Archive | Hydraulics

Muir Windlasses for Super Yachts

By Chris Brown on February 20, 2014 in Hydraulics, Windlass

Muir Windlass in the Anchor Room

Muir Windlass

We have the pleasure of working on a brand new 65 meter (213’) Palmer Johnson with a pair of Muir windlasses. The project required the removal of the Muir windlasses for additional metal work and paint in the anchor room.

Muir has a broad line of windlasses for small pleasure yachts up to super yachts and commercial vessels. They are built in Tasmania with a relatively simple design concept – removal and installation is fairly straight forward. Our hydraulics’ team is ready to help with any of your windlass needs whether it is Muir, Maxwell or Steen.

Maxwell 10000 Windlass Rebuild

By Chris Brown on February 14, 2014 in Hydraulics, Windlass

Maxwell 10000 Windlass missing top shim

A good customer with a 150’ Palmer Johnson had a problem with his old Maxwell Windlass units. The system was running slowly and it appeared that it would not pull the full 300’ of chain. After troubleshooting the hydraulics – flow and pressure – it was determined that the windlass was binding and needed a rebuild.

Everything was stripped from the bow for rebuild. The winch and wildcat were sent out to be re-plated with chrome. The gear box and external components were sandblasted and powder coated. During the tear-down, we discovered one of the shims for the thrust bearings was missing. This caused the entire gear and shaft to shift up and bind on the top of the aluminum case. New bearing and seals were ordered from Maxwell and the aluminum case was repaired in our machine shop.

One last detail – the area on the shaft where the lip seals run had worn with time. New shafts from Maxwell on the 10000 unit (no longer in production) are a 6 week lead time. Fortunately, our skilled machine shop cut the seal area down from 95mm to 90mm and a smaller seal was ordered – problem solved and good-to-go for many years to come.

Refurbished, re-plated and powder coated Maxwell 10000 Windlass

Replacing Hydraulic Hoses? Simple Job, Right?

By Chris Brown on October 17, 2013 in Hydraulics

Hydraulic hoses tagged and marked for replacement.

Frequently a vessel will decide it is time to change hydraulic hoses. This is usually due to age, cracking, leaking or just overall feeling that a hydraulic hose might fail. Some systems can have dozens of hydraulic hoses. It might seem pretty straight forward to pull off a hose, get one made and replace it.

Simple enough for the crew or basic mechanic – right? Sometimes – maybe.

We recently changed a large number of hoses on a 131’ Feadship hydraulic steering, crane and passerelle system. The change out was fairly straight forward taking time to plug and mark everything and maintain a clean work area. However, once the system is restarted, what do you do when it is not working properly? Now the simple “hydraulic hose changer” just got into a much deeper job.

This was the case in our job. Suddenly the passerelle would not operate. Our hose changers are highly qualified hydraulics experts and within a few hours the problem with the passerelle was resolve. As with many passerelle systems the problem was a loose sensor giving the system incorrect data.

Make sure you bring in qualified companies to do even the most basic work. It will save you time, money and headaches in the long run.

Rebuilding Hydraulic Cylinders – Always Get a Bench Test

By Chris Brown on September 6, 2013 in Cylinders, Hydraulics

30 HP Hydraulic Cylinder test pump.

The rebuild of your hydraulic cylinder just isn’t finished until you know for sure it has been bench tested.

Here at High Seas Hydraulics we have a 30 horsepower pump and no rebuild ever leaves our shop without getting it’s final test. Your cylinder is bolted to the workbench and the piston fully extended. In this position our requirement is that it hold at 2,500 PSI for 10 straight minutes with no leaks, by-passing or any movement at all. Then we do it all over again in various retracted positions.

Cylinder undergoing bench test with piston partly extended.

A normal working load for a marine hydraulic cylinder is around 200 PSI. If it passes our test at 2,500 PSI, we know it will pass any test you will give it while running off shore.

Quality control and a tough test are both equally important for us to make the commitment to you that the job is done right the first time.

Opacmare Deck Crane Five Year ABS Testing

By Chris Brown on August 6, 2013 in Cranes and davits, Hydraulics

Opacmare Deck Crane in the yard for re-certification.

Depending on the Class of your vessel, your cranes require testing and certification each year or every five years.

It involves careful inspection and load testing by an experienced technician who has kept his training and certification up to the standards required to maintain your vessel’s Class certification.

This Opacmare crane on a 130’ yacht came in for ABS class servicing and testing. The crane used Spectra Line instead of wire. This is not unusual except that due to UV deterioration, any crane that has Spectra Line should consider replacement every 12-18 months.

We replaced the Specta Line, performed load testing of the line and the overall system, re-certified for Class and had him on his way toward another season of safe yachting.

Our technicians have the right certifications to maintain your yacht with the most up to date equipment. Give us a call if you have a question about your crane or simply need new Spectra Line and a re-certification.

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