Cutwater 30CB (2015) steering issue

[markweiss]

I recently purchased this boat and have had the following experience. Anybody experience this or have a suggestion?
1. Garmin autopilot worked fine. However, when the boat was manually steered, it constantly drifted to Port, requiring that the steering wheel be constantly turned to starboard. The helm did not lock when turn from side to side but spun continuously.
2. When I closed the 3 brass bypass screws on the autopilot the steering stayed straight and true. So, like others on this message board, I replaced the Garmin autopilot pump.
3. I brought the boat a pro to have the Hydraulics bled. Afterwards the steering was Dock tested and the following was found. When either the autopilot pump was moving or one of the steering wheels were turned, it caused the command Bridge steering wheel to spin on its own. The lower Helms locked to the right but continuously Spin To the Left. The mechanic consulted with cutwater and with the uflex factory For troubleshooting guidance. The uflex factory suggested cleaning out the check valves on the upper station and purging the hydraulics. The upper Helm then bench tested okay but when put back into the boat steering system, continued to show the same problem.
It's been with the mechanic for a while and they have received some more guidance from uflex to try and solve the root cause.
Any ideas?
Also, like found by others, the drain hose from anchor locker compartment was not attached. A clamp was needed to hopefully prevent this from happening again.

 

[asm777]

Hi Mark,

Was searching the forum for steering issues and found your post from a few weeks back. Have you had any resolution to your issues?

We are on our 4th Garmin autopilot pump (latest one replaced in October 2017) and just encountered new steering issues on the water this morning.

Our symptoms seem to be slightly different than yours. Previously, when we encountered steering problems (boat straying to port and constantly having to turn wheel to starboard to maintain heading), the problem went away after we closed the bypass screws on the Garmin GHP10 autopilot pump.

Today, I noticed that the steering seemed really loose and notchy. Also discovered that the steering has lost its hard stops in both the starboard and port directions. Both with the bypass screws in the open and closed positions.

Seems this time the problem is not from the Garmin pump but in the steering system itself?

Anyway, I'll be contacting Ralf/Andrew tomorrow or Tuesday (not sure if they have Monday off) to see if they can provide some guidance on what to do now...

 

[Spinner]

Sounds like there is air in the system. Have you tried thoroughly bleeding the air??

 

[asm777]

Sounds like there is air in the system. Have you tried thoroughly bleeding the air??

Hi Sue, I really hope it's as simple as that! We had the hydraulic fluid in the steering system flushed and replaced maybe 4-5 months ago following our fourth autopilot pump replacement. The tech bled the air from the system... possible some got missed or somehow got back in?

 

[markweiss]

Hi Mark,

Was searching the forum for steering issues and found your post from a few weeks back. Have you had any resolution to your issues?

We are on our 4th Garmin autopilot pump (latest one replaced in October 2017) and just encountered new steering issues on the water this morning.

Our symptoms seem to be slightly different than yours. Previously, when we encountered steering problems (boat straying to port and constantly having to turn wheel to starboard to maintain heading), the problem went away after we closed the bypass screws on the Garmin GHP10 autopilot pump.

Today, I noticed that the steering seemed really loose and notchy. Also discovered that the steering has lost its hard stops in both the starboard and port directions. Both with the bypass screws in the open and closed positions.

Seems this time the problem is not from the Garmin pump but in the steering system itself?

Anyway, I'll be contacting Ralf/Andrew tomorrow or Tuesday (not sure if they have Monday off) to see if they can provide some guidance on what to do now...

My issues have been resolved. I brought the boat to the Boatworks after replacing the pump myself. No change. They spent over a dozen hours finding and fixing misconnected hydraulic steering lines that were never tinkered with from the factory, no hardware needed replacement. The mechanic contacted Cutwater to determine the error and proper connection.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[ixlr8]

My issues have been resolved. I brought the boat to the Boatworks after replacing the pump myself. No change. They spent over a dozen hours finding and fixing misconnected hydraulic steering lines that were never tinkered with from the factory, no hardware needed replacement. The mechanic contacted Cutwater to determine the error and proper connection.

Do you have any more details on what was "misconnected" ? I have always wondered why Fluid Motion does not plumb the autopilot pump the way Garmin recommends.

 

[markweiss]

My issues have been resolved. I brought the boat to the Boatworks after replacing the pump myself. No change. They spent over a dozen hours finding and fixing misconnected hydraulic steering lines that were never tinkered with from the factory, no hardware needed replacement. The mechanic contacted Cutwater to determine the error and proper connection.

Do you have any more details on what was "misconnected" ? I have always wondered why Fluid Motion does not plumb the autopilot pump the way Garmin recommends.

Being a novice at these systems, I didn't quite understand the solution. If you are conversant with the topic, Gig Harbor Marina and Boatworks, Washington State, fixed the problem. Chris is the knowledgeable guy. Good luck.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[markweiss]

My issues have been resolved. I brought the boat to the Boatworks after replacing the pump myself. No change. They spent over a dozen hours finding and fixing misconnected hydraulic steering lines that were never tinkered with from the factory, no hardware needed replacement. The mechanic contacted Cutwater to determine the error and proper connection.

Do you have any more details on what was "misconnected" ? I have always wondered why Fluid Motion does not plumb the autopilot pump the way Garmin recommends.

P.s. all your problems seem identical to symptoms I had. No lock in steering port to starboard and the reverse. Constantly having to steer starboard to maintain straight course. Shutting Garmin pump bypass screws allowed me to hold a straight course. The pump was never the problem. Good luck.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[markweiss]

My issues have been resolved. I brought the boat to the Boatworks after replacing the pump myself. No change. They spent over a dozen hours finding and fixing misconnected hydraulic steering lines that were never tinkered with from the factory, no hardware needed replacement. The mechanic contacted Cutwater to determine the error and proper connection.

Do you have any more details on what was "misconnected" ? I have always wondered why Fluid Motion does not plumb the autopilot pump the way Garmin recommends.

P.p.s. also replace the lower rear helm plug on my '15 Cutwater 30cb. It needs to be a non vented plug, but it wasn't.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[asm777]

Mark, glad to hear that your issues were resolved!

Just checking back in to report that bleeding the system again seems to have resolved my issues (at the dock anyway). (Thanks Sue!)