CHAPTER 4
STEERING CONTROL SYSTEM
Passengers on the foredeck are at risk if the bow thruster is engaged
without their prior knowledge.
Consult the user’s manual for specifics about your thruster. In general, thrusters are best used in
short bursts. Prolonged use may damage the motor, or at least trip the breaker. When not in a
situation where the thruster may be necessary, leave it turned OFF to avoid damage. Consider
the fact that your thruster gets DC power from the engine start battery, which is charged by the
engine’s alternator. If the engine is not running, has not warmed up for 7-8 minutes to the point
that the alternator is charging the start battery, or running at idle, the thruster can consume more
energy than the alternator can provide.
It is possible to discharge the battery or burn out a
thruster motor by over-use of the thruster.
The thruster automatically turns OFF after 6 minutes with no use.
Turn on the thruster(s) by holding down the two left buttons (or turning the switch to ON with
some models) until the activation light appears. (You will hear the breaker click) If the light does
not appear, check to see that the large red knob for the bow-thruster circuit breaker (below
ignition panel) is pulled out.
When operating the thrusters, allow a second or two for the propeller to
come to complete stop before reversing direction to avoid damage to
either the prop or internal coupling sheer pins (Extras in holder on
motor housing under accessed through seat or berth forward hatch..
Thruster zincs should be checked periodically and replaced if
significantly worn.
4.7
TRIM TABS
At low or high speeds, it’s not necessary to trim the bow up or
down, but you may need tab applied to level the boat from side to
side due to loading or to counteract wind pressure. The boat leans
into a breeze. Tabs are useful for lowering the bow for better
visibility or for slicing through waves to avoid pounding. At higher
speeds when the boat naturally runs flatter and when running
downsea into the back of waves, it’s advisable to raise the bow for
dry running and control, allowing the bow to lift.
The trim tab breaker on the DC panel must be ON. The trim tab
control buttons are wired intuitively (the lights indicate which side is going up or down) By pushing
down the starboard arrow, the bow leans down to starboard and the lights go up on the port side.
(What’s actually happening under the boat is,the port tab is going down to apply pressure to lift
the port aft corner and side of the boat).
4.8
AUTOPILOT
(Optional)
The Electronics breaker (on the DC panel) must be ON for the autopilot to function. Check the
autopilot display and note the rudder angle indicator which helps in maneuvering the boat. When
the compass heading is displayed on the autopilot it is operational and can be activated by
pushing AUTO. The boat will then maintain the displayed heading. Push +1 or -1 for one degree
course corrections or +10 or –10 for ten degree increments. When not activated, the Autopilot
display maybe configured to show BOATSPEED (SOG from the GPS). See the Raymarine
manual.
The Autopilot has been calibrated specifically for 36z operation. If you notice “hunting” rather
than steady course keeping, see the Raymarine Manual to check Configuration parameters
applied to your device or Contact Erik Rochelle at Boston BoatWorka
.
