loose steering box

[gregship]

I have a 2003 bavaria 44 and there is a clonking noise coming from the steering box .On investigation it appears that the box is loose at the pointwhere the box is attached to the metal plate that is fibre glassed into the deck.the plate itself is rigid and tight on to the fibre glass .but it seems that in order to tighten the bolts that go into the plate i would have to remove the plate from the glass causing consirable damage . Surely there must be another way of detaching the steering box from the box. Anybody got any ideas.

 

[Norman_E]

Try to post a photo. Have you checked to see if any nuts have come loose or even fallen off and disapeared into the bilges. Are the bolts put into tapped holes in the plate? if so have the threads stripped?

 

[gregship]

Loose steering box

Many thanks for the reply Norman
there are not bolts showing that go into the metal plate from the steering box and I suspect that the bolts to hold the steering box to the metal plate are from the deck side the trouble is there are no inspection hatches on the deck side and if what i suspect is true it means that when the boat was originally built ,bavaria fitted the auto helm and steering box before fitting the deck, if that is the case then my only option would be to cut the deck !!!
to make an inspection hatch !!! surely that cant be right

 

[Norman_E]

My own boat is different, with no "steering Box" but with twin wheels with roller chain over sprockets attached to 7x19 wire and a system of blocks to lead the wires to the steering quadrant. Yours is obviously very different, but even if the system has bolts glassed in there should have been nuts securing the steering box.

I would consider it very bad manufacturing practice if it was just a case of bolting a plate into tapped holes in the steering box then glassing the whole thing under the deck, but if that was done, how on earth did the bolts come loose?

As I said, try to post a photo. Hopefully someone with the same arrangement will know what to do, but cutting into the deck has to be a last resort only to be contemplated if nothing else can be done. Try asking a Bavaria agent for advice.

 

[david_bagshaw]

At the worst would drilling out the existing bolts, fitting new ones, presumably through the deck be an answer?

As a stop gap trial, can you epoxy the gap to make it all rigid, or better to drill new holes and tap threads into the securing plate, even if it has to be say 6 smaller bolts instead of 4 bigger ones.

 

[Tranona]

Many thanks for the reply Norman
there are not bolts showing that go into the metal plate from the steering box and I suspect that the bolts to hold the steering box to the metal plate are from the deck side the trouble is there are no inspection hatches on the deck side and if what i suspect is true it means that when the boat was originally built ,bavaria fitted the auto helm and steering box before fitting the deck, if that is the case then my only option would be to cut the deck !!!
to make an inspection hatch !!! surely that cant be right

Are you talking about the Lewmar autopilot motor? - as otherwise I don't think there is a steering box as such if the steering is by Whitlock/Lewmar cable. The autopilot drives through a chain to an additionl sprocket on the wheel shaft, and is added afterwards using a bracket bolted to the steering base plate.

You can get installation instructions from Lewmar. The unit is called a Constellation Autopilot Drive.

 

[gregship]

attached is a photo of the problem.the part that is loose is the round metal box that is attached to the metal plate that is fibreglassed into the deck. many thank to all have replied so far it not loose where you can see the bolts

 

[Tranona]

No photo yet!

 

[gregship]

oops try again

sorry cantseem to load photo

 

[gregship]

hopefully the picture has down loaded

 

[Tranona]

That is a Lewmar drive but the arrangement is different from the Constellation steering. Looks like it is rod steering (? with two helm positions).

Suggest you call Lewmar service - they are very helpful.

Like the wayward hand at the bottom of the picture!

Sorry can't help any more.

 

[gregship]

Many thanks for the replies i have now contacted a local lewmar agent and he is looking for some drawings for 2003 .

 

[capsco]

Is the "round metal box" made up of 2 parts? looks like a sandwich construction, if so split that, you may then find nuts inside.