Wheel Problem - Help!

[Soft Air]

Hello,

My boat's wheel will take the boat forward with no problem (except that it seems not to have a limit on how many turns the wheel can be given to any direction) however it won't react on reverse at all

In the next video you can see the type of wheel I have...I am stuck as I have no idea on where to start troubleshooting.

YouTube - Captain JC sailing Softair

Thanks in advance

[Sunspot Baby]

I doubt seriously that it is the "wheel." When you motor forward the prop wash flows over the rudder and you get decent steerage at once. In reverse you must gain enough way (speed) for the flow over the rudder to give you steerage. In addition, prop walk is much more pronounced when operating astern so the stern tends to walk to one side or the other, depending on which direction your prop rotates.

Make sense?

George

[Soft Air]

George, thanks for your reply. Going in reverse is now a "non control" scenario making it impossible to dock so it has to be something wrong there

[defjef]

Do you have a folding prop? Perhaps your prop is not opening when you go into reverse?

Or perhaps your tranny is caput and you have no reverse!

The type of wheel means nothing... it could be a tiller and this has nothing to do with the prop spinning in reverse and pulling the boat astern

[olepedersen]

do you have hydraulic steering Ole

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Soft Air

Hello,

(except that it seems not to have a limit on how many turns the wheel can be given to any direction) however it won't react on reverse at all

If this is the case (no limit to the turns) it has to be hydraulic steering and you definitely have a problem in the system.

[Soft Air]

I am not sure if I have a folding prop I will check that too, can you explain further the possible tranny issue?

I was thinking in some loose connection within the wheel mechanism as it goes indefenetely to either side without a stop.

[Soft Air]

Vasco so it seems to be a hydraulic problem right?

[billangiep]

Thats what I'd suspect.."hydraulic steering" if so check the fluid, also some of the older models needed to be pressurized using a small bicycle type pump.
Backing a full keeler in a straight line is next to impossible. Learning how to back and fill along with spring lines will get her into a slip.
http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/360turns.htm

Docking Game | MadMariner.com

[Soft Air]

Thanks for the info billangiep I will check that too, hopfully some other CL41 owner will come with detailed info on how to fix

[Captain Bill]

Some hydraulic steering doesn't have a definite stop. Mine doesn't, the effort just gets a little harder once you hit the end because you're opening a bypass valve. Turning past the "stop" is how my manual says to to get air out of the lines as the bypass line returns to the fluid reservoir. If the pressure in the system is low, there is very little resistance provided by the bypass valve. My reservoir has a hand pump built into the top to pressurize it. Normal is 25 to 30 Lbs on mine.

[Soft Air]

Captain Bill I thank you for your info and I think I need to seriously check the hydraulic system there. When the boat was surveyed and sea trial all went OK in this respect and after a few months of keeping her out of the water once she was back the problem popped out at once

[Captain Bill]

I had to look mine up. It is made by Hynautic. I got a surprise on mine one day off shore when after running for 3 days the steering suddenly quit. I still don't know what caused it, but I had been running on glassy smooth water off of GA, when I came upon some fishing boats. When I attempted to change course to go around them, suddenly no steering. After a bunch of scrambling which included emptying one of my hanging lockers and removing the back panel I saw I had zero pressure. I pumped it up and it seemed to be holding and steering returned. It's now been 18 months and I've only pumped it up once and then it was only down to 20 Lb. Needless to say I've cut a hole in the back of my hanging locker and put in a clear inspection port. I can now check the pressure easily and it takes about 5 seconds to get to the pressurization pump.

[Cheechako]

If he only has a problem backing, it would not be a hydraulic steering issue though right? Needs to learn backing technique for his boat?

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

If he only has a problem backing, it would not be a hydraulic steering issue though right? Needs to learn backing technique for his boat?

Not neccesarily, if he doesn't have a balanced rudder, rudder forces can be much higher in reverse than in forward. If he has low hydraulic pressure or bad seals in his pump, the forces in reverse may be more than the system can handle, yet he could still have marginal steering while going forward. I would suspect that he would have issues putting the rudder hard over in forward as well especially if he had significant way on.