Salish Serenity
Active member
- Joined
- May 4, 2019
- Messages
- 32
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-41 CB
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT4101D021
- Vessel Name
- Salish Serenity
We are the new owners of a 2015 Cutwater 30CB purchased used from gentleman in Sechelt, BC. She is a beautiful boat that we imported through Friday Harbor and cruised her to her new home port, Tacoma, WA. last month. Before we took possession of her a mechanic in BC worked on the hydraulics, but we now question his competence.
She handled well under autopilot as we cruised to Tacoma but just a few hundred yards outside of the Narrows Marina, we disabled autopilot when the steering got really squirrely on us. The helm got real soft and "spongy". It took several rotations of the wheel to get her to turn and when she did, she couldn't hold a course.
After some research it became apparent that there was probably air in the system that needed to be bled. I found a product on the internet called Bubble Purge Pro "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw40ytaRsUw" . While I consider myself mechanically inclined, admittedly, I had never worked on hydraulics. The Bubble Purge Pro is an inexpensive very slick product that enabled me and my first mate to purge the system and replace lots of air with 3/4 of a quart of hydraulic fluid. The entire process took 45 minutes and I'm sure if we did it again we could cut it to 30 minutes. Didn't spill a drop!
Kevin Lamont at Cutwater informed me to fill and purge from the command bridge as gravity feeds the other 2 helms. This nuance is probably where the mechanic in Sechelt went wrong. The folks who sell Bubble Purge Pro customized the kit with a 20 ft return line to accommodate the extra length needed for our command bridge helm.
The boat's steering performs perfectly now. I recommend this product.
The steering is now perfect! I saved myself $hundreds
She handled well under autopilot as we cruised to Tacoma but just a few hundred yards outside of the Narrows Marina, we disabled autopilot when the steering got really squirrely on us. The helm got real soft and "spongy". It took several rotations of the wheel to get her to turn and when she did, she couldn't hold a course.
After some research it became apparent that there was probably air in the system that needed to be bled. I found a product on the internet called Bubble Purge Pro "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw40ytaRsUw" . While I consider myself mechanically inclined, admittedly, I had never worked on hydraulics. The Bubble Purge Pro is an inexpensive very slick product that enabled me and my first mate to purge the system and replace lots of air with 3/4 of a quart of hydraulic fluid. The entire process took 45 minutes and I'm sure if we did it again we could cut it to 30 minutes. Didn't spill a drop!
Kevin Lamont at Cutwater informed me to fill and purge from the command bridge as gravity feeds the other 2 helms. This nuance is probably where the mechanic in Sechelt went wrong. The folks who sell Bubble Purge Pro customized the kit with a 20 ft return line to accommodate the extra length needed for our command bridge helm.
The boat's steering performs perfectly now. I recommend this product.
The steering is now perfect! I saved myself $hundreds