Boat yard informs me "steering does not work"

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Ric

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The Boat yard just rang me this morning to inform me that they are trying to move by boat but "the steering does not work". They tell me that the wheel turns, but the rudder appears to be not connected (or possibly even missing).

The boat is a Jeanneau 32 with Goiot wheel steering. The steering worked when I left the boat about three months ago - but has not been used since then. There was some slight play in the steering on last use - hence I had visually checked all the cables and they were in good condition.

Can anybody suggest any reasons why the steering should just stop working? I won't be able to get to the boat for a few days to see myself.
 
There are ways in which the Goiot steering system can fail. It works by having a chain over a sprocket on the wheel shaft. The sprocket is fitted by means of a pin. If the pin shears steering may be lost, but I have never heard of that happening and the sprocket is also on a splined shaft so it should work even if the pin is missing or broken. More likely is the possibility that one of the flexible steel cables attached to the chain has failed, possibly by becoming detached. Another source of potential failure is that the cables are usually routed over pulleys in the bilge, in order to lead them to the quadrant. If a cable has come off a pulley steering will be lost, but on my boat at least the arrangements are very robust and unlikely to fail. I seriously doubt that the rudder could have fallen out, as there is just too much holding it in place. The quadrant is firmly clamped to the shaft, keyed or pinned, and there is a top nut as well. One weakness in the system as fitted to some Jeanneau boats is that the top rudder bearing support is a painted mild steel fabrication which can fail through rust. On my boat it has some wasting but remains sound, and will be removed and looked at when the boat is hauled out next winter. I don't know if the 32 has the same bearing arrangement as my boat, but all Goiot steering systems have the chain/cable arrangement.

Did the yard try to steer with the emergency tiller?
 
Ric said:
The Boat yard just rang me this morning to inform me that they are trying to move by boat but "the steering does not work". They tell me that the wheel turns, but the rudder appears to be not connected (or possibly even missing).

The boat is a Jeanneau 32 with Goiot wheel steering. The steering worked when I left the boat about three months ago - but has not been used since then. There was some slight play in the steering on last use - hence I had visually checked all the cables and they were in good condition.

Can anybody suggest any reasons why the steering should just stop working? I won't be able to get to the boat for a few days to see myself.
Click to expand...


Apparently it did 3 months ago!
 
Emergency tillers usually fit on the top of the shaft. Using that will tell you immediately if the shaft/ rudder is jammed or if the shaft is moving without a rudder on the end, altho I can usually see my rudder if I peer over the edge, even in murky Welsh waters. If the emergency tiller works, then the cables, quadrant or wheel are the issue, if it doesn't then it's a shaft or rudder problem

I'd be a tad worried about a boatyard that couldn't identify the exact problem within a few minutes. It suggests that they don't know much about boats or simply can't be bothered to look.
 
Being a cable system, just have a peek behind the aft cabin panel to look at the quadrant. Should be immediately obvious if it has slipped off.
Also, as has been said, check out the emergency tiller(which may be jammed due to the cable caught between the quadrant and the support cage).

This happened to a boat I was on, but in the middle of a tight mooring manoeuvre:)
 
MikeBz said:
Er, is it a twin rudder version and are they looking for the rudder in the middle...
Click to expand...

An MOT testing station once failed my Citroën DS for "completely non-operational handbrake". I was puzzled, because the DS has a very powerful handbrake system (in case the hydraulics go phut) and I thought it was working fine. After a little enquiry, it turned out that they had been testing the back wheels.

I use another MOT station now.

Technical note: The suspension geometry on the DS is such that there is a significant increase in wheelbase when the suspension sinks, as it does over a few hours when the car is parked. If the handbrake was on the back and the car was left in gear with the handbrake applied, this increase in wheelbase would try to turn the front wheels and lock up or damage the transmission. The handbrake therefore acts on the front wheels
 
Norman_E said:
There are ways in which the Goiot steering system can fail. It works by having a chain over a sprocket on the wheel shaft. The sprocket is fitted by means of a pin. If the pin shears steering may be lost, but I have never heard of that happening and the sprocket is also on a splined shaft so it should work even if the pin is missing or broken. More likely is the possibility that one of the flexible steel cables attached to the chain has failed, possibly by becoming detached. Another source of potential failure is that the cables are usually routed over pulleys in the bilge, in order to lead them to the quadrant. If a cable has come off a pulley steering will be lost, but on my boat at least the arrangements are very robust and unlikely to fail. I seriously doubt that the rudder could have fallen out, as there is just too much holding it in place. The quadrant is firmly clamped to the shaft, keyed or pinned, and there is a top nut as well. One weakness in the system as fitted to some Jeanneau boats is that the top rudder bearing support is a painted mild steel fabrication which can fail through rust. On my boat it has some wasting but remains sound, and will be removed and looked at when the boat is hauled out next winter. I don't know if the 32 has the same bearing arrangement as my boat, but all Goiot steering systems have the chain/cable arrangement.

Did the yard try to steer with the emergency tiller?
Click to expand...

Thanks for that explanation - I think what may have happened is that the cables have jumped off the pulleys. There as some slack in the cables when I left the boat and I had intended to investigate further on next opportunity. In the meantime, the marina towed my boat to another pontoon - possibly they towed it backwards with the helm blocked on the wheel brake - this could have caused the cables to jump. The reason the yard couldn't get access to investigate further is that they had already prepped the interior of the boat to do some dusty interior work and didn't want to have to break into the rear cabin. Anyway, the boat was towed to the yard and is now on the hard and rudder is still there and apparently in good nick - so I don't think it is anything to worry about. A bit of a shock this morning when they rang me though!
 
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