Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridges!

Nautorius

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Hi All,

I was discussing the option of flybridges on some boats which have 'sunbridges' such as the Antares 9 etc.

My question is what is the most economical way of kitting out a flybridge? You need twin steering and another set of engine controls but can you minimise the costs of GPS sets, VHF sets, Radar sets and engine control dials or do you have to double up on everything? Is there one manufacturer that you can buy kits from? I need to know as I am curious why the difference between Sun bridge and flybridge is up to £10k!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

PS, sorry for being a muppet, I am a sportscruiser fan! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 

Major Catastrophe

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

I asked a similar question of an Antares dealer. The answer? "Because they can."
 

Nautorius

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

Figures. So I need to know how to DIY it!

Help Please what do I need on the flybridge..can I use repeaters, are they anygood!

This is not for me by the way!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

PlanB

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Depends how much time you're going to spend driving from the flybridge. We do all our driving from up there, and it's very inconvenient having to nip down regularly to check engine temp, oil pressure etc. If we were buying from new w'd have them repeated upstairs. We repeated all our new chartplotter, autohelm etc but feel that if we could only have afforded one lot, we'd have had them upstairs, not at the lower helm.
 

fireball

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

[ QUOTE ]
and it's very inconvenient having to nip down regularly to check engine temp, oil pressure etc

[/ QUOTE ]
Do you really need to do that? I appreciate your engines are a triffle more complicated than my simple Yanmar 2GM20, I do have a warning light and buzzer ... but no gauges ... all I have on the car is a temperature gauge (then speedometer, rev counter and fuel gauge) and that is probably as complex as most boat engines...

Curiosity: How often have you had to act on what the engine temp / oil pressure gauges have been telling you? and how many times is that during a trip?
 

kingfisher

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Electronics are beckoming more and more sensor independent. So the screens are no longer linked to the sensors. A sensor (GPS, log, depth,...) feeds to a bus and that distributes to the different steering positions. So in fact all screens are multi function displays.
 
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I agree with PlanB. Ideally I'd want everything repeated upstairs because thats where I do most of my driving but it's unlikely you're going to get that so at the very least, I'd want the following

Engine stop/start buttons
Revcounter
Engine temp guage
Autopilot control
VHF handset
Plotter repeater
Trim tab control
Bowthruster control
Engine malfunction alarm, both visual and optical
High bilge water and/or bilge pump on alarm

Personally I would also like the radar screen repeated upstairs as well
 

MaltaBob

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Ver good question. We're in the Med so most driving done from flybridge. I was told the engine sensors , KAD42's are very expensive to up date? But like you I like to know oil pressure, temp. particularly. Hope we get a bit of feed back, thanks
Bob. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

PlanB

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
and it's very inconvenient having to nip down regularly to check engine temp, oil pressure etc

[/ QUOTE ]
Do you really need to do that? I appreciate your engines are a triffle more complicated than my simple Yanmar 2GM20, I do have a warning light and buzzer ... but no gauges ... all I have on the car is a temperature gauge (then speedometer, rev counter and fuel gauge) and that is probably as complex as most boat engines...

Curiosity: How often have you had to act on what the engine temp / oil pressure gauges have been telling you? and how many times is that during a trip?

[/ QUOTE ]

Funnily enough, twice in the last two weeks, and since not noticing/acting could have resulted in wrecking one of my two TAMD71Bs, it justified the effort of checking.
 

PlanB

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

Engineer working on it as I write. Raw water filter clean. Impeller OK. About to check the raw water flow at the exhaust end. One intercooler recently overhauled so may need to check the other. Usual process of elimination. Will keep you posted if interested.
 

fireball

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Re: Flybridge Control Help Please....as I know nuffink about flybridge

yes please ...

I'm just amazed at the apparent number of problems with engines in Mobos - seems to far outweigh the number of problems with engines in ragtops ... I know the engines are (usually) your only method of drive and they are far more complex than the ragtop engines, but you (collectively) do seem to have a heck of a lot of problems with them - it may just be an illusion mind!
 

Divemaster1

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Engine reliability ..

[ QUOTE ]
......I'm just amazed at the apparent number of problems with engines in Mobos - seems to far outweigh the number of problems with engines in ragtops ... I know the engines are (usually) your only method of drive and they are far more complex than the ragtop engines......

[/ QUOTE ]
Thread drift here....
Not going to disagree, but there are a couple of things you ought to bear in mind...
wilst often more complex (Turbo/Intercooler/electronics etc.), a modern MOBO's engine will run at 50% plus load for prolonged periods of time, and some will run at 80%+ relatively soon after not having been used for weeks... making for hard work for the engines. The complexity also means that they are more stressed than the average sailboat's engine and thus putting more demand on the aux equipment... cooling system (bigger bang and more heat in the combustion chambers to get rid off), turbocharger/intercooler (lubrication, exhaust system and cooling flow). If you look at the more relaxed engines (Fords, Perkins etc.) of the older type where you had loads of displacement and heavily built engines, you will find incredible reliability with 40K + hours being clocked up with no major problems.

A sailboats engine will be started up and run relatively lighlty from sails are down, until in the harbour, then shut down, leaving little time for heat to build up, with associated problems.
I live in NE Scotland, and the number of sailboats that visit our harbour with engine problems is actually quite high.... Problems with the rigging, and bad weather means that they have been running under heavy load for long periods of time (hours) to make headway, with overheating as the main problems being reported and some more serious .... the harbour launch, or RNLI are called out to assist these if required... (..and it is incredible how many of these that do not carry simple engine spares, such as an impellor)...

I'll shut up now...
 

fireball

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Re: Engine reliability ..

Thanks ... I guess the raggies on here either do not have the engine problems (because they don't use the engine so much) or do not ask so many questions about them ...

It does make sense that a highly stressed engine (such as found in modern powerboats) will have more "issues" than the basic engines more likely to be found in a ragtop .. so it does make more sense (bringing it back to the original topic) to have the correct engine dials at the helming station so you can avoid catastrophic damage to an ailing engine ...

Fireball (with 2 spare impellors on board)
 

Divemaster1

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Re: Engine reliability ..

[ QUOTE ]
..... so it does make more sense (bringing it back to the original topic) to have the correct engine dials at the helming station ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup it does... higher stress = less margin for errors, and overheating in particular happens very quick..

Divemaster1... with two lazy Detroits onboard carrying Rev Counters, Temp, Oil and Gear Oil Pressure gauges on flybridge, main helm and mechanical gauges for same in engine room.... belts and braces here .. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

fireball

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Re: Engine reliability ..

Ah ... I'm sure it'd be easier if you just get a long bit of ally and attach the bedsheets to them! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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