advance !!!
Look in" Boats and Harbors" Many of the ads are for firms that specialize in
GMies.
Peter Denton
Check out "Boats and Harbors" a must have free monthly surplus newspaper
and you will find many hard to get items, probably your turbos.
Al
Rebecca and Ed,
I am partners in
basically the same model and it has 6v71 turbos and the turbos are shot. We
are having a difficult time in finding replacements or even parts for the
turbos. Which motors do you have and have you had any problems? For that
matter, anyone on the list got any good Detroit Diesel turbo contacts???
Myles, thanx in advance !!!
Captain Al Pilvinis M/V Driftwood--- Prairie 46
2630 N.E. 41st Street
Lighthouse Point, Fl 33064-8064 954-941-2556 Fax 954-788-2666
Email - CaptainAl@Juno.com Check site for color photos and info.
Website http://home.earthlink.net/~yourcaptain
We are having a difficult time in finding replacements or even parts for the
turbos. Which motors do you have and have you had any problems?
We have the 671 Ti's at 450 hp each with an estimated 1600 hours. So far we
have had no problems with the turbos but our surveyor said to expect to replace
one of them within the next 500 to 1000 hours. He indicated, as did a mechanic
in Ft. Lauderdale, that rebuilt turbos were easily had by anyone with $700. I
can try to contact them for a source if you like.
Ed and Rebecca 41' Hatteras SF "NEUROSEAS"
rebeccad@usit.net
Ed and Rebecca,
Thanx for the reply, we are specifically trying to find the housings for
water cooled turbos, rebuilds don't include new housings. And the water
cooled housings, not air cooled, are a pain in the neck to find, impossible
at this point.
Thanx again, Myles
Hi listees! I got a hair-brained idea and need some help please.
We are considering a cruise to either the Exumas or the Eleutheras from mid January
to mid February leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. Has anyone had experience cruising
either of these areas at this time of year and be willing to advise a boat load of
clueless cruiser wannabes? Pros and cons of each area? Should we go somewhere else
or wait till a different time of year? Things to see and do once we're there?
Recommended anchorages? Any help will be most appreciated.
Thank you,
Rebecca 41' Hatteras SF "NEUROSEAS"
rebeccad@usit.net