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Ericson Olson 34 - failure of wheel steering system

Stephan

New Member
The last time I took out my boat with some friends the steering system had a failure and we had almost no steering just under the Golden Gate bridge.
When I later investigated the problem it turned out that a frame of a pulley of the steering system broke and the pulley got pushed in and the wired lost tension and flipped of the big wheel on the rudder post in the back (see the attached photo). Luckily it is screwed to one point of that wheel so a tiny bit of steering action was still possible and we made it back into the next harbor where I rigged the emergency tiller to further make it home to Sausalito. The boat was a little overpowered in the situation when the failure happened but I also have the feeling that the cast aluminum peace wasn't of the best quality. Even the piece that didn't break shows a kind of crack or corrosion at the same corner of the peace where the other one broke. I see if I can find a spare part of better quality.

Has anybody had a similar problem with the steering system of an Olson 34?

Stephan




 

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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Ouch!

Might have been an old casting flaw. As for surface appearance, it's common to see casting marks from the mold, so it might be OK otherwise.
Not sure what I'm seeing, but it almost looks like the sheave carrier is the part that broke, i.e. one of the two that can be unbolted and removed.
I just checked the "odd parts box" that's left over from our purchase, and strangly enough there is a sheave box/carrier there, with a crack up one side but not actually broken. Weird.

Plan B= take the still-working one to a shop and have them weld up two replacements in SS.

What with Yacht Specialties being out of business for 20+ years, not sure what your best/next move is.
Since you're in the Bay area, it would be good to bring Guy S into the conversation.

Another source of custom work would be Buzz Ballenger, somewhere near you.

I do not know if an Edson product would fit at all, but some research is needed.

I have the same set up, and the only problem I have found was that the bushings in both sheaves needed replacing. I have some photos of that job here.

If you were needing an excuse to jetison the optional wheel and restore the rudder post to standard heigth and put a tiller on, maybe this was fate speaking.......
:rolleyes:

Glad no one was hurt. I have never tried the crude-looking emergency tiller. That short cross piece looks like it would take a manly dude to control it!

Keep us posted.
Loren

ps: link to my earlier post.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...p-on-Yacht-specialties-pedestal&referrerid=28
 
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Stephan

New Member
That is weird - crack on one side but not broken. Does your part look like this (see attachment) then I'd say they had a general production problem with that part.
Just before reading your post I had the idea about reconfiguring to tiller myself this morning. The problem is I just bought an autopilot system for the wheel a couple of month ago and at least that would mean I'd need another motor for it.
Also I'm not 100% sure if I'd loved the tiller better in all conditions. Id say it's 50/50 some areas I'd like a tiller better some I'm happy with the wheel. Not sure if this create enough ambition for an investment to reconfigure which I would guess could easily mean 2K budget.

I'll keep you posted

Stephan
 

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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Verrrry Interesting!
The old "spare" that was stored in my boat looks like your part, crack and all.
Note that neither is like the shiny parts I removed when new bushings were required for the sheaves.
Long shot, but... is it possible that the broken sheave carrier was the result of the bushing wearing to the failure point? I only ask because once the bush starts to wear, the whole sheave starts tilting and the pull of the cable would accelerate the wear as it tilted further.

Loren
 

MarcusJtown

Member II
That idler plate looks almost identical to the Edson part I installed on my old boat. The only difference being that the Edson part had Stainless carriers already. I guess it would depend on the dimensions of the pedestal base if the bolts would line up or not.

And I will be checking that on the new boat for sure!!
 
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Guy Stevens

Moderator
Moderator
I might look at a different fix for this.

711al-4al.jpgI can't tell from the photo, but it seems that the mortised blocks seem to have wear on them from the cable not quite fitting the sheaves, or being incorrectly adjusted.

Edson sells cable ready sheaves, it might take a little work but if you have the room you could bring the cables out the bottom and use this edson part.

The cable has been kinked so you should replace it in any case, (also it is probably way over due for replacement if it has not been replaced yet).

I can't find what I am looking for, but I think that this may be an edson part. They have recessed carriers that look a lot like that. Give them a call and send them the photo that you have posted here. They have something that will work, expect to shell out about #350.00 or so for the parts.

Other than that a trip to the machine and welding shop is in your future.

Guy
:)
 
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exoduse35

Sustaining Member
From my years building race engines.... ALWAYS remove casting marks and any flaws in a stressed part! any pits, lines, or sharp edge will be the place that a crack will develop. A piece with a flawless finish and smooth edges and radiused corners will be stronger than an identical piece with more material left and flaws in it. Cracks begin at a flaw and then creep like splitting a log. Also, stopping the spread of a crack can be accomplished if the very end of the crack can be found and a hole drilled at that exact point. This hole provides a curved edge at the flex point that will give without the "grain splitting" continuing. Way too much info I am sure... Edd
 

CTOlsen

Member III
Wow! I'll be looking at mine some time soon.

I've been all over my boat since purchasing it in 2009, with the exception of under the pedestal. I'll plan to dig into it next weekend for a look-see.
As Loren has said, taking the good piece to a local shop should allow them to make new one's from stock stainless or alum. You could probably talk a few of us to pitch in for a jumbo discount- take advantage of economies of scale.
CTO
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have this mental image, ever since April 18, of hundreds of Ericson and Olson owners wedging themselves under their cockpits with flashlights and magnifying lenses looking at their 80's cable steering sheeves and carriers!
:rolleyes:

(Of course I have a number of mental images, some more suited to these forums than others...)
:)


Loren
 

brianb00

O - 34
I took a quick look at my steering but could find no wheel ?

I have this mental image, ever since April 18, of hundreds of Ericson and Olson owners wedging themselves under their cockpits with flashlights and magnifying lenses looking at their 80's cable steering sheeves and carriers!
:rolleyes:

(Of course I have a number of mental images, some more suited to these forums than others...)
:)


Loren
 
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