Lavezzi 40: Rudder Bearing Wear and Replacement

[Dragon Lady]

Yes the French don't seem to be into product refinement and small details like that.
I'm still waiting for a reply from JP3 on the price of the bearings.

[Le Doume]

Hi,
You may want to try contacting Multihull Solutions in Mooloolaba , they are the FP importer and distributor for OZ & NZ. Although I did not buy my Lavezzi through them I have found them extremely helpful as well as very knowledgeable . I have susbcribed to their newsletter ( it's free) which I find very informative.
Just a thought as no doubt you will have more querries once your boat gets to OZ .
Welcome to the club

Cheers

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks titou,

I have contacted them previously and am still waiting for a response to a question I had about a builders certificate and a Athena rig size.
I think I'll try on my own I don't need to pay a premium on my parts.
I have very good support from another FP broker in St Martin who is a top bloke and gets me all the answers I need.

[Gordon]

Hi Dragon Lady, Would that be Peter Cohen by any chance?

Gordon.

[Dragon Lady]

Hi Gordon,

Yes it is, I also believe we may also work for the same airline.

Dave

[Dragon Lady]

Just for info if anyone is interested quote is 109 euro for a whole bearing inner and outer or 33 euro for an inner only.

Which is not a bad price, I'm sure they'll get me on frieght.

[vayacondios]

We are having the same kind of issue with our 2010 Mahe. It's unacceptable to me that we have replace the rudder bearings when the boat has only been in the water 15 months. Maybe I should contact Peter Cohen in Florida, as I have to email several times and nag to get responses from service at MHS in Mooloolaba. This will be the second time we have had to haul a new boat out. The first time was because the antifoul from the factory was completely ineffective here in Australia. They (FP & the Brokers) know these issues. I love my Mahe, but I am not happy with FP Service in Australia.

[Dragon Lady]

Wow, that's pretty bad even for an FP.
This does seem to be an issue with these JP3 bearing on FPs at least.
No doubt you will be told it's wear and tear which is not covered by warranty.
I guess MHS are like most dealers who only want to sell you a boat so they can make money.
It’s sad that they don’t see the value in supporting the product they represent, because it will lead to a devaluing of all our boats in the long run.
Whilst Peter is a top bloke and a great supporter of the FP brand, I don’t think you should expect him to clean up another dealers mess.
Complain loud and hard to FP in France; even be a bit rude as it seems to help with the French.
Copy in MHS as well so they know you aren’t happy; remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
I hope you have a good sealing barrier on your Mahe otherwise you’ll probably be starting to get some blisters on your hull too.
Whilst I was in the Caribbean there were several Oranas and Salinas that were already blistering.
It’s amazing that after nearly ten years this is still an issue.
I love my FP but I really think they should lift their game with their quality and service issues.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by muskoka

Replacing the bearings is pretty easy - probably a half day while the boat is up on the hard. One thing to remember is that you'll need a fair amount of blocking under the keels to make sure the boat is sitting high enough to let you drop out the rudders and stocks. The two are about 2.5 meters long!

FP can send you a drawing if there isn't one in the owners manual. And don't forget to order the bearing well in advance.

Or dig a hole.

[Dragon Lady]

Does anyone know if the inner wears more than the outer bearing?
I bought two spare plastic inners as am hopping I can just change them in a few years to save doing the outer which appears to need a special tool to unscrew it.

[muskoka]

Originally Posted by perchance

Or dig a hole.

Owning a boat is a bit like trying to dig a hole in water......

[imagine2frolic]

Don't forget to buy spares, since they are a problem.........i2f

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks I have the spares I'm just wondering if I can get away with just changing the inner bearing?

[Le Doume]

I am surprised at the amount of " negatives" being expressed in this forum about how bad " the frenchs" are and what a terrible brand FP appears to be . Surely gents , no one did put a gun to your head and forced you to purchase such a product.
I own and Lavezzi , and I am full of praise for what she is , fast , reliable , safe , easy to sail and providing my partner and I with some sensational times on the water .
As a retired mechanical engineer , I would say NO , do not replace only half the parts as the Outer bearing will have the same amount of wear than the inner . You would only "slightly" delay the innevitable and this represents " false" economy.
Vive la France et Vive Fountaine Pajot

[Dragon Lady]

Titou,

Thanks for your input, I personally love the FP design and owning a French car and working as an engineer on French aircraft I am well aware of the short comings of French products in the quality department.
Airbuses are not so affectionately referred to as the Hyundai of the sky and much worse in my company.
But I know that when you persist and fix what the manufacturer did not bother to sort out as part of it's product development, you end up with a pretty good product. Most owners are not so experienced and think a boat should be like a car or washing machine with little or no quality issues, especially when they have spent a considerable amount on money.
This is where the local dealer usually makes or in many cases destroys the brand.
As for changing half the bearing, you as an engineer would know that it is possible and quite likely that the plastic inner bearing will wear at a different rate to the anodized alloy outer bearing.
With the inner bearing being a third of the cost of the outer bearing and the replacement considerably easier I am willing to give it a go.
However if people can tell me that the anodizing on the outer bearing is not lasting and wears through, then a complete replacement is the only way to go.