The Owners of this 2018 Fountaine Pajot Ipanema 58 contacted Yacht-HQ to resolve some issues with the Lecomble & Schmitt hydraulic steering system. Yacht-HQ also replaced the original sanitation hoses, replaced a faulty Reactor 40 autopilot, installed Garmin SideVU SONAR transducers, and installed two new Garmin chart plotters and a VHF radio.
Lecomble & Schmitt Hydraulic Steering Repairs
The Lecomble & Schmitt hydraulic steering system on this 2018 Ipanema 58 relies on a hydraulic “tie bar” between the steering rams to keep the rudders aligned with each other. These systems are notoriously challenging to bleed (patience is required!) and we’ve seen the same issue(s) over and over again on a number of larger catamarans, particularly those built in Europe. In theory, the hydraulic “tie bar” is a good idea because it eliminates the need for a large, rigid aluminum tie-bar installed between the engine rooms – but in practice, this design introduces maintenance complications.
The Owner reported that the steering had never been “right” ever since he purchased the boat – and that several attempts were made over the past 1-2 years to identify and correct the problem. The symptoms he reported were that the helm could continue to turn (easily) even after the rudders were hard over to PORT/STBD, the rudders would not stay aligned/synchronized while underway, and the autopilot could not hold a heading in any conditions… and especially not under sail. These symptoms are consistent with air trapped in the hydraulic circuit that runs from the helm to the engine rooms – which includes the autopilot pump and the hydraulic tie-bar. It is critically important that there is NO AIR WHATSOEVER in the hydraulic circuit in order for this system to operate properly… but getting ALL of the air out is easier said than done.
It is also critically important to keep the system full of clean & fresh ISO-22 hydraulic fluid. Any dust or dirt that is allowed into the system will cause accelerated wear on the pump and rams. Unfortunately, we see lots of boats with old/nasty hydraulic steering fluid – possibly because maintaining and bleeding these systems is not straight-forward.
In this case, Yacht-HQ discovered that the helm pump (a L&S 90 CT CAR) was leaking hydraulic fluid around the shaft and main seals and that the hydraulic fluid was past-due to be changed. We completely drained & flushed-out the old hydraulic fluid, rebuilt the helm pump, refilled the hydraulic system, and purged ALL of the air in the lines between the helm pump, autopilot pump, tie bar, and steering rams. It takes two technicians, lots of hydraulic fluid, and a good bit of time to completely fill and bleed the system properly – with one person operating the helm and autopilot while another person opens and closes valves and bleeder fittings in the proper sequence.
Note: A detailed “how to” guide for bleeding the hydraulic system is beyond the scope of this post but we’ll try to write that up soon. Meanwhile, please contact us if you would like our assistance.
Garmin SideVU Sonar & Chart Plotters
Yacht-HQ installed a pair of Garmin GT51M DownVu / SideVu CHIRP transducers – one in each hull. The original Garmin chart plotters on this boat (over six years old) were not compatible with these new SONAR transducers. We installed a new Garmin GPSMap 8612 at the NAV desk and a GPSMap 8412XSV at the helm. Now, both chart plotters can display SONAR and RADAR data since that information is shared over the Garmin (high speed) Marine Network.
Misc. Punch List Items
Every project has a list of the “miscellaneous” items that pop up… Fortunately, Yacht-HQ is well equipped to handle just about every kind of incidental item.
- The original sanitation hoses (from 2017) were overdue for replacement. Yacht-HQ replaced the aged hoses with Headhunter Great White 1-1/2″ & 2″ hose (and new Trident hose clamps, of course)
- Neither of engine room blowers were operational so we replaced both of them.
- The Quick chain counter display wasn’t working so the customer asked us to replace it. We then discovered that the wiring for the chain counter sensor was badly deteriorated and needed to be re-wired.
Yacht-HQ’s versatility is just one of the things that customers love about us. Hydraulics, electronics, plumbing, electrical, and lots of other capabilities… all in one place.