Meridian 490 Pilothouse, Owner'S Manual

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490 Pilothouse • Owner’s Manual
Chapter 4: Controls & Gauges
Hydraulic Steering System
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Your yacht features a hydraulic steering system.
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Check the fluid level in the hydraulic steering reservoir at each helm every time you use your yacht.
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Yacht steering is not self-centering.
Rudder Stuffing Gland
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The rudder stuffing gland is part of the assembly where the rudders emerge from the
bottom of your yacht.
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The rudder stuffing gland should not leak any water.
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If a leak develops, you can usually stop it by slightly tightening the stuffing gland nuts.
•
Do not over tighten the stuffing gland nuts.
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If leakage becomes excessive, packing replacement can be done as follows:
1. Remove your yacht from the water.
2. Loosen the stuffing gland nuts and back the stuffing gland from the sleeve.
3. Remove the old packing.
4. Wrap new packing around the shaft.
5. Cut the rings with a razor blade at an angle approximately 30 degrees to the long axis of the shaft.
6. Stagger the ends of each ring around the shaft and insure that the rings are at the bottom in the sleeve.
7. Tighten the stuffing gland nuts until resistance is felt.
Shift/Throttle Controls
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Your yacht will have either mechanical or electronic shift/throttle controls. The operation of these two types of
controls varies. Make sure you know which type of controls your yacht has.
•
Read all of the information about the shift/throttle controls in the shift/throttle controls’ manual, the engine opera-
tion manual, and the Cruiser & Yacht Owner’s Manual Supplement.
Compass
TILLER ARM
UPPER
BEARING
DETAIL VIEW OF
SUPPORT
RUDDER
STUFFING
GLAND
TYPICAL RUDDER SYSTEM
LOSS OF CONTROL HAZARD!
Improper maintenance of shift/throttle hardware may cause a sudden loss of control!
WARNI N G! !
•
Compass accuracy can be affected by many factors.
•
Have a trained technician calibrate your compass.
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Make sure the technician gives you a deviation card which shows the corrections to apply in
navigational calculations.
•
Keep a copy of the deviation card at each helm.
NOTI CE