Lewmar folding steering extension ?

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jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Dear All,

I am a new member of this forum. I have just converted from power to sailing. I am located in Malta - Europe. A bit far away from you guys. I am the new owner of a Bavaria 30 Cruiser from 2005. I wish to change the current Lewmar 40", 5 spoke steering with a folding Lewmar 40" 6 spoke folding steering wheel. I have a problem though. When I install the folding steering wheel, the handles which are used to keep the steering open - I think they are called "fast-action handgrip release" - they hit the lower part of my console where I have the fuel gauge. Does anyone know if there is some sort of adapter or extension which make the steering protrude just that bit required. I've seen a picture on the Internet - which I am attaching to this message, which shows the apdapter I need, but I am not sure if this is something which the owner did or if it is something which one can buy ready made. Image 2 shows the fuel gauge where the steering is hitting.

Kind Regards
Jezz
 

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Last edited:
Tim R.

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
If you have enough space on the axle you should be able to have a local machine shop fabricate a SS spacer.

The wheel has a slight dish to it just for the purpose of not hitting things with the handles. I am surprised yours does. I would consider this a design flaw as I like to steer with the spokes on occasion and would hate to get my fingers caught in there.
 
Scott B

Scott B

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Sep 20, 2006
2,952
Hunter 33 Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Welcome to the forum.

Do I see your picture correctly, that you have the wheel folding top to bottom rather than side to side? The folding wheel is to give you room getting around the sides.
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Hi Scott,

Thank you for welcoming me to the forum. The pictures I provided are not of my boat but ones which I found on the internet. Yes, you are right - the wheel on the picture is turned.

I am attaching a new picture showing how it should look like - as you say, to give access from the sides. But thank you for pinting that out.

Br
Jezz


Scott B said:
Welcome to the forum.

Do I see your picture correctly, that you have the wheel folding top to bottom rather than side to side? The folding wheel is to give you room getting around the sides.
Click to expand
 

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Tim R.

Tim R.

.
May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
If I understand the problem correctly. The large gray oval shaped handles at either side are hitting your console when you turn the wheel whether folded or not. A spacer should fix the issue. Local machine shop will have the solution.
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Hi Tim,

Thanks for your interest in my problem. Yes, the problem is as you descibed it.

I was wondering if there was some ready made adapter, but I guess I would need to go one of the local machine shops around here.

Thanks oance again
Jezz




Tim R. said:
If I understand the problem correctly. The large gray oval shaped handles at either side are hitting your console when you turn the wheel whether folded or not. A spacer should fix the issue. Local machine shop will have the solution.
Click to expand
 
Don12364

Don12364

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Dec 2, 2003
1,637
Hunter 376 Warsash, England --
Try asking Lewmar?
They caused the problem in the first place and so I would expect them to have run across this before.
If not they might like to solve it for you so they are prepared for next time.
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,158
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Yes, Donalex' suggestion is good... Lewmar would want to know that their product didn't fit your boat well and would be glad to help you solve the problem.
 
BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Not to hijack, but I don't think the folding wheel would work well with my Wheel pilot WP-30 either!
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Hi People,

I contacted Lewmar 3 days ago and so far I did not receive a reply. I have an email address of their sales department. I tried to submit a request to their technical section through their website but when I try to submit the form I get an error that I have entered invalid charachter. As far as I could tell, the only invalid charcter that I entered is the @ for the email. Any ideas please?

Best Regards
Jesmond

BobM said:
Not to hijack, but I don't think the folding wheel would work well with my Wheel pilot WP-30 either!
Click to expand
 
LuzSD

LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
I started to enter into this conversation earlier today and thought better of it...now I think I will. We have a folding wheel, and love it now that we have it (2 years) but based on our experience with Lewmar and trying to get the small nut adaptor that was not in our original order, I would not hold your breath on getting satisfaction OR any interest in solving your problem. After we received our wheel without the correct adaptor it was well over a month and some additional money before we got the small part that they carry and include in most orders. I hope I am wrong and they have changed but they offered no help in our situation. Good luck, but a heads up to you.
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Hi All who participated in this post. Lewmar came back to me a couple of days ago. I was not able to post their reply cause I was out of town. Their reply is the folowing:

"Evidently there were only a hand full of 30 Cruisers with this particular steering
configuration which I understand was introduced at the very beginning of the
production (early 2004), in mid 2005 this system was installed with a longer input
shaft/pinion. And at the end of this year they were installed with a completely
different steering system".

So in my case, the option I have is to retrofit the inpit socket with the longer shaft. However this part is no longer kept in stock and the cost of a one off manufacture is very high. My other option - an this is the option which I thing I would go for, it to alter the part of the console where the fuel gauge is located. This will mean that I would have to cut off the angled part which sticks out and make it flat.

Any comments appreciated.

Best regards
Jezz
 
wflowe2

wflowe2

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Oct 15, 2009
220
catalina 320 Perry Lake
Maybe I'm missing something but couldn't you get some stainless steel washers and add them behind the wheel for a spacer? If nothing else it would be an inexpensive way to see if a spacer is the answer.
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
wflowe2 said:
Maybe I'm missing something but couldn't you get some stainless steel washers and add them behind the wheel for a spacer? If nothing else it would be an inexpensive way to see if a spacer is the answer.
Click to expand
Thank you for your suggestion. The shaft is too short for that. I wish it was longer. The space required as clearance is of about half an inch, so it quite a lot.

Best regards
Jezz
 
BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
The piece that the gauge is mounted in with that panel seems screwed into the console and symetrical. If it is, could you flip it 180 degrees and then flip the panel and gauge too?
 
jezzb

jezzb

.
Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
BobM said:
The piece that the gauge is mounted in with that panel seems screwed into the console and symetrical. If it is, could you flip it 180 degrees and then flip the panel and gauge too?
Click to expand
Hi Bob,

That sounds like a really good idea. Very interesting. I will see if it will work and let you know. I need to find some spare time. Thank you for the idea.

Best regards
Jezz
 
BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
No charge. We are all in this together.

By the way we spent a week on Gozo a few years ago. There is a great Italian place there. Unfortunately the day we visitedd Valletta was independence day so everything was closed. Beautiful city.
 
jezzb

jezzb

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Jul 12, 2011
10
Bavaria Bavaria 30 Cruiser Valletta
Hi BobM - Nice to hear you visited our Island : ) Was the Italian place next to where the Gozo Ferry comes in, cause there is a very good Italian Restaurant over there - next to the Yacht marina. Valletta is going through some big changes to the entrance at the moment. The famous Renzo Piano is the architect. Basically they are re-doing the main entrance and they have removed the old entance. The project is expected to be finished in 2013 as in 2015 Malta will be the Euopean City of the Year and we will hold the EU presidency as well if I am not mistaken. For those of you who don'y know, Valletta was built by the Knights of St. John just after the 1565 Great Siege of Malta by the Ottoman Turks. The attached picture shows an aerial view of Valletta - One can easily see the bastions and fortifications in the photo.

Back to my issue, I removed the instrument panel but I encountered two major problems. If I turn the panel upside down, the protruding part will obstruct my instruments and I will not be able to see them. I also have a hole for the ST4000 autopilot. This hold is hard to plug. So what I have decided to do is to redo the panel and make a flat one. It should be ready tomorrow so I will be posting pictures once installed and is in place.

I am attaching a picture of the current panel showing which instrument goes where.

Best Regards
Jezz
 

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