Quick gyro

[Greg QS]

Oh boy. Pulled the trigger and ordered a Quick Gyro 30. I will be installing this winter. I will post the process

Quick Gyro 30

MC² X30

Gyro Stabilizers, Windlasses, Thrusters, Hydraulic System, Energy Range, Water Heaters

www.quickitaly.com

I am installing with a custom plate design
top plate 1" aluminum 5068 aluminum with 3/4 plates underneath and on the sides.
Installed with plexus adhesive
bolts under wood in the stringer every 4" on center. with sleeves not to crush the glass.

Unit bolts to the plate , 220 volt 6kw draw max

Reasons for the choice Quick vs Seakeeper.
Seakeeper is too big 4'x4' and hull structure would need to be created, Gensets moved, Installation by Seakeeper only.
Quick . 32x32 x34 tall No structure modifications nor equipment movement needed. I can do the installation with a metal plate glued an bolted into place. No water cooling, No yearly "Seakeeper " maintenance. Owner serviceable. It does not need to run when moving the boat , unlike Seakeeper. Big cost savings buy direct, and Self installable if you are approved by the company. I have gotten my approval since i have installed a Seakeeper before. Quick techs come to the boat for commissioning which is included in the unit price.

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[Bmarler]

Nice. I’ll be watching this.

 

[Sean Og.]

Oh boy. Pulled the trigger and ordered a Quick Gyro 30. I will be installing this winter. I will post the process

Quick Gyro 30

MC² X30

Gyro Stabilizers, Windlasses, Thrusters, Hydraulic System, Energy Range, Water Heaters

www.quickitaly.com

I am installing with a custom plate design
top plate 1" aluminum 5068 aluminum with 3/4 plates underneath and on the sides.
Installed with plexus adhesive
bolts under wood in the stringer every 4" on center. with sleeves not to crush the glass.

Unit bolts to the plate , 220 volt 6kw draw max

Reasons for the choice Quick vs Seakeeper.
Seakeeper is too big 4'x4' and hull structure would need to be created, Gensets moved, Installation by Seakeeper only.
Quick . 32x32 x34 tall No structure modifications nor equipment movement needed. I can do the installation with a metal plate glued an bolted into place. No water cooling, No yearly "Seakeeper " maintenance. Owner serviceable. It does not need to run when moving the boat , unlike Seakeeper. Big cost savings buy direct, and Self installable if you are approved by the company. I have gotten my approval since i have installed a Seakeeper before. Quick techs come to the boat for commissioning which is included in the unit price.

.

 

[Sean Og.]

Really interested in how this goes.

In process of complete refurbishment of 52 foot steel trawler cruiser and considering installing Gyro.

 

[Greg QS]

I had a sea keeper in the past. Worked great but today they need to be installed by dealers only. Quick will sell to the end user and you can install your self or hir your own installer. Saving $$

 

[Comodave]

Interesting, please document the installation process with a lot of photos.

 

[Jeff F]

It does not need to run when moving the boat , unlike Seakeeper.

Can you elaborate on this? I understand that Seakeeper has a lock , but have no hands-on experience.

I saw the installation of a Quick unit recently. The metal plate structure looked massive.

I'm unfamiliar with your boat, but did you consider beefing up the existing stringers? 22,000 ft-lbs is to my mind a staggering amount of torque. Closest that comes to mind is a big diesel at a fraction of that, and then the supporting structure is part of the original design.

Looking forward to following.

 

[Greg QS]

I sent the drawings of what I am doing to the Manufacture and they gave it there blessing. The plate is glued in place witch reinforces the stringers.

 

[Greg QS]

Can you elaborate on this? I understand that Seakeeper has a lock , but have no hands-on experience.

I saw the installation of a Quick unit recently. The metal plate structure looked massive.

I'm unfamiliar with your boat, but did you consider beefing up the existing stringers? 22,000 ft-lbs is to my mind a staggering amount of torque. Closest that comes to mind is a big diesel at a fraction of that, and then the supporting structure is part of the original design.

Looking forward to following.

Seakeeper must run spin always when the boat is underway. There is a slow minimum speed of 12-1500 rpm. I forget. The action of the movement of the boat and since the bearings are on top and bottom, they take a beating on the races of the Barings. They call it brailing. This will damage the bearings. Quick does not have this requirement. The bearings in the quick are like a car wheel.
The Seakeeper gyro spins like a top vertically. and the Quick spins like a car wheel horizontally

The design of the plate creates the reinforcement. I sent the drawings to the boat manufacture. and they gave it there blessing. No further reinforcement needed.

 

[TBill36]

Spoke to one of the Seakeeper dealers at the FLIBS. I really don't know much about it other than the principles of a gyro and how it prevents rocking. The dealer told me of some horror stories of improperly installed ones that ripped out. Probably why they insist on dealer install. As mentioned, the loads can be huge. He also had different sizes depending on the vessel and mentioned the need to install multiple units in some vessels. He said an undersized unit was basically useless. For my 53' boat at a little over 50,000 lbs it would have cost somewhere around $125K for the Seakeper with another $25K for installation. What size does the Quick Gyro handle? And what do you think you'll have into it when completed.

 

[Greg QS]

Quick makes gyros larger than what I need , I am 70,000lbs . I purchased there mc2 x 30 . 220 volt 6000w max draw. 65 for the gyro and another 10k for install if figure.
They gave me a choice of a 25 or a 30. A little more for the 30 . but I don't want to be disappointed in the end.

 

[Greg QS]

Ok it begins. Been working in the er. I had to loose my work bench and reduce it down to a shelf. I was able to salvage a space for my tool box. So that is a plus.

I decided to make a box the size of the Gyro out of plywood. This helped me dementalize the real size of the unit. I used the box to plane the route through the boat and into the ER. Double doors and a straight drop into the ER. I have to remove and re install my raw water strainers. I probably walked around the box for a full day moving slightly till I landed on the best place to put the unit and give me the best access on all sides. I moved 5 gallon oil jugs around to make sure I could. I had to cut some boards, Move my oil change system. and move some hoses around to make room for the mounting plate on the port side.

My stringers are foam cored with a ( what appears to be) oak top under the fiberglass. The oak seems in perfect condition. It seems to be 2x4 in dimensions. True 2x4. I drilled 1 1/8" holes right under the cord and cut 3/4 galvanized pipes just slightly larger than the stringer. This will allow space for the bonding agent (plexus) and prevent crushing of the stringer itself. 1/6 " spacer are put under the plate to again allow space for the plexus. I screwed the mounting plate down and drilled right through the pipes into the plywood jig. This gives me perfect placement of all holes. I did the same on the outboard sides of the stringer with a piece of plywood screwed in place. This will give me very accurate hole placement and will be used as a jig for all the hole placements.

The mounting plate will be made out of 5000 series 1" aluminum with 6x 3/4 bolting plates and 6 x 3/4 verticals underneath the plate with 3/4 x 6 gusset plates. This will be fully mounted in place with plexus and 7- 3/4 grade 8 bolts through the stringers. The unit itself gets bolted directly down to the mounting plate with 8 grade 8 bolts into the aluminum.

 

[guy with a boat]

Nice job so far. Did you work out the mounting system with the manufacturer? Who does the engineering? I would think every retrofit of the system would have to be different.

 

[Greg QS]

Nice job so far. Did you work out the mounting system with the manufacturer? Who does the engineering? I would think every retrofit of the system would have to be different.

Worked with the quick company and also discussed with the manufacture of the boat.

 

[Greg QS]

oooh boy look what showed up

 

[Greg QS]

Mounting plate in progress.

 

[Mambo42]

I took a look at the specs for this one, but this weighs over 900 kg ??? Including the base plate that will be over 1 ton of ballast extra in the ER.
That is an enormous amount of weight and the torque this gyro will create is even more enormous. I am sure that it can keep the boat steady, but are you sure you don't need to strengthen the hull a bit more ?

Also, how are you going to power this gyro ? Have a dedicated generator for it or do you have so much extra power available in your current generator that you can run this one without changing to a bigger generator.

Lastly, what was your deciding factor to opt for another gyro and not go for more energy efficiënt electric fins ?
Good luck with the installation, will be looking forward to see the rest of the installation pictures.

 

[Greg QS]

I took a look at the specs for this one, but this weighs over 900 kg ??? Including the base plate that will be over 1 ton of ballast extra in the ER.
That is an enormous amount of weight and the torque this gyro will create is even more enormous. I am sure that it can keep the boat steady, but are you sure you don't need to strengthen the hull a bit more ?

Also, how are you going to power this gyro ? Have a dedicated generator for it or do you have so much extra power available in your current generator that you can run this one without changing to a bigger generator.

Lastly, what was your deciding factor to opt for another gyro and not go for more energy efficiënt electric fins ?
Good luck with the installation, will be looking forward to see the rest of the installation pictures.

1. Yes adding 1 ton plus bracket . Centerline of the boat aft of the engines. Yes they quoted me a 25 and a 30 ,. version . Had Seakeeper do the same . Same configuration in NM2. Quick fits better. I did the gyro on my last boat and the configurations worked perfect. Once you have a gyro you will always have one.

2 I have 2 gen sets. so I am covered. 1/2 capacity of 1 gen . Planning to use only for at rest stabilization.

3. I have hydro fins, only work while underway. I did a comparison of the 2 systems costs are the same. The gyro will work as a backup to the fine. Or if really nasty a compliment . Converting the hydro fins to at rest stabilization was about the same in $$. At rest stabilization you cannot beat a gyro.

 

[Mambo42]

1. Yes adding 1 ton plus bracket . Centerline of the boat aft of the engines. Yes they quoted me a 25 and a 30 ,. version . Had Seakeeper do the same . Same configuration in NM2. Quick fits better. I did the gyro on my last boat and the configurations worked perfect. Once you have a gyro you will always have one.

2 I have 2 gen sets. so I am covered. 1/2 capacity of 1 gen . Planning to use only for at rest stabilization.

3. I have hydro fins, only work while underway. I did a comparison of the 2 systems costs are the same. The gyro will work as a backup to the fine. Or if really nasty a compliment . Converting the hydro fins to at rest stabilization was about the same in $$. At rest stabilization you cannot beat a gyro.

Sounds amazing.

And you won't have any structural challenges with adding that amount of weight plus torque to the boat ? Did the yard calculate it for you or did Quick make the calculation.

Indeed when you have 2 gensets you won't run into problems.

If I may ask, what is the cost of this gyro system with complete installation etc ? I have the electric fins which do work on zero speed as well, they are absolutely great, but I just found out the producer refuses to sell me the seals I need to perform the yearly maintenance. They insist I hire them and they want 15.000 euro for 1.5 day of work for changing 4 seals. Told them that is not going to happen, so maybe I will just run the fins until they fail and then switch to something else. Never met a company that has gold in their hands and that is so eager to commit suicide.

 

[Greg QS]

The manufacture and Quick verified the design and location. The design of the mount is also a structure reinforcement.

The costs of the project are above in an earlier posting.

Service costs were part of my selection process. My hydraulic fin system service every 3 years 3300 with me doing the work so 1k a year. A Seakeeper has a yearly Seakeeper only service. around 1200 a year when I owned mine. The gyro has yearly service but was designed to be owner serviced. Only for the 2 year warrantee period do i need factory service. After that my preference , self or local shop. The gyro has no cooling circuit, seals, appendages to damage , or fancy oil high pressure oil systems ( like Seakeeper) to service. Service is basically a bunch of grease fittings and checking mounting hardware. This gyro seems to be simpler than the Seakeeper version . Only time will tell.

The Gyro also gives me a redundant system. It does work at speed. While running and I have the fins there is basically no genset time . So cost of running is basically free as compared to the Gyro. The Gyro only needs to be on when at rest, but only if needed.

I have been fighting the fins over the last few years. Cracked fin due to a log strike. Leaky seals that damaged the bearings so a rebuild was necessary. Broken bolts at the fin pressure plates But both of these are the lack of maintenance by the last owner. The pressure plates keep loosening up now . I thing I used too much anti seize. Going to pull apart and try clean the bolts and red Loctite this winter and see if that makes a difference. I cannot have any of these issues with the gyro .

 

[Mambo42]

The manufacture and Quick verified the design and location. The design of the mount is also a structure reinforcement.

The costs of the project are above in an earlier posting.

Service costs were part of my selection process. My hydraulic fin system service every 3 years 3300 with me doing the work so 1k a year. A Seakeeper has a yearly Seakeeper only service. around 1200 a year when I owned mine. The gyro has yearly service but was designed to be owner serviced. Only for the 2 year warrantee period do i need factory service. After that my preference , self or local shop. The gyro has no cooling circuit, seals, appendages to damage , or fancy oil high pressure oil systems ( like Seakeeper) to service. Service is basically a bunch of grease fittings and checking mounting hardware. This gyro seems to be simpler than the Seakeeper version . Only time will tell.

That sounds promising and to be able to do your own service is a hell of a lot less than 15.000 for 1.5 days of work, which I would have to pay each year. Mind you, the seals for my fins are only 700 euro, the rest is all labor and travel cost. I was kind of shocked when I received the quote, but did not even react to them. There is no sense in talking with companies that think this is normal.
So the idea of having a gyro, that you can actually service yourself, even though it guzzles electricity, it not a bad one.

 

[Greg QS]

Humm Guzzles Eclectic? I think that is a misleading statement. Do you consider you boat guzzling electric when the Ac is on for comfort? Yes it does use some power but only when needed. It also has a power savings mode. Run at 80% 4.500 w and save some KW. Power saving mode is generally all you need for anchoring. Full speed will be needed more for drift fishing in a 4' chop , cruising ( which i have fins for) or anchoring near Ferry lanes. Like behind the Statue of Liberty NY. Ferry's run and slam you 24/7.

 

[Mambo42]

Humm Guzzles Eclectic? I think that is a misleading statement. Do you consider you boat guzzling electric when the Ac is on for comfort? Yes it does use some power but only when needed. It also has a power savings mode. Run at 80% 4.500 w and save some KW. Power saving mode is generally all you need for anchoring. Full speed will be needed more for drift fishing in a 4' chop , cruising ( which i have fins for) or anchoring near Ferry lanes. Like behind the Statue of Liberty NY. Ferry's run and slam you 24/7.

Did not mean to offend you.
My electric fins use electricity only when they are needed to stabilize the boat and as soon as the boat is stable they are idle again. Average electricity usages is perhaps 10 amps per hour (at 24 V).
The electric fins are basically absolutely perfect, it is just the maintenance cost each year that are ridiculous. 15.000 euro each year in maintenance is a bit absurd and that is only to change 4 seals and a bit of grease. You are not allowed to do it yourself.
I have no systems onboard that will use 4500 W per hour, we basically never use AC, just to cool down the dogs perhaps if it is 110 F outside, but having lived in the Caribbean for almost 25 years we are used to a hot climate. If we ever use our AC it only draws 1050 W (at 220V) or 50 amps at 24 V.
I have a house bank of 1150 usuable Ah at 24 V, but that would not be enough to run the gyro through the night. The solar panels deliver around 2.5 Kw during sunlight hours, so would also not be enough.
In fact, my generator can only deliver 6.5 Kva, so that would be just enough for the gyro, but at 3 ltrs per hour (around 5.40 euro per hour) I can use the generator for 3000 hrs each year to just pay for the maintenance cost of my fin stabilizers. And that would be more than enough hours to be at anchor for many many days.

 

[Greg QS]

Things are progressing . I should have the mount from the shop on Monday. Also a custom lifting plate for the unit. I had the plate made up to compress the height of the assembly so I can use the boom at the yard and use a chain fall to lower into the Bilge. The chain fall is easier to control than the hydraulics. I may also run out of lowering ability of the boom since I am in the water. The boom will bottom out on the ground.

I have been doing some wiring of components. I have put wiring in wire loom for chafe protection. Simple and cheap protection for wiring.

I have had to run wiring through a few bulkheads Another good practice is to cut the hole. Seal hole with some 5 min epoxy. install a sleeve ( pvc pipe works great) and set into caulk.. This will keep the bulkhead protected.

 

[lwarden]

Interesting thread, I'm interested to hear the results. One minor suggestion: perhaps swap out the galvanized pipe for stainless steel and bond each pipe into the stringers with thickened epoxy, then trim the pipes flush to the stringers. I suspect the idea is the pipe is encapsulated and won't see any water, but you never know. Also, the choice of the paint on the aluminum panel will be important, firstly for corrosion resistance and also for bonding compatibility with the Plexus adhesive. In a sense, the weakest link from the stringers to the Al plate may be the paint adhesion, not the strength of the Plexus itself.

 

[Greg QS]

Good points that I have considered. SS pipe wall thickness is too thin for me. I need to clamp extremely tight. But still leave a gap for the plexus. ( that is why they are proud to the stringer.) I chose the galvanized due to the thicker wall. The pipes will be epoxied in with the plexus when the mount goes in and is squeezed into place. I left them loose now for Wiggle room for installation.
As far as the paint , There will be NO paint on the plates at the plexus adhesion points. Plexus must be boded to un finished materials. Otherwise ( you are correct) the adhesion will be to the adhesion of the paint witch is no where near the adhesion of the plexus. The Aluminum is abraded very heavily in the plexus area for good bonding with the plexus . The Glass also will be cleaned and Sanded heavily for good bonding to the plexus The remainder of the plate will be acid washed (etched) and pained with epoxy primer and automotive paint prior to installation.

 

[KnotYet]

I have included the link below to illustrate the availability of SS pipe that matches
the dimensions of galvanized pipe. While tubing can also come in many gauges,
heavy wall tubing is generally more costly than standard SS pipe of similar gauge.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[Greg QS]

Thanks for the info. I don't think its needed since the mounting bolts are grade 8 ,3/4 in , yellow galvanized from master car.

 

[KnotYet]

Thanks for the info. I don't think its needed since the mounting bolts are grade 8 ,3/4 in , yellow galvanized from master car.

You're welcome, just wanted you to know that if you ever do need SS pipe or tube
there are many wall options. Myself, I might have used heavy wall aluminum pipe.
I predict all your preparation will result in a very strong mounting solution. Good job!

 

[Greg QS]

Pulling wires again today. Needed to get a cad 5 from er to piolet house. I had dropped some pull cords through the ceilings. I don't know why I never did a pull cord from ER direct to PH. Anyway done now. Pulled 5 cad five wires. Every time i am done with it I need more. I need one for the quick and one for a new wakespeed 500 for the starboard engine . Pulled 3 extras. Put the ends on the cad 5 and tested today, all good. I was working on mounting the screen in the engine room. Also a quick network unit is needed to get the visibility of the quick on the Garmin network. Anyway another step done.! I should have my mounting plate on Monday. If so I am trying to paint in my shop on monday/tuesday and install on the 1st. If not the following weekend.

I find on large projects that seem daunting. Make a check list of all things that need to be done, and check them off as complete. This gives me a sense of accomplishment. As things get checked off I can see progress even if I cannot visibly see any.