Progress with Electronics Problems

Maritime Electronics was able to repair the Raymarine ST60+ depth and wind displays whose connectors had been heavily damage from corrosion.  The charge was $120 which I thought to be reasonable, considering the alternative of purchasing new heads. 

New connectors for ST60+ displays

I managed to spend some time on the boat yesterday (Saturday) morning had taken one step back with the Seatalk network: whereas on the previous visit the C120 chart plotter had begun to report the position of the boat, during this visit it knew nothing beyond where the cursor was on the chart. 

We are in the middle of an early heat wave and the temperature today is expected to go above 41C (106F) so I was up shortly after 5 AM and was at the boat just after 6 AM to get as much work as possible before the heat set in.  Conditions were very good and I managed the delicate work of fitting 7 new connectors for the instruments with no problem.  I then tested the units and was pleased to see that I was getting depth readings but wasn't surprised to find that I still had no wind data.  Worse, the autopilot head was still reporting "Seatalk Failure" and the the C120 was getting to data from the various instruments.

With my new confidence with those tiny Seatalk connectors I decided to have on last look at the connections into the Autopilot head at the binnacle, and just as well I did because the middle connector had not been properly inserted.  When I repositioned that connector the Seatalk network came alive and the C120 was reporting boat position, speed, heading, and depth.

At this point I think that I have gone as far as practicable with the electronics.  The radar is not working, and my strong suspicion is that the problem is in the upper part of the cable which was repaired in situ up the mast in Argentina.  The wind system is not working and I suspect that the problem is also up the mast at the masthead unit.  I commented during my passage around the Horn that the wind masthead unit has the toughest life of any component on the boat.  It had to endure day after day of gales and heavy rolling with heaven knows the strength of wind surges.

I then 90 minutes going through the boat's spares and materials and removed 7 plastic containers and buckets of material for storage in Darlington.

I will contact Maritime Electronics this week and arrange a visit to the boat in the new year.
 

Work on Electronics

Pachuca's Raymarine electronics system is not working very well.  The components that are not working are:

- Radar
- ST60+ depth sounder
- ST60+ wind instrument
- Autopilot (even with the new head that I brought back from the USA
- Flux gate compass

The only thing that is working is the C120 multifunction display, which can display charts but no position or wind and depth data.

I am pretty sure that the problem with the radar is the cable, which was heavily repaired with soldering while we were in Argentina.  That leaves the other components.

YUK!

BLAH!

BARF!

Fortunately I began my investigation by removing the panel above the companionway that houses the ST60+ wind and depth displays and I was shocked at what I found.  During those months of rough sailing from La Paz onwards salt water had found its way behind the panel and heavily corroded the connections to the displays.  The connectors were corroded into the posts and is several cases the connectors held and it was the wires that broke.  In one case it was the post that gave way.  The photos tell the sad story.

I immediately took the displays to my old friends at Maritime Electronics for cleanup, assessment, and possible repair.  I certainly hope that they can be salvaged.  When the instruments are back in place - be they the repaired originals or new ones - I will try the system again.  I will also arrange a visit to check the radar system.  When everything is working again I will put a rubber seal between the wind instrument panel and the companionway bulkhead to prevent a repetition.

I marveled at how quick and easy was to deliver the displays for repair after a 10 minute drive, in contrast to the weeks and sometimes months of waiting for repairs while in foreign ports.  It will be a long time, if ever, before I take this easy availability of parts and services for granted.

The house renovation is taking priority over the boat but I plan to spend time on the boat whenever I get the opportunity in order to get her ready for sea again.  I have removed bags of clothing from the boat so that I can wash everything - including the bags - and return only a modest amount of it.  I have also begun removing unnecessary equipment, materials, and tools.  The electronic repairs is a lead time item that I have already started.  There is some urgent varnishing and stainless steel polishing that I want to finish by the end of January.  The hull is in good shape and I might get by with sending a diver to clean it in the water.  The rigging, sails, and engine, and communications system are in top condition.