Boat Yard Recommendations-Balt to Annapolis

[freelandken]

I am having issues with steering on my 79 Tayana 37. Weather helm can be bad enough to make the auto pilot fail, even with just motoring. Wondering if I should have the rudder inspected and am looking for a yard recommendation that may be able to haul me out and do the inspection. In Baltimore at the moment.
As always, thanks for any input
Ken
Note that I am a liveaboard and finding a yard that would allow me to stay on the boat would be helpful.

[TheOffice]

Start by inspecting the cables and sheaves. Does the rudder move smoothly/easily?
Jabin will allow you to stay onboard, but not cheap.

[BillKny]

Ken,

You can't have "weather helm" while motoring, so the problem is in your steering system. It is unlikely that the problem will require a haulout (but possible...) so I'd start by having someone come to where you are to have a look.

If you are close to Annapolis, try calling Diversified Marine. They'll be able to give a look over the system at your home dock and see what needs doing. Or just have a local knowledgable sailor have a look. It's not a complex system.

Don't schedule for a haul until you understand whats going to be needed.

[GreenWave]

What is the failure mode or message you get with your Autopilot? It could be a connection problem, a computer issue, or even an issue with your GPS.

[Scrimshaw4]

I'd recommend checking the following before you do a haul out. 1) the accuracy of your rudder position indicator relative to the actual position of your rudder. 2) Clearance of metal objects near your Gyro Compass 3) Autopilot settings.

[mnh]

All above are good points to check. I thought my Autohelm 7000 had lost it's mind, twice.

Two separate issues on two separate occasions..


1) I had purchased new iron dumbell's, and like a dumbell, I placed them within two feet of the fluxgate compass. A buddy of mine figured it out quickly. The irony is that he never works out. I asked my wife to hold the dumbells and step overboard in order to get them away from the fluxgate. The autopilot worked beautifully, and my wife learned to swim.

2) The Autohelm mechanical control "arm" that attaches to the rudder quadrant does so by using a ring which fits over a stout bolt, which had only one nut holding the bolt tight. It turns out that the nut on the bolt had backed off some, allowing the control arm ring and bolt assembly to warble. I added an additional backing nut after tightening the main nut, and the problem was solved... instantly.
Hope this may be of value,
mnh

[pitlaw]

Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD. Used them many times, excellent reputation. Not to be confused with Hartge Yacht Harbor. Just off the West River, off Thomas Point. Not a marina but they would let you stay aboard I think.
Mike

[cottonsail]

I will highly recommend Washburns boat yard in Solomons Md. It is a boatyard not a marina. You can do your own work or have the yard do it. In my experience everyone who works there is highly skilled.

[freelandken]

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for your reply’s. I will try to answer some of your questions.
First, I do know that weather helm is not a thing while motoring, but I thought it was the best way to describe the problem. Prior to leaving Florida in March a friend and experienced cruiser helped me disconnect the steering cables for work needing done and then reconnected and adjusted the cables. Hoping that is good. While in the Bahamas, I had issues with being overpowered and having the AP fail. Error message; actuator. May not have spelled that correctly. Same error message every time the AP fails, under sail or motor. Also prior to leaving Fl, the hydraulics were replaced. Motor, pump and arm. The electronics are still old. This is my first and only boat so I have nothing to compare it to, but several people who have steered my boat have said the steering felt “spongy” or not precise. The rudder has not, to my knowledge, been hit or damaged and seems to swing freely, although I’m not sure I would say easily. The AP reading seems to match up with the location of the rudder angle. One last thing. After the AP motor was replaced, we tried to recalibrate the system by following the manual but were unable to calibrate the GPS. When I use the AP, I manually steer to a heading and then turn on the AP.

[kaisardog]

When you did the hydraulic work did you follow mfgr directions to bleed the system so yr steering was t,ight instead of spongy ? On my capilano drive hydraulics i had to turn the wheel lock to lock a number of times then top up hydraulic fluid after each set of turns to get the steering tightened up. Check yr hydraulic steer system and be sure it s fluid is topped up, easy to do. Also check for no leaks in yr hydraulic system if you had to replace gaskets etc.

[Nicholson58]

We’ll assume this is new and it used to work well.

Does the wheel and rudder turn freely? Look for resistance in any of the mechanism. On our boat the autopilot and manual steering are totally separate, connected only at the rudder shaft. An electro-mechanical clutch connects the autopilot to the separate steering sector. I have had a clutch failure once that prevented the clutch release. This meant excessive manual steering force was needed. The other fail was the chain drive from the autopilot to the sector corroded and the chain became stiff.

The point is there is a lot of stuff to cause a system fault. It’s all big easy things. Hands on, you should be able to figure it out.

[freelandken]

Kaisardog,
The hydraulic system came from Octopus with the fluid already installed and the system was already bled. All I had to do was connect the arm to the steering. I will look to see if fluid needs to be added but pretty sure it is at the same level as when I received it. Thanks

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by mnh

...I had purchased new iron dumbells, and like a dumbell, I placed them within two feet of the fluxgate compass. A buddy of mine figured it out quickly. (The irony is that he never works out.)

I asked my wife to hold the dumbells and step overboard in order to get them away from the fluxgate. The autopilot worked beautifully, and my wife learned to swim...

HAHAHA!

Just choked on my coffee.

Do tell, was this the equivalent of Hold my beer...?

LittleWing77

By the way, if she's still with you, your Admiral is an AMAZING person and fantastic woman. Hope you appreciate her!

[freelandken]

Nicholson,
The issue, unfortunately, is not new. That’s the reason I purchased the new hydraulics, in the first place. Thought maybe that was the failure issue. However, it still fails, which is why I thought it might be the rudder.
The rudder does seem to turn freely, just not what I would describe as easily. As I said previously, I just don’t have anything to compare it with but friends have said it doesn’t seem “right “ to them.
Thanks for your input. I’ll look at it further.