That's typical for a shakedown cruise. Mine's not been out of the water since I got her and sailed most every week but I plan to haul her for some refitting mid April so I can imagine something like this will happen then.
Thanks for the cross post Bill. A good argument for dual quadrants there! Would have been real interesting if that had happened on my single quadrant setup! Just curious...what kind of AP set up do you have? I've got a Simrad with hydraulic ram that we have been very pleased with.
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I've got a W-H Autopilot, and it's been just great. Here are some pix of all the parts as I received them, before the install: Gallery :: Born Free's New W-H Autopilot
Click twice on each pic for full resolution.
I did the electronics install; a professional yard did the hydraulics install. Not sure what caused the problem, but I intend to go over the mechanical things with the installer this season.
On my boat the hydraulic steering system is relatively fragile. It is also relatively accessible, so I check it almost daily. Still, it can fail anytime I am sure.
Some thing will break! The problem is figuring out ahead of time is what it will be this time - a broken autopilot, a broken halyard, a jambed steering quadrant. That's the fun of sailing. I'll spend months getting ready for an off-shore sail and it is always something else that I didn't expect to break that fails.
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Just curious...what kind of AP set up do you have? I've got a Simrad with hydraulic ram that we have been very pleased with.
