Oscarpop
Well-Known Member
We have just come back from a six week cruise from Kent to La Rochelle to shake down our boar before ( hopefully) heading off at some point over the next couple of years.
The only problem we had was with the autopilot motor which packed up in the middle of biscay.
Sent if off and had it couriered back a couple of weeks later.
Lewmar initially refused to honour the warranty claim,stating that the clutch cable was damaged by us or the installer and that it had caused failure. However the unit was brand new, installed by the boat builder and immaculate when we removed it. So, After a bit of a row they capitulated and carried out the work.
However the engineer at the boatyard which built my boat said that they have had a couple of problems with these units packing up. It had only done about 500 miles from new.
So my questions are;
1. Do Lewmar drive units ( or any other brand for that matter) have weak clutches, that are prone to failure?
2. If so is it likely that Lewmar would have discovered this and rectified the problem so that any future repairs weren't furnished with the same components?
3. Is it worth talking direct to Lewmar on this and asking them to be upfront?
4. Is it worth carrying a spare clutch, and procuring one from Lewmar?
the reason I ask all this is that the ARC is on our list of things to do, and while self steer gear has a certain appeal, it is not a route I want to go down yet.
Many thanks.
The only problem we had was with the autopilot motor which packed up in the middle of biscay.
Sent if off and had it couriered back a couple of weeks later.
Lewmar initially refused to honour the warranty claim,stating that the clutch cable was damaged by us or the installer and that it had caused failure. However the unit was brand new, installed by the boat builder and immaculate when we removed it. So, After a bit of a row they capitulated and carried out the work.
However the engineer at the boatyard which built my boat said that they have had a couple of problems with these units packing up. It had only done about 500 miles from new.
So my questions are;
1. Do Lewmar drive units ( or any other brand for that matter) have weak clutches, that are prone to failure?
2. If so is it likely that Lewmar would have discovered this and rectified the problem so that any future repairs weren't furnished with the same components?
3. Is it worth talking direct to Lewmar on this and asking them to be upfront?
4. Is it worth carrying a spare clutch, and procuring one from Lewmar?
the reason I ask all this is that the ARC is on our list of things to do, and while self steer gear has a certain appeal, it is not a route I want to go down yet.
Many thanks.
