difficult steering under load

[corkhead]

my ericson 35 III (86) becomes quite difficult to steer when the wind gets above 20knots. I have checked the cable tension, seems OK. It has the original Merriman ?? pedastal. It is also making quite a bit of noise when moving the wheel under way, worse when running. Didn't see much in the way of help in the manual.

I did notice when I looked underneath that the quadrant & cabling etc... seemed awfully cramped. Anyone else experienced this? Any ideas?

Julian

 

[Emerald]

Hi,


Can you be more specific on what "difficult to steer" means? Hard to turn, has excess play, doesn't respond to helm changes etc.


Did this happen suddenly? Any vibration that you can feel? You're not going to like what I am about to say, but I remember chatting with a friend who had something like this happen, and it was that part of his rudder had broken off. Check all the mechanical side you can, make sure all pulleys etc. on the quadrant and bearings on the wheel are OK etc., and perhaps a quick swim overboard to check on the rudder.


Hope it isn't this, but on the other hand, rudders aren't the end of the world to repair/replace.


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

 

[Seth]

Hard To Steer

Yes- we need you to be more specific-but if something has changed, something is wrong. If you hear noise, something is wrong. My first guess is you have a cable alignment problem-maybe with one of the blocks exiting the Pedestal and facing aft towards the quadrant. It may be something else, but you need to inspect the whole system for parts, tensions and alignment before you do any more sailing-unless you have practiced with your emergency tiller!

But without doubt-something is wrong, and could lead to a failure-just when you want it least!

Be safe out there!

S