STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN! - Episode 162 

David Shih is really working hard on his second channel here

Crossover question… when will you have Cptn Glenn come sail with you, he can be a deckie, he’s so straight backed but chill it would be great to see him IRL outside below deck.

David is a fun add to the team. I know he can't stay, but fun while he is there. Great episode Colin.

David shih is such a natural host/camera narrator. He deserves a shoutout.

Drill the end of the tread and put a split pin through, so even if nut come loose they cant fall off, nyloc nut as well, you also need a catch pin or bar , so that if chain comes off sprocket again it cant drop all the way down.

One thing about it when you and Jamie had to take your boat apart to fix it you learned every nook and cranny and system and where to look to fix things! Good job!

I’ve used jam nuts for over 40 years and never had them fail to hold if properly jammed together. There are multiple kinds of locktite…. Don’t use red unless you are willing to heat it with a torch to loosen it. At least one variety…. green I think can be applied after tightening. My favorite is plain old blue locktite… The most common. Not only does it hold well, but I use it as an anti seize. It keeps moisture out, and by doing so prevents rust and corrosion. I prefer all metal lock nuts to nylocks….feel they hold better IMHO, though they may not be as easily found. Rudder failure is a very common problem, and spade rudders while efficient and well balanced can be virtually impossible to repair at sea if there is a strike. If you cannot jettison a bent rudder and stock it can make it virtually impossible to control the boat. The Gunboat Rainmaker is the classic case, but there have been many others.

Good job in keeping a level head. Colin, you're a good officer and it's clear you take your responsibility for the safety of your boat and your crew very seriously. Your leadership also manifests in conscientiousness to other mariners - in the great and time-honoured tradition. Tough sail, but it was great to see a tired smile after safe arrival. I look forward to following your adventure. And whenever you come past South Africa, try to time it with The Rugby Championship - I'll sponsor tickets to 1 x Springboks vs All Blacks and 1 x Springboks vs. Wallabies match for you and the crew as long as I get to join in... 😁👍🏉 And if you guys don't care for Rugby I'l settle for drinks!

Dont know who did the edeting on for the first 2 min on this, but man, keep him/her 4ever!

No matter what the situation you guys are faced with, you’re always smilin Colin. That makes me smile 😊 Thank you for sharing your journey

The dogs are hilarious together just like two kids having a blast

Having David in the videos is such a bonus. He’s such a likeable character and seems a good laugh. Long May it continue!! 👍

Bravo Zulu. Knowing every detail of every system of your home saved the crew from being stranded a few days at sea

Parlay, Colin, every time I watch your next adventure, I learn something. I am taking my family our first ever yacht charter this summer, around the Greek islands. Just done my day skipper and I have the squeaky bum, but totally excited for it. This is as a result of your opening statement to each of your vlogs; you’ll regret it if you don’t try, Cheers. 🤟

A mark of a true leader. Being able to keep your head while those around you are losing theirs... Great job Colin. Fair winds bud.... ⛵

Try keeping a bottle of removeable Loc-Tite in the tool box. Helps keep nuts and screws in place until you want them out. You and the crew have been through this enough that your trouble shooting is quick to find the problem.

Colin, When I read your title I did not realize that there was that many backups. I am so glad that you did. I want you to know it would not be Sunday for me without your video. If I was younger I would love to travel with you all. But I suspect there is no room for a great grandfather. So I wish you all smooth sailing. Have fun and be safe. ⛵🤗

Colin even when others would panic….you stay positive and work through the problem. I hope your crew and friends appreciate how knowledgeable you are. I would trust you with my life any day. Stay safe and enjoy all that you have worked so hard for.

Another bonus to dyneema line is you can repair it with a bury splice. I snapped the dyneema line on my winch when I was off-roading. I thought the only solution was to replace the whole winch line. I was pretty pumped when I discovered how to do a bury splice. I was able to repair the line and lost very little length. You can barely tell where it was repaired as well. Check it out. It might not be a bad tool to keep in your back pocket.

Video of the dogs on the beach was fire. Really great video and story telling.

Never a dull moment on Parlay!

I think I would probably be very calm knowing there’s a mechanical genius on board and he’s very “Chill”....Actually, it’s just so great to see you guys finally getting to hit the water and enjoy yourselves, not that you aren’t always having a great time...... ⛵️

Great work and attitude addressing the problem. Great crew as everyone works together. Fix idea: Seems the best way to keep those nuts from coming completely undone is to drill and pin the shaft. Simple cotter key will keep them from backing completely off the shaft and creating all the other issues associated with losing tension.

I truly enjoyed Colin on the Bravo television set, he seems wise beyond his years. good luck fellas...

Bocas del Toro regatta was held on Feb 20th 2022. From there Parlay went to the Panama canal...4 MONTHS AGO.

As an old helicopter mechanic, double safety anything critical. Locknut and a palnut for steering!

You might want to inexpensively invest in some lock-nuts. There are several types of lock nuts, the most common of which include metal lock nuts and nylon-insert lock nuts. Metal lock nuts feature a crowned top that can be crimped to secure the nut in place. In comparison, nylon lock nuts feature a layer of nylon material covering the interior threading. When a nylon lock nut is placed on a bolt, the nylon fibers expand to grip the bolt.

"That's a Crows Nest"! Luv ya Jamie! 😉

As to the cause.... You mentioned motor sailing: vibration would be the first thing I'd look into. Also Norlock washers work good. Not cheap, but good

Colin and Jamie was a cool combo and I was super sad when he left. Now that he is back and its Tom, Colin, and Jamie...💯! What a killer group of guys!

Murphy's Law: Anything that can happen will happen. Good thing there is redundancy. Thanks for sharing, Parley always brings a smile to my face, you've got a great crew.

David’s energy is just contagious! I’m so happy he’s along for the adventures with you guys

hope you put a nylon locknut to prevent this issue from happening again. Or drill a small hole through that bolt and put a safety pin to make sure it doesn't come undone. But yeah, definitely the right mindset, knowing that this could've happened in an anchorage next to a reef, or worse in a marina full of boats, definitely gives me chills.

I love watching how you handle what ever is thrown at you, you just say oh well let's get on with it and fix it. Great sailing.

Locktite is a valuable tool on a boat with all the vibration.

I’m thinking that once you turned on the auto pilot you lost tension on the nuts and they vibrated off allowing the chain to fall.lock nuts or some locktite (red) Panama Canal!! WoopWoop!!!cograts Fair winds ⛵️

Colin is always looking on the bright side of life... Keep up the great work champ some people are living there dream watching your vids keep them coming... And taking people and sharing your boat with other's is awesome.....

If one side of the steering assembly comes undone there's still tension on the other side via the wheel sprocket. Vibration and movement is tough on normal hardware. as others have said Nylocks can damage the thread and plastic/rubber ones will corrode in your environment. On the railway we use locking washers called Nord Locks? maybe worth a try. glad it wasn't the Dyneema as that's only just been installed! Happy sailing

Just Love you all❤😊

Great attitude when the SHTF stay calm, engage brain and solve the problem. Great teamwork. It’s so important that you know your vessel inside and out.

*Phew, so glad that you got your main steering sorted... you da man Colin who knows his stuff... I hope David is learning all this, for when he goes back onto his boat and continues his sailing with all his learned new found knowledge*

extraordinary journey so far.. cant to see the passage thru the canals

I am glad you were able to fix it and yes some curses are actually blessing, God has his arms around you for sure.

I loved the sailing action and as always, the positive attitude while problem shooting. Great episode. I also like how you mix in Dave's footage.

Love and Gratitude ❤❤❤ stay Humble

The thing with sailing it would appear is things are happening kind of laid back and going slow/smooth until they aren't and it can escalate quickly. Love the optimism from you and your crew Colin. Colin, you're teaching everyone to see the bright side of things as they happen and not focus on the bad but see it all as a blessing. It's also always fun to see Dave running around doing his thing making people laugh and having a good time. Fair winds, following seas, safe travels and God Bless...

I was a bit surprised, that there were no self-locking nuts on this threaded rod or at least. 2 nuts on each side, to lock them. But all went fine and you stay calm every time!

I absolutely loved this! It was like being there with you without the anxiety, sea sickness or wind. Colin you are amazingly calm.

Vibrations from the rudder loosen the nuts so use nylock nuts or locktight

Good job staying calm and positive Kazy! Great experience for Dave and Daryl too 😊👍

Boat Gremlins.. You can almost hear them giggling in the distance when the wierd shit breaks or stops working 😂 they are good friends with Murphy.. glad it was fixable and no harm situation. You're right, it could have been worse and you solved it without panic.

Colin, your mind set is right on. As boat owners, we expect things to go wrong and break, it is our nature. We relish and joyfully rejoice in a passage that nothing happens, and then we question why nothing happened.......great vid as always, dedicated fan. Will be putting my own boat in the water soon. Hopefully will meet you and yours on the ocean blue. Have a safe sail, and may you sails never fail.

GREAT ATTITUDE on the problem

You have such a great positive attitude about things, very admirable!

No Dave, that is a problem but not the worst possible thing. Collin,s approach is perfect starting with positive thinking, analysis and in the end repair. Great job! I believe in redundancy as well. We got 2 auto pilots and an emergency tiller similar to yours on our boat.

I am sure that you must have a calm demeanor when comes to sailing. I would have personally freaked out if my steering had gone out! Ole "cool as a cucumber" Colin just smiling like a Chesshire cat!

Captain Calm. Nobody ever fixed anything by panicking. Good work y'all.

Love the attitude when faced with the steering issue; be thankful it wasn’t a dangerous situation, know you have back ups, stay calm and fix the problem. 🤙🏻

Hi guys thanks for the wonderful video again I really love all your adventures even when things fail and you always have a solution for them , the good thing is Coleen has dealt with a lot of stuff like this before and the biggest boat Cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia

Awesome

My saying "out bad comes good". You learned how to as a group to get thru a tough situation. As well as taught not just the crew but your followers a possible fix. Some one will feel the good coming out of bad.

Still the engineer. Good job colin and crew. You guys are awesome 🍻

Your channel is my favourite. Thanks Parlay for a super episode.

I thoroughly enjoy these videos mate, your calm head and general persona is so different from all the other drama filled RU-vid channels.

I’m going to send you some blue loctite 243 does the same as a lock nut but isn’t permanent. Nice work getting it back together!

Lock tight red , locking nuts or even locking wire if you wana get crazy… but you already knew this🤘🏽

Well everybody's comments covered with part I wanted to put but I'm glad everybody is okay on that passage. All of you stay safe and healthy out there and as good to see you having fun David where is your boat David?

Great video Colin! Incredible crew! Awesome how everyone pulls together to fix the problem. Like you said "a blessing in disguise" before setting sail again. So glad Dave got to join you this passage! You're a huge inspiration!!

Maybe putting self locknut as a safety to avoid this from happening. Good that there are 3 layers of rudder. Good job on keeping calm and looking for a solution. Like you said Colin it’s best when it happens in the least damaging situation.

So nice to see a sailor that keeps a level head and works through the issue at hand. Now tp limit Daves screen time and you will have your channel back on track

After being introduced to Safety Wire/wiring in the military, I safety wire ALL critical fasteners on everything that I own that has an engine.

Mateys, I have been watching you"all for the past couple of years I live vicariously through you guys I'm 72 years old and enjoy every minute of your adventures. I am a Vietnam Veteran and was a member of the SAS. Being Kiwi you probably know what that means? My trade in the Regiment was water operations. Which involved water demolition, diving, and small craft operations. So I know where you guys are coming from. If you put a washer or spring washer between your nuts, you may find they keep tight.

Hope you all slept well 🙏🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

I agree with BOB B about the cotter pin, but in the meantime, I would would add LockNut to the threads and but the buts back on tight.

Hey Colin, BOLO potential hurricane headed your way! Take care of yourself and your crew!

Give old Dave a wrap, I reckon he's doin' alright!

Thank you for the video.

Awesome stuff!!!

Omg you da man!!! Excellent!❤️👏👏👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏✌️❤️❤️😘🌞👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️

There is a device called an optimiser, little black box that can be installed per solar panel, which allows them to work in the shade.. highly recommend for peak solar performance :) roughly $50 per item here in AUS

Should use aviation type nuts with holes so that you can lock wire them. All aviation controls are safety wires so that they don't unscrew themselves.

Thank goodness for good friends and a good crew. What if you had lost steering at night near all those big ships!!!!! Nice job!!!

Threadlock! The blue stuff!

Great episode. Can’t wait to see you guys go through the canal and beyond

Well played.

Love the positive outlook on situations. Keep up the great job team!

Howzit Colin 🤙 awesome video as always ! Just a thought, can you drill a small hole through each of those tensioner thread rods so that you can then put a cotter/split pin through them that will keep the nuts in place even if they come loose? Same principle as a castle nut on a ball joint basically. Anyway looking forward to the next video, hope you guys are all well. Cheers🍺

Hello from Boca Raton Florida ⛵️

Good job Captain and crew..very good show. Photography is sweet

I love your attitude of perfect timing for this to break. It really was too. Just commenting for the algorithm...

You could make a watertight pod for the bike? Maybe get a sponsor for an electric one (charge it from your solar too)

Coolest guy on the ocean, superbly handled, all the way right from the very beginning when you went quiet, I could see you working the problem, awesome

Good calm response to a sh*tty moment. Happily it happened on the open sea with conditions that could be much worse. @15:37 and 16:00 Maybe a little locktite wil help? I think the second (which ever) could become undone because the bolt(s) could vibrate freely when loose. (There could be hours in between the two)

Love the calm reaction.

locknuts should work better than just normal nuts, but still great that you got it fixed so fast :)

Good shake down .

Calm, cool, and collected plus a PMA. Good qualities in a leader!.

Lock washers might have prevented the nuts from falling off the steering linkage.

I like how the boat floats on top of the water and goes places. Dogs say bark bark.

REAL DEAL! I've seen nuts roll off of bolts under the right frequency of vibration. Try lock washers or even run teflocks all the way down.