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Old 01-21-2013, 12:45 PM   #21
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I've had mine for at least 2 years. Works like new but it's not been used in salt water.
I got the one with the switch on the motor - it only needs two wires to be self parking.
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Old 01-21-2013, 12:57 PM   #22
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The pantograph we installed is stainless. It seems to be in the middle of the price range for these things. We installed it because it gives a lower arc of clear glass than the stock wiper. We have a helm seat that we use underway and the bottom of the arc was right at my wife's eye level. The pantograph arm lowers the arc by quite a bit. We left the stock wiper arms in place on the two side windshield panels.

We've tried Rain-X and found it's not worth the effort. The mist we often get here is not heavy enough to slide down the windshield on its own so we end up using the wipers anyway and this renders the Rain-X coating ineffective in short order.

When the coating is new it works as advertised with heavy spray on a rough day but then we find ourselves peering for debris in the water though dozens of water rivulets running down the windows so we have to turn the wipers on which, along with the salt, takes out the Rain-X coating very quickly.

So we no longer bother with it. Our boat has very good wipers in our opinions so we've never had visibility problems with fog/mist, rain, or spray. In Bellingham Bay particularly we often need the wipers the whole five to seven miles across even on nice sunny days.
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Old 01-21-2013, 02:45 PM   #23
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That's the problem that I have too, Marin. My AutoGroan wiper arm barely reaches over halfway down the window. Fine for me, but the pip-squeak I am married to should get a little love too. I ordered the three new motors this morning (along with the autopilot, but that's another thread), but I did not order the arms. I figure I won't need them for a while, yet, so I can do some measuring and see what length of arm/wiper combo I will need/want. Care to point me to what you used? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

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Old 01-21-2013, 02:51 PM   #24
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I'll have to get the name off the boat as I don't have the info at home. Next weekend perhaps.
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Old 01-21-2013, 04:07 PM   #25
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TMC is marketed here, heads, pumps, electrical parts. Not bought any so can`t say on quality. Pricing is usually below competing products.
Our boat had TMC units from new...'89 Ocean Alexander. Hooked up with a pantograph linkage and OA unique attachment to the drive shaft. One unit failed last summer when I stuffed the bow into a bigazz wave and buried the windscreen underwater for an extended period. Turned out the motor was fine...the failure occured where a small roll pin that holds the splined cap goes through the drive shaft...corrosion in the hole and the shaft twisted off at that point. I bought a new TMC assembly and had to jack around to make it fit the old OA wiper arm attachment. Not a big deal, especially if you're installing one with a new wiper arm from TMC. Also had to mess with internal adjustment to get the sweep arc set correctly...good directions included with the unit. Overall good quality and good performance.
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Old 01-21-2013, 04:19 PM   #26
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Greetings,
Slight creep but can a pantograph system be retrofitted to a single arm system easily?
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Old 01-21-2013, 05:57 PM   #27
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Greetings,
Slight creep but can a pantograph system be retrofitted to a single arm system easily?
That is what we did. We did not change the motor or its drive shaft. However it is not necessarily a straightforward process because there needs to be an attach point for the top of the pantograph arm. This generally involves drilling a hole for the pivot point a specific distance from the wiper motor arm.

On a GB it's made doubly tricky because the pantograph arm, like the wiper arm, needs to clear the wooden window frame.

Fortunately we have a resident genius on the GB owners forum (one of several) who has a boat the same year and model as ours. He designed and machined a very clever fitting out of a UHMV block that provides a base for the pantagraph arm as well as spaces it out the proper distance from the wiper motor arm and eliminates the need to drill a hole in the boat for the pantograph pivot. Ingenious thing, really, and he made one for us as well as ordering the pantograph wiper that he used on his boat.

Carey of this forum also installed pantograph wipers on his boat in place of the stock single-arm wiper arm and blade. But his lobsterboat has aluminum windows so he did not have the frame-clearance issue we do. He mounted his pantographs himself using the stock motors and drilled the holes necessary for the pantograph pivot.

So the answer to your question is yes, but the effort involved may be very simple or it may require a very clever solution as it did on our boat. It will all depend on the nature of your stock motors and the design of the windows on your boat.
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Old 01-22-2013, 07:49 AM   #28
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AM Equipment - Windshield Wiper Blades and Systems | DC Electric ...

www.amequipment.com/

These folks sell all style blades and wiper arms , as well as the posts required to convert to parallel arms.

Remember the spacing at the arm to blade joint must match the spacing at the wiper motor base or the arm will not stay parallel.

There ARE spacing differences between Mfg , boats , trucks , RV and coaches.

Best to select a Mfg and use all the parts from one source.

We have dealt with A&M and thy are fine.
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Old 01-22-2013, 11:35 PM   #29
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The wipers on my boat use the old style slide in refills, which appear to be an endangered species. I'll either have to change styles, buy complete new blade assemblies, or find some refills on the Internet.
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Old 01-22-2013, 11:47 PM   #30
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Don't believe shaft length is critical. On the Coot, the shaft extends only enough to attach the wipers.

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Old 01-25-2013, 05:43 AM   #31
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It looks to me like the second arm of pantograph wiper has an adapter plate that mounts to the threaded shaft. Is this not the case?

Ongaro Deluxe Ultra HD Adjustable Wiper Arm
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Old 01-25-2013, 10:27 AM   #32
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Originally Posted by GonzoF1 View Post
What's weird is that the current shaft is 3", but a lot of the replacements I see at Defender and Jamestown are either 2.5" and 3.5". Need to decide if I go shorter or longer.
By looking at the angle you have shorter would be my choice.
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Old 01-25-2013, 10:49 AM   #33
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Here are the pantographic wiper arms we use. They work really well on the raincoast of BC and SE AK:

Amazon.com: AFI 33032A Deluxe Stainless Steel Adjustable Marine Wiper Arm for AFI 2000 and MRV Motors (12" to 17", Black): Sports & Outdoors
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Old 01-26-2013, 04:11 AM   #34
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As long as the shaft is long enough to go through the bulkhead! Because of the way my Krogen windows are built, I had to get the longest ones made, and put a wooden block outside so the arms would clear the exterior window frames.
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Old 01-26-2013, 07:36 AM   #35
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With A&M and I would guess most replacement arms a few pennies extra will get a spray setup that can be usefu to keep the salt from drying and then scratching the glass.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:08 PM   #36
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RESULTS!

TBH, I kind of obsessed too much over the install. The original wiper (singular) had only one speed, I felt compelled to hook the new ones up with both speeds... AND... the self parking feature. It cost me a few hours of precious autopilot install time. *sigh* Still, I (and especially Bess) am(are) happy with the results. In hindsight, I should have gotten the 2.5" shafts instead of the 3.5" because the pantographic stand-off connection point is not at the same level as the arm attached to the drive motor. I believe that is why I have slightly uneven sweep radius. (goes a little long one way, but perfect the other. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. I'll have to get over it because perfection is the arch enemy of good enough.

Finally, the center window was not optimal for a wiper. The window swings up to nearly 90 degrees, and while the wipers DO swing out, it's not designed to swing for a window, just for cleaning and removal. Anyone want to buy my new motor I bought to put there?

Attached is a video I made for Bess (OF THE WIPERS! get your mind out of the gutter you perverts ):

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Old 02-11-2013, 04:58 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by GonzoF1 View Post
I should have gotten the 2.5" shafts instead of the 3.5" because the pantographic stand-off connection point is not at the same level as the arm attached to the drive motor. I believe that is why I have slightly uneven sweep radius. (goes a little long one way, but perfect the other.
Tom,

The way to fix that on your is to get a piece of Starboard and cut our a pillow block for under the pantograph mount. Mount the pillow block then mount the pantograph. I have some in the dock box at my boat. Easy fix.
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Old 02-11-2013, 05:12 PM   #38
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The way to fix that on your is to get a piece of Starboard and cut our a pillow block for under the pantograph mount. Mount the pillow block then mount the pantograph. I have some in the dock box at my boat. Easy fix.
Rochepoint has teak blocks over the wiper shafts to space the wiper arm out so it does not hit the window frame. Is this what your are calling "pillow Blocks"?
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Old 02-11-2013, 11:54 PM   #39
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I have the same thing on my Krogen.
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Old 03-02-2013, 12:18 AM   #40
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Jeffnick,

Thanks for the tip on surpluscenter.com. I picked up one of their $30 wiper motors and finished installing it last weekend. With 2 speeds and the self-parking option, it is an improvement over what I had and operates much more quietly. It was a simple bolt-in replacement with only wiring changes for the 2-speeds and self-park.

Your suggestion saved me big bucks. Thanks for the assist!!
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