Maintenance on stabilizers?

[Bajabuzz]

I recently purchased a 53 Navigator with Wesmar Stabilizers. We will be taking the boat out late next week weather permitting for an overnighter.

I was onboard for the sea trial but it was so flat that I could not tell if they were working. The captain and surveyor assured me they were.

My questions are, if the conditions don't warrant their use do you turn them off?

Do they(park) themselves in a neutral position?

Anacortes Marine Group did the engine survey and I asked about general maintenance and service. They did not say anything about replacing seals (I asked) and really were more concerned with the hydraulic fluid which was serviced after purchase.

I have been in contact with previous owner and am waiting for service records of engines and major components. Vessel was a single owner boat so should have info dating back to 1995.

 

[menzies]

I have Naiads, but to answer a couple of your questions.

I always have the breaker on, then can quickly switch them off and on when wanted, either from the PH or from the AUX position on the FB. Out here in the Bahamas they help (rather than "needed") when running more often than not. Always on when offshore in the stream or Exuma Sound etc. There is always at least a swell.

While running I can center them. However when at anchor or tied up they hang unlocked. If there is a chop we can hear them moving while in bed. So I put on the manual locks, and add a sign to the breaker panel reminding me to remove the locks before moving again.

Reading the manual recently they can come with valves that keep them centered when not running (applied just before turning off engine and stabilizers after running). I am going to find out if these can be retro fitted.

 

[Cruzer]

I recently purchased a 53 Navigator with Wesmar Stabilizers. We will be taking the boat out late next week weather permitting for an overnighter.

I was onboard for the sea trial but it was so flat that I could not tell if they were working. The captain and surveyor assured me they were.

My questions are, if the conditions don't warrant their use do you turn them off?

Do they(park) themselves in a neutral position?

Anacortes Marine Group did the engine survey and I asked about general maintenance and service. They did not say anything about replacing seals (I asked) and really were more concerned with the hydraulic fluid which was serviced after purchase.

I have been in contact with previous owner and am waiting for service records of engines and major components. Vessel was a single owner boat so should have info dating back to 1995.

Congrats on your Navigator! Were the stabilizers original to the boat? I can't speak to the WESMAR controls of 1995 but if they are the same as what was used in 2004 there is a button to engage and disengage them. When we were using that system we always ran with them powered on and engaged and typically only disengaged when we were arriving at port or an anchorage which did park them in their neutral position. The new system we have is tied into our NMEA 2000 network from which it draws speed data. I believe they are set to automatically engage/disengage at around the 5 kt mark.

If your hydraulic fluid was serviced and all looked good that is one good sign. I learned through our various techs that stabilizers are an oft-ignored system on boats, even by people who are generally very good about maintenance. Very important to note that operating temp and pressure are within recommended parameters. There is at least one and more likely two zincs in the heat exchanger which should be checked. WESMAR recommends seal service every three years and this is not something I would ignore. Hopefully you have the documentation for your system and, if not, I have found the folks at WESMAR to be very supportive.

 

[IRENE]

And...we have ABT TRAC 220...but here is our MO.

I energize the system immediately after the engine is started. Very important for receiving alarms from the system (e.g. fluid loss).

Underway, they are usually centered while in the marina, and active elsewhere. Since we are a full displacement boat, we have a gentle motion even when it is calm. We have a speed adjustment which is essentially a gain or sensitivity control. Default system speed upon powering up is 20 knots, and that is where I start. As needed, I can “turn up” the sensitivity by reducing the boat speed, allowing the system to be more aggressive.

For us, leaving them mostly on eliminates surprises and is easier on the boss and our 179 year-old dog. If we have guests aboard, the run always AND I crank up the sensitivity as I don’t want any hurt landlubbers aboard.

We have a hydraulic reservoir that is easily sighted during engine room checks, and I keep an eye on the temperature. There is a hydraulic fluid filter near the reservoir. If you have any valves in your hydraulic system, you may wish to consider removing the handles or securing them in the ON position. An inadvertent closing of a valve could be catastrophic for the hydraulic pump. Our system has a cooler outside of the hull, with no additional zincs or pumps.

Back to running the system all the time - I am an advocate for “exercising” EVERY system on the boat regularly. Sometimes this results in extra steps (wing engine) or use when not absolutely essential, but we bought the systems with the boat and I want them all in tip-top working order.

This is our first boat with stabilizers. There was a time when I wanted paravanes only, to keep things as simple as possible. Now I am glad we have them, and the maintenance burden has been in line with other systems.

Congrats on the new boat and enjoy the stabilizers!

 

[Bajabuzz]

Thank you all for your replies. This is a great site for information and help.
I guess I need to get all service data ASAP to see what needs to be on the maintenance list.

Thanks again!

 

[Bigsfish]

Donna

Just to give you an idea of the cost, I had my naiads service by naiad a few months ago in southeast Florida (three year service at four years) and it was about $2K (boat was hauled for bottom paint. The stabilizers are great, really smooths the waves and my boat is 80,000 plus pounds.

Best of luck.

 

[Ross Macdonald]

We have wesmars on our 58 ft. boat. The hydraulic specialist at our yard does the seals every 2-3 yrs. The yard cost last haul out last November was about $1500.00. He says it is imperative this be done to prevent water intrusion. On some Wesmar systems we have seen at the yard the owners did not follow this regimen and the fin shafts were very pitted and corroded. This was from the external our hull side seal leaking. The cost to replace a total fin is about 5K. Anyway, just like every other piece of machinery or pump on a boat, you need to exercise it regularly and stay up with your maintenance schedule religiously.

 

[BrianSmith]

I recently purchased a 53 Navigator with Wesmar Stabilizers. We will be taking the boat out late next week weather permitting for an overnighter.

I was onboard for the sea trial but it was so flat that I could not tell if they were working. The captain and surveyor assured me they were.

My questions are, if the conditions don't warrant their use do you turn them off?

Do they(park) themselves in a neutral position?

Anacortes Marine Group did the engine survey and I asked about general maintenance and service. They did not say anything about replacing seals (I asked) and really were more concerned with the hydraulic fluid which was serviced after purchase.

I have been in contact with previous owner and am waiting for service records of engines and major components. Vessel was a single owner boat so should have info dating back to 1995.

We have Wesmars on our 52 trawler, built in 2002. If it's calm, we don't even turn on the circuit breaker to the stabilizers, and according to the service tech I spoke to at Wesmar about two weeks ago, that's fine. If the were installed properly, they will "float" freely when not on, pushed backwards by the forward motion of the boat without creating any extra drag (i.e., same drag as if they're turned on, but not engaged).

We're in the Virgin Islands since about a month ago, and for the first couple of weeks, the stabilizers weren't working. (Electrical issue.) Seeing as how the wind blows here almost all the time, we now appreciate them even more than we did before. I can't imagine having a trawler without them.

Cruzer, I'm the guy who just sent you the email asking about your recent upgrade to the new Wesmar electronics. Looking forward to your answer! If they can smooth out the roll in quartering following seas they way their marketing department says, that'll be 15 marine monetary units well spent!

 

[rjwilliams11741]

Last fall we were quite interested in purchasing a vessel that had air operated stabilizers. The company that makes the unit is Gyro Gale. A large air cooled compressor was in the ER to provide the high pressure air.

The vessel had two nice JD 6068s with plenty of PTO capability for a hydraulic powered setup so was puzzled as to the recently installed air powered units. Different strokes. Had the stabilizers been Wesmar, ABT et al we very well would have made an offer on the vessel.

I have Gyro Gale's on my 1976 Hatteras 48 LRC. They work great and I've had minimal problems with them (replaced the seals, a couple of activators and a shaft, and some connectors in the 15 years I have had the boat). The stabilizers were installed when the boat was originally sold new in 1976. There are a few annual service items like new air filters and oil air cleaner refils but the cost is minimal. I really can't compare them to the NIADS but when a hose goes the Gyro Gale is blowing air and not hydraulic fluid all over your engine room.

 

[greatpapabear]

In 16 years, I've only neeed new seals once. ut I have had to change two rams which had been installed incorrectly from new. Once changed, no problems.

So, next to nothing is the cost of maintenance.

 

[Insequent]

In 16 years, I've only neeed new seals once. ut I have had to change two rams which had been installed incorrectly from new. Once changed, no problems.

So, next to nothing is the cost of maintenance.

I'm curious about the 'need new seals once'. Do you drop the fins, inspect and say 'no leaks so lets go a bit longer'? I'm a little puzzled, because at that point replacing the seals is not a big cost, but it is a big comfort factor.

 

[greatpapabear]

I'm curious about the 'need new seals once'. Do you drop the fins, inspect and say 'no leaks so lets go a bit longer'? I'm a little puzzled, because at that point replacing the seals is not a big cost, but it is a big comfort factor.

Morning, Brian,

Good question. The only reason we had new seals was simply because I wanted them looked at in case. When inspected, they actually didn't need changing but we changed them in any case.

Only two rams have ever been changed, and I carry a spare.

 

[menzies]

Papabear - which stabilizers do you have?

 

[greatpapabear]

Papabear - which stabilizers do you have?

ABT Trac. Model 200. Once a year when Play d'eau is hauled for her annual spa treaments, I remove the winglets and check the anodes. That's all.

 

[sunchaser]

My Wesmar seals are replaced every 4-5 years. Or roughly every 750 hours of operation. The first time they were pristine, as were shafts. No signs of issues on this schedule.

The stabilizers are easy to see and monitor during ER checks every hour or two. I know some vessels where the stabilizers are completely hidden - scary IMHO.

 

[AlanT]

Great thread!

That really helped my understanding of the issues involved. I am currently looking for a stabilized boat and i feel better educated having read this,

A.

 

[angus99]

We have Naiads (sounds painful) and will pull the rams this Spring to have them rebuilt. I learned on another thread that, despite what I’d been told by Naiad, the rams often can be successfully rebuilt for perhaps 1/10 the cost of replacements . . . which was about one boat unit per ram for parts only.

We had the seals done as preventive maintenance two years ago even though they were in pristine condition at the time. Trouble is, you don’t know their condition until you drop the fins and once you’ve gone that far, you might as well do it all.

 

[GB3295]

And what a gorgeous wooden boat she is!! Congrats from a wooden boat owner whose boat celebrated her 50th birthday last year!!! GB 32 build number 95, 1968 Hong Kong
no stabilizers.......... Happy sailing!!

 

[twistedtree]

I'm curious about the 'need new seals once'. Do you drop the fins, inspect and say 'no leaks so lets go a bit longer'? I'm a little puzzled, because at that point replacing the seals is not a big cost, but it is a big comfort factor.

I don’t think you can really assess the seals from the outside. They won’t be dripping oil, for example. When submerged, the water pressure pushes water past the seals into the bearings. If you drain the shaft oil you might find it milky with water contamination, but at that point it might be too late for the bearings and shaft. Hence replacement on a scheduled interval.

 

[Bigsfish]

I just follow what the manufacturer suggests. Part of the cost of owning a boat

 

[Raffy]

Stabilizer seal replacement

Most manufactures will say 3 to 5 years for seal replacement. As someone who actually does this for a living I recommend every 5 years for most users based on the projects I have done. Now to qualify this every boat and boat user is different so the wear rates may vary. Just keep in mind this is the less expensive route to go. We are currently working on a 58 Selene that someone had installed the seals backward on so it allowed seawater to enter the mid cavity and sit there. Over time the seawater loses its oxygen and that causes electrolysis. The fin shaft are pitted beyond repair so a basic seal replacement that would normally cost between $1500 to $3000 (depending on fin size) will now cost an additional $15,000 to replace both fins. Just some food for thought.

Safe Boating!