Windshield Wipers

[mlanger]

During my first cruise in relatively heavy rain, two of my three windshield wipers stopped working. (Fortunately, the one in front of the helm did not fail.) It's definitely NOT an electrical connection issue -- the motors are running and the wipers are trying to move. I sprayed some WD40 in there, suspecting it might be a rust issue, but no joy. I have not yet had the time to open the compartment where the motors are to take a better look, but it's on my list of things to do when I return to the boat at month-end.

My questions:

(1) Is this a common problem with an established fix I should know about to start my troubleshooting adventure? I'd rather learn from others than from my own trial-and-error experience.

(2) Is there any windshield wiper part (other than blades) that I should have on board as a spare to handle common causes of failure?

(3) My boat came with 2 spare wiper blades that were not packaged; what is the replacement blade for a 2019 R-29 CB? (Please tell me there's an automotive blade that I can get at Napa, etc. that fits.)

 

[Maggie Anne]

I'm not sure if your system is the same as the R27 but my port side wiper failed on my 2021 trip to Alaska, motor stuck in parked position. If I lifted the wiper away from the window it would work but did not have enough oomph to move the wiper with the friction against the window.

I replaced the motor in Spring 2022. Set screw holding wiper arm onto shaft is metric, but could not unscrew it due to corrosion. and ended up by removing wiper arm from motor shaft by force using two big screwdrivers as levers. Motor is a Marinco 1000 ($211 at Lummi Fishing Supply), the motor has a 110 sticker on the back indicating it’s set to sweep 110 degrees. The wiper arm is still in OK shape but ordered a new one. Lummi had a Marinco wiper arm but the arm only extended to 10.5 inches which was too short so I ordered the 10 to 14 inch arm from Amazon ($50).

 

[S. Todd]

We had the center wiper on our 2021 R29S stop working after it was trying to wipe during heavy splashes from waves and therefore had too much weight to overcome. The fix was relatively easy. There is a setscrew that tightens the wiper arm to the motor shaft and it just needed to be tightened. It has worked perfectly since then. If I remember correctly, an Allen wrench was the appropriate tool to tighten it.

 

[Maggie Anne]

I should also mention that Rain-X does a great job, often we don't use the wipers at all as the water just sheets off the windows leaving them clear.

 

[mlanger]

We had the center wiper on our 2021 R29S stop working after it was trying to wipe during heavy splashes from waves and therefore had too much weight to overcome. The fix was relatively easy. There is a setscrew that tightens the wiper arm to the motor shaft and it just needed to be tightened. It has worked perfectly since then. If I remember correctly, an Allen wrench was the appropriate tool to tighten it.

I’m hoping this is the problem and fix. The motors seem to want to do the job but the arms won’t move more than a fraction of an inch. Thanks. I’ll check this first.

 

[mlanger]

I'm not sure if your system is the same as the R27 but my port side wiper failed on my 2021 trip to Alaska, motor stuck in parked position. If I lifted the wiper away from the window it would work but did not have enough oomph to move the wiper with the friction against the window.

I replaced the motor in Spring 2022. Set screw holding wiper arm onto shaft is metric, but could not unscrew it due to corrosion. and ended up by removing wiper arm from motor shaft by force using two big screwdrivers as levers. Motor is a Marinco 1000 ($211 at Lummi Fishing Supply), the motor has a 110 sticker on the back indicating it’s set to sweep 110 degrees. The wiper arm is still in OK shape but ordered a new one. Lummi had a Marinco wiper arm but the arm only extended to 10.5 inches which was too short so I ordered the 10 to 14 inch arm from Amazon ($50).

This is all good info — if the wiper system is the same. I have three front wipers — do you have just two? — so the sweep angle might be different. But I assume I’ll get more info when I take it all apart — assuming I can get into the correct “boat fix yoga” position I need to. Hopefully, if the motors are the problem they’ll be labeled with make/model/sweep info. Thanks for this.

 

[mlanger]

I should also mention that Rain-X does a great job, often we don't use the wipers at all as the water just sheets off the windows leaving them clear.

I bought Rain-X to use on all the outside of all the windows, but I wanted to test it first on side windows. I also wanted to get 3 years worth of spotting off the windows before I applied it. Removing the spotting meant cleaning with vinegar (which works great) and then rinsing that off and drying. And then applying the Rain-X.

When I tried to do all that on the port side rear windows (at the galley and passenger seat on my boat, which I could reach from the dock where I was parked), I got as far as applying the Rain-X. The spray bottle wouldn’t spray and I managed to break the top of the bottle off when trying to open it. [insert eye roll emoji here] I tried to apply it by pouring it right onto a rag, but must not have done a very good job since the next time we were out in rough water and those windows got splashed, I didn’t see any water beading up. So I’m still in test mode.

Of course, I did all this while traveling from Chicago to Alton, so it took days to find and get the things I needed for the job. When I left the boat (for three weeks), I’d just gotten a new spray bottle for the Rain-X. Believe me, it’s on my list of things to try again when I return to the boat at the end of the month.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. It reinforces my decision to give it a try.

 

[Maggie Anne]

For Rain-X. I was told that the secret is to apply it twice, so what I do is spray onto a paper towel and wipe it onto the window working from one side of the boat to the other, then repeat. I then polish it dry with another paper towel. After several days of heavy seas with lots of waves breaking over the bow, I've noticed that it starts to seem a bit hazy so then I give the windows a thorough cleaning and then reapply. Also Rain-X is great when there's lots of water (raining or waves) but if misting with tiny droplets then you need the wipers

 

[SKing]

Inside the gearbox is an adjustment for how much angle/distance the wiper travels. If you happen to remember the wiper not traveling the full distance before it stopped altogether then you should check that as well before replacing the whole thing. It's a simple allen head screw.

 

[Capt’nKarl]

I deleted my post based on the old saying of, “ If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.
Cheers.

 

[mlanger]

I deleted my post based on the old saying of, “ If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.
Cheers.

Good to know that your initial instinct was to say something that wasn’t nice. :roll:

 

[mlanger]

Inside the gearbox is an adjustment for how much angle/distance the wiper travels. If you happen to remember the wiper not traveling the full distance before it stopped altogether then you should check that as well before replacing the whole thing. It's a simple allen head screw.

I think they were running ok when they were running, but I’ll definitely take a very good look in there. And take photos to consult later. Thanks!

 

[mlanger]

For Rain-X. I was told that the secret is to apply it twice, so what I do is spray onto a paper towel and wipe it onto the window working from one side of the boat to the other, then repeat. I then polish it dry with another paper towel. After several days of heavy seas with lots of waves breaking over the bow, I've noticed that it starts to seem a bit hazy so then I give the windows a thorough cleaning and then reapply. Also Rain-X is great when there's lots of water (raining or waves) but if misting with tiny droplets then you need the wipers

Do you use regular paper towels of those blue shop towels? I’ve been using microfiber cloth rags.

 

[mlanger]

Just thought I’d take a moment to update this with the fix in case anyone else has this problem and is surfing for a solution here.

The problem was motors running but blades not moving more than a tiny bit. Turns out that the connection between the motors and the blades on two of the wipers had gotten loose. All I had to do was get out there and tighten them up. 5-minute fix.