Showing posts with label we. Show all posts
Showing posts with label we. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 December 2012
You cant always get what you want and yes we have no autopilots today
Like the headline says, sometimes you can't easily have what you want. That being said, I say, "that there is aways a way", if you want it bad enough. So here is the problem.
The boat in question is a Freedom 35'. It's a nice looking, and sturdy vessel, but at the preliminary "design the boat meetings", no one apparently asked the question "Would anyone want to use an autopilot on this boat?" Or maybe during the meeting, the question was asked, and some curmudgeon at the table said, "Real sailors aren't sissy's like those power boat guys are, they love the feel of the helm for hours on end, and the cold wet ocean spray on their face". In either case, the boat was not designed to have an autopilot installed.
The boat has a Raymarine wheel pilot, but its size, and displacement, exceeds the design specifications of the Raymarine autopilot. It's fine while motoring, or sailing in light winds, but in following seas, or blustery conditions, it does not have the horsepower to keep up. I was called to look at the problem, and see what kind of autopilot options were available.
In most cases, when a wheel pilot can't do the job, a inside installed hydraulic, or linear drive autopilot will do the trick. These types of autopilots are both stronger, and faster. This boat has a Edson radial drive steering system. In the picture above, as the helm turns, cables pull the flying saucer pulley thingy you see above left, or right, turning the rudder. It's a good system, especially if the rudder is raked back, as is this one.
The large pulley sits on top off the rudder post, and passes through a collar mounted on a fiberglass table. So now we will open the proverbial "Can of Worms". Since this is a cable drive system, the hydraulic autopilot drive system is now a moot point, and we are left with the linear drive approach. All we have to do is to mount a tiller arm on the rudder shaft, and use a linear drive motor to push and pull it. Hmmm, no place up near the pulley thing to attach an arm to the rudder, how about below?
Nope, not below, the rudder shaft is encased in a fiberglass shaft. I call Edson, and ask if they thought I could maybe attach a post to the outside edge the pulley, and attach he linear drive to it. Edson's reply was absolutely not, and the Edson manual says the same thing. I'm quickly running out of options, when I have a small idea. See the little post with the bolt in it, just under the hole in the deck in the picture below? That is the attachment point for an emergency tiller. The emergency tiller is a pipe section, with a slot in the bottom of it, that fits around the bolt you see in the picture.
Now, if I did some very careful measurements, I could pull the bolt, and have a tiller arm fabricated, attached to a short pipe section that would fit into the emergency tiller pipe pulley mount. It could be drilled out to allow the original bolt to fit through both pipe sections. Take the original emergency tiller to the machine shop, and weld on a smaller section of pipe that would fit into the now smaller pipe.
Oh crap, none of this would work, the moment would be lifted, Edson wouldn't approve, it would be a mechanically sloppy fit if it wasn't welded, and if it broke, it would most likely take out all of the steering with it.
As I said there is always a way, but it might not be easy, or cheap, or both. So here are a couple more options, sell the boat, and buy one that you can install an autopilot on, or tear out the existing steering system, and install a hydraulic steering system, or don't be one of those power boat sissies, and enjoy the endless hours at the helm, and the cold wet sea water spray, Got any idea's?, because I am fresh out of them. Thanks Bill Bishop
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
We for a Change
We put in on a calm big lake with a day where a little bit of sun looks like it will be giving in to clouds. No one else is on the water as far as we can see, and we head north, passing a few buffleheads and cormorants on the way. There aren't many birds on the big lake, which some people think is due to the depth, but actually it has more to do with most of the lakeshore being "improved", replacing reeds, beach, and brush with walls of rock. The waterfowl habitat is gone. Entering Union Bay, we pass a dozen Canada geese. Soon, an eagle flies over to a high perch in a fir tree. A half dozen sanderlings seem to own the largest dirtberg, the hundred footer. We head up into the NE lagoon where we can see something large sitting in a tree. Closer, it is an immature red tailed hawk and it is being closely watched by stellar's jays, six - no eight, a rare site, so many in one spot. A northern flicker is there also. We beach and I show Sarah the trees that the beaver has been cutting, as clean and neat as if it had a sharp axe.
We head out, following the east edge of the west islands.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Houston we have a problem
"Okay Houston, we've had a problem here." "This is Houston, say again Albin 13." "We have had a navigation instrumentation power failure." "Copy that Albin 13, let me talk to the engineers about a work around. Stand by please." "Albin 13, the engineers want to know if you have any wire and connectors?" "Roger, Houston, there is old wire I found in the garage, some split bolt grounding connectors, and wire nuts" "We copy Albin 13, the engineers want to know what is the size of wires, and do you have any electrical tape?" " Houston, we have a piece of old black wire that is about pencil sized, and some smaller red wire. There is also a package of multicolored electrical tape that came from Harbor Freight." "Roger that Albin 13, stand by for instructions."
"Albin 13, Houston over." "Albin 13 copies Houston." "Albin 13, the engineers want you to cut two six foot pieces of the black wire, and you are to wrap one of the wires completely in red electrical tape. Then take the two pieces of wire and tape them together every six inches" "Houston we copy, stand by please." "Houston, we have the wires wrapped and taped together." "Copy that Albin 13, now cut a four foot piece of the red wire, and wrap it completely in yellow tape." "Roger Houston, confirming the red wire is now all wrapped in yellow tape."
"Albin 13, now pull the large red taped up wire, and the black one, from the primary power buss panel, to the navigation auxiliary panel." "Roger Houston, we have the wire pull done." "Good work Albin 13, engineering wants you to now strip about one inch of insulation away from the ends of the wire you just pulled." We copy Houston, the wires are stripped, and how much longer will this patch take? We are a little anxious about not having navigation capability." "Roger that Albin 13. Engineering is preparing an estimate, their slide rules are doing overtime. They think it won't take much longer. Just keep checking your position out of the port hole. You have to keep the moon in view. In the meantime take all of the black grounds, and using the split bolt connector attach them to the black cable."
"Roger Houston, but I can't get all of the grounds into the connector." "Copy that Albin 13, engineering says to get as many as you can in, and tighten the connector. Then go down eight inches, and strip one inch of the cable insulation away, and use another split bolt connector to attached the rest of the ground wires to the cable, along with the yellow tape wrapped wire, and advise when competed." "Houston, the grounds are attached. Should we attached the red wire to the auxiliary navigation panel? "Albin 13, that is affirmative, use the split bolt connector for that, and attach the yellow wrapped wire to the network box ground. Engineering says to use a lot of electrical tape to wrap up the connections so they won't short. Do not, and I repeat, do not use the duct tape, we may need it later." "Roger Houston we understand, no duct tape."
"Albin 13, do you copy?" "Rogger Houston, what's next?" Engineering wants you to cycle the power off on the primary power buss panel, and attached the red wrapped cable to lug H2, and the black cable to lug G3. When you're done, cycle the power on and do a systems test." "Houston, this is Albin 13, we have green lights across the board, and are good to go. Thank engineering for us." "We copy Albin 13, have a safe journey."
"Roger Houston, but I can't get all of the grounds into the connector." "Copy that Albin 13, engineering says to get as many as you can in, and tighten the connector. Then go down eight inches, and strip one inch of the cable insulation away, and use another split bolt connector to attached the rest of the ground wires to the cable, along with the yellow tape wrapped wire, and advise when competed." "Houston, the grounds are attached. Should we attached the red wire to the auxiliary navigation panel? "Albin 13, that is affirmative, use the split bolt connector for that, and attach the yellow wrapped wire to the network box ground. Engineering says to use a lot of electrical tape to wrap up the connections so they won't short. Do not, and I repeat, do not use the duct tape, we may need it later." "Roger Houston we understand, no duct tape."
"Albin 13, do you copy?" "Rogger Houston, what's next?" Engineering wants you to cycle the power off on the primary power buss panel, and attached the red wrapped cable to lug H2, and the black cable to lug G3. When you're done, cycle the power on and do a systems test." "Houston, this is Albin 13, we have green lights across the board, and are good to go. Thank engineering for us." "We copy Albin 13, have a safe journey."
If this had been a patch you had to do on a desert island, and these were the only materials available, it would work. But this was the biggest kludge I had seen in a long time. A sea of electrical tape, wire nuts, split bolt connectors, and non-marine wire that was stiff as rebar. This is a pretty Albin trawler, and the original factory wiring work is well done. At some point in the past the original navigation systems were replaced with Raymarine gear, and a six breaker Blue Sea panel was installed in the console to feed the new gear. This is where everything went awry.
The reason I ended up on the Albin was because it had a cranky Raymarine DSM 300 sounder module. One of the things that can make this box act up is insufficient power. So when I pulled the panel up, as much as I could to see what kind of connections there were. I was confronted, and confounded by golf ball sized wads of electrical tape, and a mishmash of stiff as a cob wiring. You couldn't see a single connection. A utility knife and about twenty minutes of time revealed the eclectic choice of components.
All of the wonky stuff was ripped out, and a new feed for power and ground was wired into, gasp, proper terminal blocks. The old grounds were rerouted to the new terminal block, and a new power feed was pulled to the Blue Sea panel via its new terminal block. If something new is added, power will be easy to access, and it won't be hidden under miles of old black tape. The Blue Sea panel can now be lifted up, and out of the console because it is no longer held in place by rebar. I just can't imagine why someone would take all of the time, and trouble to wrap these wires up in colored tape. You need red wire? Go by some of the right type. Everything needed to do it right was $36 at West Marine. The red wire was wrapped in yellow tape because I sure the guy just ran out of black tape. Go figure. The Raymarine DSM is still cranky, but not as much. A software upgrade for it is next on the list.
Want to read a portion of the Apollo 13 transcript that has the now famous line? Click here.
The reason I ended up on the Albin was because it had a cranky Raymarine DSM 300 sounder module. One of the things that can make this box act up is insufficient power. So when I pulled the panel up, as much as I could to see what kind of connections there were. I was confronted, and confounded by golf ball sized wads of electrical tape, and a mishmash of stiff as a cob wiring. You couldn't see a single connection. A utility knife and about twenty minutes of time revealed the eclectic choice of components.
All of the wonky stuff was ripped out, and a new feed for power and ground was wired into, gasp, proper terminal blocks. The old grounds were rerouted to the new terminal block, and a new power feed was pulled to the Blue Sea panel via its new terminal block. If something new is added, power will be easy to access, and it won't be hidden under miles of old black tape. The Blue Sea panel can now be lifted up, and out of the console because it is no longer held in place by rebar. I just can't imagine why someone would take all of the time, and trouble to wrap these wires up in colored tape. You need red wire? Go by some of the right type. Everything needed to do it right was $36 at West Marine. The red wire was wrapped in yellow tape because I sure the guy just ran out of black tape. Go figure. The Raymarine DSM is still cranky, but not as much. A software upgrade for it is next on the list.
Want to read a portion of the Apollo 13 transcript that has the now famous line? Click here.
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