We finally got the boat back in the water and took her off the dock to hopefully commence with the delivery north, but we had some steering problems that quickly brought us back to the dock. The autopilot went into a circle mode steering to starboard, and then went into standby. (Garmin 1040XS MFD w/ Garmin GHC20 Autopilot/GHP12) It got stuck in standby, but after we got it out of standby, the hydraulics seemingly froze, rendering the steering inoperable. We brought the boat back yesterday evening using just the transmissions. Questions: If the autopilot fails like this, or is not turned on, it should not lock out the hydraulic system, correct? Seems very dangerous. Any ideas on what could cause these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
The AP shouldn’t affect the hydraulic steering. Was it working before engaging the AP? Was rudder movement checked during preflight? Do you have two helm? Either work? Checked the fluid level? What kind of hydraulic system? hynautic? Does the helm turn and turn endlessly or does it hit a lock, both ways.
Rudder movement was verified prior to getting underway. It was working prior to engaging the AP. Both helms are believed to have been operational, although we ran from the pilothouse only last night. Fluid was topped off. The system appears to be the original as installed at Burger (see attached design drawing) Further update from the dock (I'm not there at the moment): found a bad relay with the AP at the helm Found a bent fitting joining one of the hydraulic cylinders to the rudder post linkage (just had new ones manufactured and installed) These two issues sound more like the result of the problem rather than the cause, but we are continuing to troubleshoot.
Well, we changed out the relay and corrected the linkage/fitting that was bent. she left the dock last night at around 6:30pm and has been running fine since then. could be that the bad relay pinned the steering over to starboard, bent the fitting, and then because the fitting was bent, it more or less locked up the hydraulics due to the travel of the cylinders no longer being equal.
That's an odd combination of events. But if it's now operating properly, obviously the steps resolved the issue. Next time you're on the hard disconnect the steering ram and check the independent rudder movement. Be certain both rudders have full movement without a bind. A swollen bearing can create a lock up. It's not a terrible idea to drop both rudders and replace both cutlass bearings to refresh that installation.
So the boat has made its way up to the Cape Fear River as of today, and everything has run well. We have blown 4 of these electrical relays along the way, which concerns me, but otherwise no issues. Anyone have any thoughts on what would cause the relays on the autopilot to continually pop? some photos of the boat along the way. Locks along the Okeechobee Waterway and some other stops along the ICW.
