Bad Bad Stabilizers & Etc

[Artzco]

Our Hatt has been in the Huckins yard for the last month with them working on our final laundry list. New bottom paint, rudders repacked, shafts repacked, some paint touch up, repair a leaking davit ram, trim tab repair, bow thruster port prop replace (old one eaten through due to lack of regular zinc replacement - starboard one replaced due to one prop breaking off), and the mother of all, total rebuild of Wesmar stabilizers.

I'm posting pictures to show what happens when previous owners totally neglect maintenance. To compound the problem, battery acid had leaked through the battery box over the port stabilizer and deteriorated the box supports and the wood mounting block that the stabilizer assembly mounts on against the hull bottom. A new wood block was cut and glassed in and new box mounts made. Rams were sent out and being rebuilt. Huckins sandblasted all parts, cleaned, etched and painted and new bearings and seals installed.

I'm attaching before and after pictures.

 

[Artzco]

More pictures

 

[Artzco]

Last pics

 

[Artzco]

Re: Bad Bad Stabilizers & Etc 2

I missed 3.

 

[fissioneng]

I have a similar problem with my NAIADs. I am surprised you went with a rebuild with such neglect. Did you consider new actuators? Do you think you saved money by rebuilding? Seems like a lot of labor involved with a rebuild.

 

[krush]

Unless totally messed up, rebuilding actuator (rams) is often just a clean up and new seals. I'm sure that's much less expensive than buying new ones.

 

[fissioneng]

Unless totally messed up, rebuilding actuator (rams) is often just a clean up and new seals. I'm sure that's much less expensive than buying new ones.

Yes, certainly. I was more referring to cleaning up the arms, inserting new bearings, rebuilding the fin shaft and the labor to disassemble/reassemble all of that. I've found that stabilizer techs are among the most high priced of all the yard workers. It doesn't take much time to run into $$$.

 

[Artzco]

I compared costs both ways and I'm coming out much less going this route. I'm glad I didn't need new shafts because Wesmar shafts are made as part of the fin. New fins/shafts alone are $5,800. All the other parts new would have been $14,000. All the bearings, sleeves & seals and a new stainless bow thruster prop were only $2,300. I just visited this morning and the restored parts are like new, most everything put together and sealed and just waiting for the rams. Lesson is maintain the seals and keep the bearings greased.