Edson Steering Failure Be Warned

[alitaptap]

If you have older Edson Steering systems on your yacht then check this potential failure point frequently.



The Moment Of Failure: I was helming a 1990's generation Jeanneau Sun Kiss 47 upwind during the 'All Souls Regatta 2020' in Puerto Galera, Philippines, when all of a sudden no steering!


Cause: bottom plate - secures the pulley blocks that turn the cables from helm to rudder quadrant - massively corroded and one of the blocks simply detached from the plate.


Action Taken: we used the sails to steer the yacht into a gybe (to set our course back to the start) while the emergency tiller was located and installed, we started the engine so that we had power to steer the yacht through the channel into the mooring area (the channel is too narrow to safely rely on tacking with the strong, gusty wind using emergency tiller).



Observation: bottom plate was steel, i.e. not stainless steel, and was separated from the cockpit floor with a wooden spacer - probably to allow for not-so-flat plate fittings - and the wood had become damp - probably from condensation or possibly from seawater ingress around binnacle base although that seemed improbable because of copious sealant around cockpit floor.


Solution: fabricate replacement wooden spacer and seal with epoxy, fabricate new stainless bottom plate, secure pulley blocks to new plate, drill out old corroded alloy bolts (that pass through cockpit floor to secure binnacle to plate - they were totally seized), bolt wooden spacer and bottom plate into place with new bolts, run cables and adjust tension at quadrant.


Penalty: we could not complete race day 1, we could not enter race day 2 as we were sourcing the solution and, although ready with solution on day 3, race day 3 was cancelled due to incoming tropical storm. Sad crew and sad yacht owner . . .



Suggestion: if you have an older yacht with Edson Steering systems then check the bottom plate (below the binnacle) for corrosion at regular intervals and replace as necessary.


Photographs of corroded steel plate and fabricated stainless steel replacement plate attached.

[Bill O]

Good job getting the boat in on your own and nice fix w/the replacement plate.

This is a good reminder to check your priority systems before something like this happens. Often forgotten/over looked are the pulleys and cable associated w/the steering system. These should be inspected periodically to identify/correct issues before a total failure happens.

Another lesson here is having the emergency tiller available for immediate use like done in this scenario. Obviously knowing where the ET is stashed is a first step, but will your ET work when needed? Have been on a few boats that had an ET, but was basically useless when we found it didn't fit/attach properly to the rudder shaft. Fairly easy to check this before you need it and fix if needed.

Also make certain the tiller arm is of sufficient length to steer your boat. In an effort to make the ET storage easier, some have cut down the arm so small that it isn't that useful. With great effort you could be it back to the harbor from a day sail w/the stubby, but if you had to try to use it for days in heavier conditions offshore would it work?

[chriskilmer]

Something similar happened to Christian Williams on his return from Hawaii https://youtu.be/28TAdDu5L6U

At the 17:10 mark

[Splinters]

Good job replacing most of the system! I got lucky; as I was doing a not so routine check of the same system last winter I found the same plate was completely rusted through and the pulley's were almost ready to snap off! Ordered new plates from Edson which are much stronger and less likely to corrode.

[Sailing Ohm]

That piece is called the idler and I also just replaced mine.
Ours was rusted and allowed the sheaves to flex up and down. The extra slack caused the wire to slip off the quadrant. Happened just as we were trying to grab a looe key mooring ball which is surrounded by shallow reef... I think that was the most panicked I’ve been while sailing....

I assumed that the extent of damage to ours was due to improper sealing at deck level. It looked like our damage started around the bolt holes and grew from there. It was raining rust when I removed it

I downloaded the Edson steering system inspection guide after and plan on making this part of frequent inspection. There’s a lot that can go horribly wrong here actually

https://edsonmarine.com/content/EB-3...Inspection.pdf

[S/V Illusion]

Yes, routine maintenance and inspection (of many components on a boat) is something often ignored.

[Sailing Ohm]

I love the essential tools in the OPs second photo.

[sailormed]

Originally Posted by Sailing Ohm

I love the essential tools in the OPs second photo.

Isn’t that crew lubricant?

[DLincoln3]

For many of us in the Catalina sailboat community, this has been a known issue for a long time, thanks to our C36 owner's assn. It's one of the "critical upgrades" that is listed on the C36IA website. The replacement idler plate assembly is expensive ($400) but necessary:

[Godshalk]

I discovered similar rust before it failed. It was due to leaking around the pedestal.

[steamgoat]

Looks to me like the post should be titled ‘Total lack of maintenance,be warned’
And on the topic of Edson steering, check the sheave axles,they can wear through.

[Mistress Sirena]

Originally Posted by alitaptap

If you have older Edson Steering systems on your yacht then check this potential failure point frequently.



The Moment Of Failure: I was helming a 1990's generation Jeanneau Sun Kiss 47 upwind during the 'All Souls Regatta 2020' in Puerto Galera, Philippines, when all of a sudden no steering!


Cause: bottom plate - secures the pulley blocks that turn the cables from helm to rudder quadrant - massively corroded and one of the blocks simply detached from the plate.


Action Taken: we used the sails to steer the yacht into a gybe (to set our course back to the start) while the emergency tiller was located and installed, we started the engine so that we had power to steer the yacht through the channel into the mooring area (the channel is too narrow to safely rely on tacking with the strong, gusty wind using emergency tiller).



Observation: bottom plate was steel, i.e. not stainless steel, and was separated from the cockpit floor with a wooden spacer - probably to allow for not-so-flat plate fittings - and the wood had become damp - probably from condensation or possibly from seawater ingress around binnacle base although that seemed improbable because of copious sealant around cockpit floor.


Solution: fabricate replacement wooden spacer and seal with epoxy, fabricate new stainless bottom plate, secure pulley blocks to new plate, drill out old corroded alloy bolts (that pass through cockpit floor to secure binnacle to plate - they were totally seized), bolt wooden spacer and bottom plate into place with new bolts, run cables and adjust tension at quadrant.


Penalty: we could not complete race day 1, we could not enter race day 2 as we were sourcing the solution and, although ready with solution on day 3, race day 3 was cancelled due to incoming tropical storm. Sad crew and sad yacht owner . . .



Suggestion: if you have an older yacht with Edson Steering systems then check the bottom plate (below the binnacle) for corrosion at regular intervals and replace as necessary.


Photographs of corroded steel plate and fabricated stainless steel replacement plate attached.

Fortunately most of the older ones were made of bronze and still in fine shape 70s.

[LouK]

ALSO of NOTE-
Edson recommends changing cable & bicycle chain every 10 years. I’m guessing mine is 20 years overdue....

[wholybee]

This is a very common failure. The real lesson, I hope, is that you need to frequently inspect all critical boat systems. That failure came from years of neglect, and was clearly in bad shape for a long time. As others have pointed out, Edson has an inspection checklist, and an improved assembly made from Aluminum plate instead of steel. It is very likely that the chain and cable need replacing also if the idler was that bad.

[kmacdonald]

I replaced mine on a Bristol 35.5. It's a known issue with the idler pulleys. The replacement has an aluminum plate instead of steel. Inspect carefully since the plate may look OK until it is removed and the underside of the steel plate inspected.