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This blog describes the experiences of purchasing, rebuilding, and sailing a 1981 C&C Landfall 38. To see details on the vessel and read excerpts from reviews, click on the "About the vessel" link. For details on the many projects which were done during the main refitting/rebuilding, see the link for the "Projects page". While the main refitting is done, i.e., the Johanna Rose is now is now fit to sail a reasonable distance, the projects continue.
The experiences of refitting, rebuilding, and upgrading the S/V Johanna Rose, a C&C Landfall 38
Monday, December 21, 2015
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Replacing a Burnt-Out Wheel Autopilot Motor
The Raymarine SPX-5 Wheel Autopilot
A SPX-5 wheel autopilot is currently installed on Johanna Rose, a C&C Landfall 38. SPX-5 wheel autopilot system from Raymarine includes a ST6002 controller, SmartPilot X-5 course computer, ST4000 mk2 wheel drive unit, and a fluxgate compass. Designed for yachts with a laden displacement of up to 16,500 lbs it puts this unit at the limit for a C&C Landfall 38. I originally purchased this autopilot for my C&C 29 mk1 but at the time when I sold the C&C 29, the autopilot computer was not working, and so I removed the whole unit and put it aside as it was no longer under warranty. I eventually decided to send the course computer to Raymarine for repair(or at least to see how much it was going to cost). Even though the unit was past warrantee, Raymarine fixed the course computer and upgraded the computer firmware all free of charge. It turns out at that time I was looking at various options for new chart plotters, instruments, and transducers. Needless to say, I ended purchasing all from Raymarine.
Burning-Out the Drive Motor
Having already installed the autopilot on the C&C 29, it was really not much of a challenge to install the unit on the C&C Landfall 38. There were some minor changes to installation. Like making use of the NMEA0183 interface to power a Raymarine i40 speed system, mounting the ST6002 controller on the starboard cockpit bulkhead. The wheel pilot was performing fine for several months. I would often tell folks that I prefer not to rely on the autopilot. Using the autopilot is nice while motoring and raising the main single handed. But all that said, it is time fess up and eat crow. I made a big mistake while sailing by myself on a really nice day. I was sailing close hauled and I had locked the wheel. I think I was enjoying the day's blue sky too much because after about 15 minutes, I noticed a change in the wind direction, so I reached down, turn on the autopilot, and then jump over to trimmed the sails. Lesson to self: don't use autopilot with wheel locked. I only realized what I had done the moment the controller beeped and read "MOT STALL". After placing the autopilot on standby and freeing the wheel, I reengaged the autopilot and the motor appeared to work fine but within several minutes it stopped working--the damage was done. I burned out the motor. A lesson learned. I was told by someone that to fix the autopilot, I needed to either replace the wheel drive with a new unit or send in the wheel drive to Raymarine and pay to see if it can be fixed. The cost of a new ST4000 mk2 from defender is $550. Before going down this costly path, I decided to search online and I came across the ST4000 mk2 service manual. It explains how to test the motor and list part numbers.
Removing the Original Drive Motor
Removing the drive motor was easy. The drive cable was disconnect. Then the plastic collar nut was unscrewed from the drive plug socket. The motor was removed by unscrewing the whole motor tube from the wheel assembly and then gently sliding the motor out from the tube. The motor was tested by placing 12V across the leads and declared dead. I should also mention that it was clear from the smell of the motor that it was burnt. The model marking on the motor where RS-555SH. A Google search shows that the motor was made by the Mabuchi Motor Company in Japan.
A Replacement Drive Motor
Raymarine sells a replacement motor, part number A18086, for about $100. The Raymarine part come with the motor gear (18T gear teeth) and with bypass capacitors already installed. But it turns out that the motor is rather common and can be purchased online. The problem is that the motor does not include the gear nor the bypass capacitors.
One can purchase a Mabuchi motor RS-555SH-TD050112 from Skycraft Parts & Surplus for $5.95 ($12.20 shipped). This motor is not an identical replacement as the shaft comes with a flat sided shaft which turn out not to be an issue as the flat part of the shaft is later trimmed off so that the final shaft length is the same length as the original motor's shaft. For the new motor, the shaft was measured, marked, and cut to length using a simple hacksaw.
Finding a new T18 gear of the same dimensions did not prove fruitful, so the original gear need to be removed and pressed onto the new motor. This proved to be the most challenging part of replacing the motor. It is easy to mangle the gear teeth if one is not too careful. With help, I was able to pry a small screw driver under the gear, lifting the gear and shaft, exposing the underside of the gear. At this point, a good hobby pinion gear puller can be used to remove the gear. The gear was installed on the new motor by heating the gear with a torch and quickly pressing the shaft down onto the gear and finished by compressing down with a C-clamp.
The Soldering Bypass Capacitors and Loom Connector
Electrical brushed motors create large amounts of electrical noise. This noise can interfere with nearby electronics and cause problems. For noise suppression, it is common that DC motors have up to three bypass capacitors soldered onto the motor: one across the terminals and one from each terminal to the motor case. This is exactly what Raymarine does to their motors. The capacitors on the original motors are little ceramic capacitors with the number 102. Looking this up, 102 is code for 1nF capacitor.
I also removed the original capacitors, and measured the capacitance with a borrowed meter. Expecting to find 1 nanoFarad, I was surprised to measure 4 nF. It turns out that a precise value is not too important. Since I had a readily available supply of 2 nF ceramic capacitors, I used these for making the new bypass capacitors.
Installation and Operation
Before installing the new drive motor, the drive cable was connected and the autopilot tested to see the motor spin forward and backward. Installing the new drive motor took less than a minute. First the drive motor was installed into the drive tube assembly, then as I tightened the motor tube to the wheel assembly, I engaged the wheel clutch, rocking the wheel backing and forth so that the gear box would align with the motor while screwing on of the motor tube.
In little time it was tested, but first without engaging the clutch, then engaging the clutch but double checking the steering wheel lock first. It performed fine at the dock. The seatrial testing has been limited to just holding a course heading. The sensitivity seems a bit high for my liking but I plan on redoing the seatrial calibration next weekend if weather permits.
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| The SPX-5 wheel autopilot installed on Johanna Rose. |
Burning-Out the Drive Motor
Having already installed the autopilot on the C&C 29, it was really not much of a challenge to install the unit on the C&C Landfall 38. There were some minor changes to installation. Like making use of the NMEA0183 interface to power a Raymarine i40 speed system, mounting the ST6002 controller on the starboard cockpit bulkhead. The wheel pilot was performing fine for several months. I would often tell folks that I prefer not to rely on the autopilot. Using the autopilot is nice while motoring and raising the main single handed. But all that said, it is time fess up and eat crow. I made a big mistake while sailing by myself on a really nice day. I was sailing close hauled and I had locked the wheel. I think I was enjoying the day's blue sky too much because after about 15 minutes, I noticed a change in the wind direction, so I reached down, turn on the autopilot, and then jump over to trimmed the sails. Lesson to self: don't use autopilot with wheel locked. I only realized what I had done the moment the controller beeped and read "MOT STALL". After placing the autopilot on standby and freeing the wheel, I reengaged the autopilot and the motor appeared to work fine but within several minutes it stopped working--the damage was done. I burned out the motor. A lesson learned. I was told by someone that to fix the autopilot, I needed to either replace the wheel drive with a new unit or send in the wheel drive to Raymarine and pay to see if it can be fixed. The cost of a new ST4000 mk2 from defender is $550. Before going down this costly path, I decided to search online and I came across the ST4000 mk2 service manual. It explains how to test the motor and list part numbers.
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| Testing the motor with a 12V supply in parallel to a lightbulb. |
Removing the drive motor was easy. The drive cable was disconnect. Then the plastic collar nut was unscrewed from the drive plug socket. The motor was removed by unscrewing the whole motor tube from the wheel assembly and then gently sliding the motor out from the tube. The motor was tested by placing 12V across the leads and declared dead. I should also mention that it was clear from the smell of the motor that it was burnt. The model marking on the motor where RS-555SH. A Google search shows that the motor was made by the Mabuchi Motor Company in Japan.
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| The original ST4000 mk2 motor. A Google search shows that the motor is made by Mabuchi Motors model number RS-555SH. |
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| The original ST4000 mk2 motor showing the gear and single locking screw. |
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| The original ST4000 mk2 motor showing the 1nF bypass capacitors and soldering connections. |
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| The original ST4000 mk2 motor with wire loom and motor end cap. |
A Replacement Drive Motor
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| Mabuchi motor (left) purchased from Skycraft shown next to the original Raymarine A18086 motor. |
One can purchase a Mabuchi motor RS-555SH-TD050112 from Skycraft Parts & Surplus for $5.95 ($12.20 shipped). This motor is not an identical replacement as the shaft comes with a flat sided shaft which turn out not to be an issue as the flat part of the shaft is later trimmed off so that the final shaft length is the same length as the original motor's shaft. For the new motor, the shaft was measured, marked, and cut to length using a simple hacksaw.
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| Original motor (above) and new motor with gear installed (below). |
The Soldering Bypass Capacitors and Loom Connector
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| Wiring the new 2 nF bypass capacitors |
Electrical brushed motors create large amounts of electrical noise. This noise can interfere with nearby electronics and cause problems. For noise suppression, it is common that DC motors have up to three bypass capacitors soldered onto the motor: one across the terminals and one from each terminal to the motor case. This is exactly what Raymarine does to their motors. The capacitors on the original motors are little ceramic capacitors with the number 102. Looking this up, 102 is code for 1nF capacitor.
I also removed the original capacitors, and measured the capacitance with a borrowed meter. Expecting to find 1 nanoFarad, I was surprised to measure 4 nF. It turns out that a precise value is not too important. Since I had a readily available supply of 2 nF ceramic capacitors, I used these for making the new bypass capacitors.
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| The bypass capacitors soldered in place on the new motor. |
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| New motor complete with wire loom and end cap (top) with old motor (bottom). The sleeve to the left originally came on the new motor which needs to be removed before installing new motor. |
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| New motor installed in motor tube ready for installation onto wheel drive. |
Installation and Operation
Before installing the new drive motor, the drive cable was connected and the autopilot tested to see the motor spin forward and backward. Installing the new drive motor took less than a minute. First the drive motor was installed into the drive tube assembly, then as I tightened the motor tube to the wheel assembly, I engaged the wheel clutch, rocking the wheel backing and forth so that the gear box would align with the motor while screwing on of the motor tube.
In little time it was tested, but first without engaging the clutch, then engaging the clutch but double checking the steering wheel lock first. It performed fine at the dock. The seatrial testing has been limited to just holding a course heading. The sensitivity seems a bit high for my liking but I plan on redoing the seatrial calibration next weekend if weather permits.
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| I came across a tossed out ST4000+ wheel drive (black unit) at my marina. I took apart the drive motor assembly, and while the motor looks like an RS-555SH, the gear and gear collar clearly are different. But the end cap and wire loom plug assemble are the same as that used for the ST4000 mk2 |
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Renewing Atkins & Holye Hatches
The Old Atkins & Hoyle Hatch Lenses
Below are the Atkins & Hoyle model 550 single frame hatches which were factory installed on several C&C models. For the C&C Landfall 38, these are mounted in the Galley and in the Head.
I contacted Atkins & Hoyle asking about replacement lenses. I received a response that these hatches were discontinued but they would fabricate new lenses for $325 each, provided I send them an old lens as a template (price included gasket). They also informed me that the replacement hatch, Model XR90 venting hatch, goes for $650 with a then 15% December discount.
Shortly after, I had the opportunity to purchase fabricated lenses with other C&C owners. At that time I discovered a broken hatch hinge, and without knowing if I could replace the hinge hardware, I had to pass on the timely opportunity. The only good news was that I had purchased Sunbrella hatch covers which temporarily solved two problem: [1] stopped the leaks, and [2] hid the ugly hatches from sight.
To make a long story short, I asked a machinist friend about the possibility of making new hinges. He said that they were easy to make and that it would be no problem for him to make two sets of them. To him it was a piece of cake, but to me they are a work of art. While I had only one broken hinge, and technically three still viable hinges, I decided to replace all hinges on both hatches. And since I missed the opportunity to purchase the fabricated lenses as part of a bulk order with other C&C owners, I decided I would give making the lenses a go at it.
Making New Hatch Lenses
I ordered 1/2" thick grey smoked plexiglass from eStreet Plastics (same thickness as the old lenses). I ordered enough material to replace the lens in the two other larger A&H hatches plus two additional small hatch lens (i.e. goof up spares) and an acrylic mirror for the Head.
Making New Hinge Hardware
New hatch hinges were fabricated from Aluminum. A stainless hex bolt is treaded into the hinge. New stainless assembly 3/16" rods were made without a pressed fit to the hinge. Rather than having the pressed fit of the rod to the hinge, a stainless locking a collar secures the assembly rod. During final installation Tef-gel was used on the tapped threaded part of the hinge and also in the hinge holes for the assembly rod (i.e. where stainless meets Aluminum).
EDPM foam cord 3/8" OD was ordered from McMaster-Carr(#8605K43) for the gasket. It was adhered to the lens using Silaprene Adhesive (recommended by A&H) which was purchased from JD Industrial Supply (M6325-grey). Black Dow 795 sealant was used to bed the hinges, head of hex bolts, and the latch screws. In the photo below (Head hatch), stainless washers were cut back to remove any overlap. During the installation, the washers rotated slightly. I thought about replacing the washers, but found that painting the washers and screws with black epoxy paint improved the esthetics. For the Galley hatch, I decided to use the original latch screws without washers, but first epoxy painted before installation. On the underside, stainless fender washers and thin nuts secure the hatch hinges capped off by nylon locking nuts. I plan to replace the nylon locking nuts with stainless acorn nuts.
more updates to come ....
Below are the Atkins & Hoyle model 550 single frame hatches which were factory installed on several C&C models. For the C&C Landfall 38, these are mounted in the Galley and in the Head.
I contacted Atkins & Hoyle asking about replacement lenses. I received a response that these hatches were discontinued but they would fabricate new lenses for $325 each, provided I send them an old lens as a template (price included gasket). They also informed me that the replacement hatch, Model XR90 venting hatch, goes for $650 with a then 15% December discount.
Shortly after, I had the opportunity to purchase fabricated lenses with other C&C owners. At that time I discovered a broken hatch hinge, and without knowing if I could replace the hinge hardware, I had to pass on the timely opportunity. The only good news was that I had purchased Sunbrella hatch covers which temporarily solved two problem: [1] stopped the leaks, and [2] hid the ugly hatches from sight.
To make a long story short, I asked a machinist friend about the possibility of making new hinges. He said that they were easy to make and that it would be no problem for him to make two sets of them. To him it was a piece of cake, but to me they are a work of art. While I had only one broken hinge, and technically three still viable hinges, I decided to replace all hinges on both hatches. And since I missed the opportunity to purchase the fabricated lenses as part of a bulk order with other C&C owners, I decided I would give making the lenses a go at it.
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| The old Galley hatch lens. |
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| The old Head hatch with broken hinge. |
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| Broken hatch hinge which was gooped up with sealant by the previous owner . |
Making New Hatch Lenses
Order Details:
| Code | Item | Qty | Price | Grand Total |
| T805002424 | 1/2" x 24" x 24" - Grey "Smoked" Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet - #2064 | 1 | ||
| T805001824 | 1/2" x 18" x 24" - Grey "Smoked" Plexiglass Acrylic Sheet - #2064 | 2 | ||
| 1502501824 | 18" x 24" - Plexiglass Acrylic Mirror Sheet - 1/4" Thick | 1 | ||
| DSC-6 | 3% off on quantities of 2 to 5 [1502501824][T805002424][T805001824] | 1 | ||
| DSC-16 | $1 OFF on mirror purchase of $20 [1502501824] | 1 | ||
| Subtotal: | $149.31 | |||
| Tax: | $0.00 | |||
| Shipping Cost: | $22.54 | |||
| Grand Total: | $171.85 | |||
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| The 1/2" acrylic was cut on a table saw to the square dimensions. |
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| The rounded edges were added by first ruff cutting using a band saw and then finishing by using a large disk wheel sander to complete the smooth rounded edges. |
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| A hand router was used to cut gasket groove. A custom plastic base plate was used with two pins spaced for guiding the router along the outer edge as a reference. |
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| Diablo 3/8" round nose router bit from Home Depot. |
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| After practicing on scrap material, routing the groove with a hand router worked out nicely. |
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| Finished routed groove. |
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| Bolt holes were drilled and hinge notches cut. Metal drill bits were modified by grinding off the tip angle. (see: http://www.plasticsmag.com/features.asp?fIssue=sep/oct-01) |
Making New Hinge Hardware
New hatch hinges were fabricated from Aluminum. A stainless hex bolt is treaded into the hinge. New stainless assembly 3/16" rods were made without a pressed fit to the hinge. Rather than having the pressed fit of the rod to the hinge, a stainless locking a collar secures the assembly rod. During final installation Tef-gel was used on the tapped threaded part of the hinge and also in the hinge holes for the assembly rod (i.e. where stainless meets Aluminum).
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| Here is a poor man's schematic of the new hatch hinge dimensions. |
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| New hatch hinges assembly fabricated from Aluminum. |
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| Dry fit of hatch lens and new hardware. |
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| The new hatch hinges were painted with black VHT epoxy paint. |
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| A small notch was filed in the hatch frame to fit the stainless locking collar. |
Hatch Installation
EDPM foam cord 3/8" OD was ordered from McMaster-Carr(#8605K43) for the gasket. It was adhered to the lens using Silaprene Adhesive (recommended by A&H) which was purchased from JD Industrial Supply (M6325-grey). Black Dow 795 sealant was used to bed the hinges, head of hex bolts, and the latch screws. In the photo below (Head hatch), stainless washers were cut back to remove any overlap. During the installation, the washers rotated slightly. I thought about replacing the washers, but found that painting the washers and screws with black epoxy paint improved the esthetics. For the Galley hatch, I decided to use the original latch screws without washers, but first epoxy painted before installation. On the underside, stainless fender washers and thin nuts secure the hatch hinges capped off by nylon locking nuts. I plan to replace the nylon locking nuts with stainless acorn nuts.
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| Renewed hatch over the Head. Overlapping SS washers were ground down to remove the overlap. These washers and screws have since been painted with black epoxy paint making it look much better. |
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| New view from the Head. A stainless washer and thin nut followed by a nylon locking nut complete the lens mounting. |
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| New view from the Galley. |
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| Renewed hatch over the Galley. The original Aluminum latch screws were used rather than new stainless washers and screws. |
Replacing the lens in larger Hatches
After removing the old lens for the mid-sized A&H hatch (the one forward of the mast partners), a new lens was cuts to size using the same procedure employed for the small hatch lenses. The old silicone sealant was removed and properly cleaned (easy said than done). Black Dow 795 sealant was used to bed the new lens into the hatch frame. EDPM foam cord 1/2" OD was ordered from McMaster-Carr(#8605K44) for the gasket. It was adhered to the lens using Silaprene Adhesive in the same fashion as the smaller hatch gaskets.
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| Old hatch lens |
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| New lens cut out and matched to old lens. |
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| Removing old silicone sealant from hatch frame. |
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| New lens installed in hatch. |
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| Old gasket formed from Silicone. This was painfully removed by cutting, scraping, and wire brushing with a drill wire wheel. Removing old silicone is by far a non-pleasurable task. |
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| A topside view of the hatch with new lens. |
more updates to come ....
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Repairing a Broken Selden Rodkicker
Selden Rodkicker Type 20
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| The Selden Rodkicker Type 20 |
It may have been coincidence, but I recently started to attached the main halyard to the end of the boom to lift the boom like a toping lift. The idea, as I read on the C&C list, was to relieve stress on the boom vang when not in use. At the time, I did not know the brand of ridged boom vang which was install. And shortly after doing so, the boom vang spring failed (while reefing the main in 20 KTS gusts single-handed). Ok, so I had a broken boom vang to repair. After I little research, I found out the vang system was a Selden Rodkicker type 20 with a gas spring rated at 2,500N.
Everything I read stated that removing and replacing the gas shock in the Rodkicker was a simple task. Never the less, I was unable to easily separate the Rodkicker to access the gas shock. Examining the online Rodkicker diagrams, I realized that the problem was due the wire cable being too short. Apparently someone prior cut the cable and swaged an eye on the end such that the only way to disassemble the Rodkicker required cutting the wire. This also meant that the old wire rope needed to be replaced with new 7x19 1/4" stainless steel wire rope. The two ends of the gas spring screw into plastic end plugs. The same plug is used on both sides. On the upper side, the end plug fits into the inner extrusion tube and snaps in place. On the lower side, the plug sits on top of a cylindrical tube spacer. There was a problem in that this smaller tub cuts into the lower plug causing the gas shock to twist off and eventually break. This seemed like a poor manufacturing design.
To correct for the lower plug design flaw, a new lower plug was made out of solid HDPE. Using the old plug as a guide, the new plug was cut to size on a table saw and sanded to match the rounded edges. A central M10 hole was drilled and tapped for the shock to screw into, and a wire slot, like as in the original plug, was cut along one side. Photos below show the manufacturing of the new lower plug.
The original gas shock was an Aeration G28-300-2500N-02. This is a gas shock for a Rodkicker type 20 hard spring. Selden sells replacement gas shocks, and this replacement lists for $300. I came across a discussion online where someone in the UK found a replacement by matching to specs from an industrial supplier for about 100£. I was able to find the exact replacement gas shock at McMaster-Carr (item# 9416K52) for only $86.
McMaster-Carr also sell a stainless steel version of the gas shock for about twice the cost. I ddecided not go with the stainless steel version as from what I read, the internal seals are what fail first. The Selden (Aratron) replacement is a standard version (not S.S.), and the original failed shock which I was replacing looked like new (i.e. it was an internal seal failure).
Below are the specs for the new gas shock:
Gas Spring with Threaded Ends (McMaster-Carr item # 9416K52)
- 550lbs (2447N) Force
- 26.77" Extended Length
- 14.77" Compressed Length
- 12.00" Stroke Length
- 0.55" Rod Diameter
- 1.1" Cylinder Diameter
- M10 Rod and End Thread Size
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| A solid block of HDPE was cut on a table saw to match the original Rodkicker type 20 (& type 30) gas shock end plug. |
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| New end plug on gas shock. Above the shock is the spacer tube shown cutting into the old lower end plug. |
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| Gas spring replacement for the Selden Rodkicker type 20 hard from McMaster-Carr item # 9416K52 |
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| New gas shock from McMaster-Carr shown below the original gas shock. |
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| The Selden Rodkicker repaired and installed back on the S/V Johanna Rose. |
Thursday, October 29, 2015
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