Inspecting steeing system and ceteras...

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BoatlessAfterKatrina

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Mar 6, 2006
17
- - New Orleans
Inspecting steering system and ceteras...

I just brought my new, old '79 33 from lake Chrles, LA to New Orleans. We just motored along the ICWW because, even though the PO took the trip with me, I just didn't know the boat well enough to go offshore right off the bat. 272 miles, 42 hours driving time, 25 gallons of diesel, 3 cases of beer, two pitchers of pina colodas and an exciting dash across the Mississippi River in full flood, and we made it. The PO gave me such a good deal, I bought the boat with no survey, and really never having sailed it. We had motored around a bit, and I was able to give her a cursory once-over, but now I'm in the process of doing as much as I can myself before having her hauled out.

One thing I've noticed is a bit of creaking and occasional stickiness coming from the steering. What is the proceedure for maintenance on the cables and pulleys - basically what grade grease, how to apply it, and maybe some common wear and tear areas that I should inspect.

Also when replacing the Raycor filter in the fuel system, am I going to have to drain the system and re-prime?

Any tricks for replacing the main halyard from the deck?

Thanks in advance for any answers or links to answers.
 
Paul F

Paul F

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Jun 3, 2004
827
Hunter 1980 - 33 Bradenton
Hi John welcome to H33 ownership. It sounds like you bought your H33 in much the same way I did. I have not been disappointed. I generally use off the self items when servicing the boat lithium grease spray for metal and dry spray for lines etc. Here is a collection of information gathered over the years http://www.4shared.com/account/dir/6215459/3b19830d/sharing.html?rnd=74http://www.4shared.com/dir/13756942/8097521/Sailing.html
you may find it useful. Bleeding the engine is one of the more challenging tasks. A Yanmar mechanic gave me a tip that makes a lot of sense. On the older engines the fuel return lines are routed back to the secondary filter. Change that to routing the return fuel line back to the fuel tank. In doing this the fuel with air in it is not recirculated into the injectors. When replacing the halyard it is easy to sew the new line to the old and pull it into place. Enjoy it all.
 
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ish

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Jun 25, 2006
44
Hunter H33_77-83 Seattle
Paul nailed the answer on the halyard issue... thought I would add some detail on a couple of the others.

John in BR said:
One thing I've noticed is a bit of creaking and occasional stickiness coming from the steering. What is the proceedure for maintenance on the cables and pulleys - basically what grade grease, how to apply it, and maybe some common wear and tear areas that I should inspect.
Click to expand
Each spring I check over the quadrant and cables, checking for corrosion on either, any cracks or discoloration in the quadrant, and any noticeable wear in the cables or misalignment in the system. It's awkward to do a good job of this from the easiest point of access (starboard cockpit locker) but you can feel along most of the cable for any wear. A small telescoping mirror helps with the quadrant.

The steering chain and sprocket can be inspected by popping off the top of your binnacle; rotate the wheel to either side to get a look at all of it. Basically just looking for anything wrong with the links or any corrosion.

I lubricate the whole thing with spray-on teflon lubricant, which I believe is what Edson recommends. I also hand-check the various screws, nuts, and bolts in the system for tightness.

John in BR said:
Also when replacing the Raycor filter in the fuel system, am I going to have to drain the system and re-prime?
Click to expand
I like Paul's idea and may try that someday. But although bleeding the system is a pain, you do not have to drain it or re-prime completely if you are careful when you swap the filter and make sure to top the new filter up with diesel before you put it on.

One of the previous owners of our boat did a wise thing that has saved no end of trouble--he installed a simple bulb pump on the intake side of the Racor. This allows us to pressurize the system without using the very awkwardly placed lift pump on the primary filter. Much of the air can be bled out manually with this pump; alternatively, if the engine starts to cough with any bubbles left in the system, a quick squeeze or two will often overcome the issue without having to re-bleed the thing.

Even with all this convenience, it's still a drag, and I do everything I can now to avoid getting air in the lines in the first place.

Enjoy the boat! The old Cherubini models are a great find and offer a lot of performance for the price.
 
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