Heckler
Well-Known Member
A superb resource we have here!
Stu
Can anyone help, battery 'steaming' St Cast west of St Malo, urgent
- Thread starter Jungle Jim
- Start date
Stu
Sailfree
Well-Known Member
Yes a superb with so much combined experience but trust Jungle Jim adds to it with final post mortem of what was wrong with the charging circuit/battery and the locked autohelm.
You ask advice, decide what to follow as ultimately its your decision and then give post event report with any rationale and we all learn from it.
At one time I thought it wrong to give alternatives that didnt fit the initial criteria but now welcome them as it may be things you had not initially considered eg what 32' boat to buy etc.
TIP - WRT locked autohelm - when I let crew berth boat I now place cover over autohelm as in their nervousness a few have somehow accidently pressed auto and shouted to me "the rudder has stuck!"
You ask advice, decide what to follow as ultimately its your decision and then give post event report with any rationale and we all learn from it.
At one time I thought it wrong to give alternatives that didnt fit the initial criteria but now welcome them as it may be things you had not initially considered eg what 32' boat to buy etc.
TIP - WRT locked autohelm - when I let crew berth boat I now place cover over autohelm as in their nervousness a few have somehow accidently pressed auto and shouted to me "the rudder has stuck!"
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Jungle Jim
Well-Known Member
Jungle Jim will indeed provide an update! I felt a bit like that Tracey feller from International Rescue last night, except there was more than five of us working on the solution so we are better staffed than Thunderbirds 
I've just got an update from the skipper, they got in fine last night at 22:30. He's purchased a new battery this morning, they have used that to run the engine and move the boat around today and all is well, voltages all look good.
Regarding the autopilot, they have completely removed the autopilot from the wheel ((the skipper is not very mechanically minded so I'm not entirely sure what he means here) and that has freed the wheel. He suspects the autopilot motor is burnt out. He hasn't got an answer yet as to why the tiller worked with the wheel stuck, although he says that that tiller was incredilbly stiff, the two novice (and quite petite ladies) crew weren't strong enough to use it when motoring. I don't know enough about the mechanics involved in the linkages between the wheel and the rudder so I can't comment but I expect someone on here will be able to throw light on that. That won't be looked at until the boat returns to Blighty via the Scuttlebutt Cruise, but I'll resurrect the thread with an update on that when we get to the bottom of it.
As has been said, this is a superb resource and thank you once again for all your help. The skipper (and his harem) are raising a glass to you all in a posh French restaurant as I type.
If any of you are coming on the Scuttlebutt Cruise, tap the skipper on the shoulder, he owes you a pint :encouragement:
I've just got an update from the skipper, they got in fine last night at 22:30. He's purchased a new battery this morning, they have used that to run the engine and move the boat around today and all is well, voltages all look good.
Regarding the autopilot, they have completely removed the autopilot from the wheel ((the skipper is not very mechanically minded so I'm not entirely sure what he means here) and that has freed the wheel. He suspects the autopilot motor is burnt out. He hasn't got an answer yet as to why the tiller worked with the wheel stuck, although he says that that tiller was incredilbly stiff, the two novice (and quite petite ladies) crew weren't strong enough to use it when motoring. I don't know enough about the mechanics involved in the linkages between the wheel and the rudder so I can't comment but I expect someone on here will be able to throw light on that. That won't be looked at until the boat returns to Blighty via the Scuttlebutt Cruise, but I'll resurrect the thread with an update on that when we get to the bottom of it.
As has been said, this is a superb resource and thank you once again for all your help. The skipper (and his harem
) are raising a glass to you all in a posh French restaurant as I type.If any of you are coming on the Scuttlebutt Cruise, tap the skipper on the shoulder, he owes you a pint :encouragement:
Bav34
...
Thanks for the feedback.
Your comment above is really quite worrying because the only way that I can see the wheel not moving when the tiller does is if they have put so much pressure on the tiller they have caused the quadrant to slip on the rudder shaft.
Not only are there 4 REALLY big allen bolts holding the quadrant to the shaft, there is a pointed-end bolt that also grips the shaft.
I would have said it was impossible but we have to believe what we are being told.
This is assuming the steering is the same Whitlock as mine.
Can you find out the make/model of the AP?
Jungle Jim
Well-Known Member
In all honesty, probably not until I get on the boat end of August and RTFM. Comms with the boat from here is a nightmare (I've just moved house, EE have cocked up the broadband so no landline, no internet and no mobile signal). I can only contact them from the office and the odd hot spot at weird hours. l I think it's a Raymarine, big grey engagement lever on big round grey wheel attachment, all other gubbins hidden inside the binnacle.
They have moved the boat today and all is well, I have to assume the skipper would notice the rudder repeater on the instruments was wrong if anything was misaligned.
Bav34
...
That'll be the same as mine ... Raymarine ST4000+
REALLY simple to start dissembling from the wheel (I changed the belt two seasons ago) but I'm assuming that it must have somehow unjammed otherwise the skipper would still be fighting a locked wheel using the tiller.
Odd, but pleased to read all is well.
REALLY simple to start dissembling from the wheel (I changed the belt two seasons ago) but I'm assuming that it must have somehow unjammed otherwise the skipper would still be fighting a locked wheel using the tiller.
Odd, but pleased to read all is well.
ashtead
Well-Known Member
As a former Bav 34 owner I have read of the Raymarine autopilots burning out . I think this happened to one crossing Biscay but as been said quite a simple device so I would have thought might be a simple job to have fixed in Jersey say on way back to restore the service even if St cast doesn't have the parts. I recall it's facilities are rather basic and we were just looking for spare plumbing parts at the time. Hope all goes well now but sounds worrying for those involved.