Hydraulic power is used to drive the anchoring system, the boat davit, take-home motor, and the thrusters. The hydraulic system may be subdivided into engine driven components and the boat davit system. The engine driven components use PTOs (Power Take-Off) on the generators and the main engine. The davit is completely self-contained, comprised of a hydraulic pump driven by a 240-volt motor, boom system, and electric controls. The engine driven hydraulic components are controlled through PTO activation switches and the American Bow Thruster control system. Basically, to use any hydraulic equipment except the davit, engage your desired PTO(s), and engage thruster controls at a convenient control station. Hydraulic fluid for the systems is contained in a reservoir in the engine room mounted on the aft bulkhead. System pressures can be monitored on gauges found below the reservoir. The electronic portions of the controls are located in a box found to port of the reservoir. There is a electrical diagram of the system inside the box. To use the PTO on a genset that is generating electricity, the electrical load must first be removed. Turning off the hot water heater(s), water-maker, range, oven, and air-conditioning compressor will, in general, drop the electrical load sufficiently. Trying to run hydraulics off of a generator with a heavy electrical load can and will overload the engine and cause it to die. Power from the main engine is dependent on RPM. The main may be run at a high idle to provide more power. See the engine control section for a discussion of running the main at a high idle. There are two sets of three, green, PTO activation buttons, one located on the overhead console in the pilothouse, and the other located at the port flying bridge station. The buttons are marked with the engine PTO that they control and are lit when the PTO is engaged. The thruster control panel will beep and the red Check System light will flash whenever a PTO button is pushed. This is normal. The engines may be used singly or in combination. Always start an engine before engaging it's PTO. Once you have engines running and PTOs engaged, the next step is to engage a thruster control. There are four control stations, two on the flying bridge, one on the boat deck, and one in the pilothouse. Each station is comprised of a flat black control panel with START and STOP buttons and system status LEDs (Light Emitting Diode), and two thruster control levers. Ensure that the levers are centered at the location you wish to engage. Press the START button. The panel will beep and the green Station Engaged LED should light. At this point you have hydraulic pressure available for thrusters, or the take-home drive. Each of these systems is discussed in detail below. When you are finished using hydraulics re NOTE: IF HYDRAULIC POWER IS NEEDED FROM MORE THEN ONE POWER SOURCE AT A TIME e.g. Main engine and one or both generators at the same time, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO ENGAUGE EACH OF THE PTO PUMPS (green light engagement buttons on the starboard overhead) PRIOR TO ENIGERIZING THE THRUSTER STATION ENABLERS, THEN ENGAUGE THE THRUSTER STATION ENEBLER CONTROLL. If you engage any of the hydraulic pumps while the thruster station enabler is on the pump clutches will burn out!! remember to press the Stop button on a thruster control panel and disengage the PTO(s) by pressing the green button(s) again. Two presses of the Stop button will disengage the PTO(s) also. This shortcut is handy unless you really do not want to disengage the PTO(s). If this should happen when you are at the boat deck control station you will need to go up to the flying bridge or into the pilothouse to re-engage the PTO(s). NOT An audible alarm may be heard at each thruster control station. Possible problems include low oil level, high oil temperature, and blown fuses. in the control box, The problems most often seem to be a defective station enabler control pad. Try to isolate each station control unit power source, starting with the station enabler in the aft port side control because that one gets the most moisture. The engine room control box is located in the engine room, port side above the air-conditioning unit. In the case of high temperature, the usual problem is that the system has been engaged but not actively used. Or most often that the small salt water cooling pump isn't working.. Check for proper cooling water flow. There is a sight gauge/paddle wheel located on the saltwater discharge manifold for this purpose. The pump for cooling water circulation is located on the bulkhead below the heat exchanger. The pump is fused in the American Bow Thruster control box. And there are spare impellers in the pump parts box.. If you wish to have the PTO(s) engaged for a long period of time you must have the station enablers activated activate the saltwater pump cool the fluid. Check the thermometer located on the oil reservoir. The other conditions require repair. One way to silence the alarm is to turn off the thruster system at the DC panel in the engine room, another is to disconnect the alarm wire in the control box. See the . Once the fluid has overheated the system will not activate until the temperature has fallen to within an acceptable range. In addition to the electrical and electronic control components in the engine room there is oil cooling provided through a heat exchanger mounted on the side of the oil reservoir. This heat exchanger has a zinc which must be checked on a regular basis. To recap, all hydraulic operations require at least one engine to be running, the PTO selected, and the thruster controls only activated after the PTO'S are activated.

THRUSTERS

Starr has both bow and stern thrusters. The bow thruster tube is located in the bulbous bow and can be accessed through the hatch located in the crew cabin. The stern thruster is located at the aft end of the engine room below the prop shaft. Once power is made available and a station is engaged, as detailed above, simply move one or both of the levers at the selected station to port or starboard. The forward lever controls the bow thruster and the aft lever controls the stern. Moving the lever to port moves the bow or stern to port and vice-versa. In general the bow thruster is more effective than the stern thruster is. To move to a different station, simply press the START button at that station. Remember to check for centered levers at the new station before engaging.

ANCHOR WINDLESS

The anchoring system is comprised of a hydraulically driven reel holding 90 feet of chain and 400 feet of ¾ inch cable, a 300-pound Forfjord anchor, mechanical lock, and proportional control valve. The anchor windlass shares the hydraulic system with the thrusters and take-home drive. To run the windlass, a PTO, usually the main engine's, and a thruster control station must be engaged. Additionally, a switch located on the upper pilothouse console, marked WINDLASS, must be put in the up position. This allows hydraulic fluid to flow to the windlass. This decreases the amount of power available to the thrusters and is thus left in the lower, off position, unless anchoring. This valve has stuck in the past. If no flow is heard at the control valve toggle the switch up and down a couple of times until fluid flow is heard. Run the main engine at high idle when using it to power the anchoring system. This will keep it from bogging down and sooting up. A mechanical proportional control valve with lever is located in the starboard storage locker on the foredeck to control the windlass. Pulling the lever forward pays the rode out, pushing it back pulls the rode in. The further the pull or push from the center, neutral, position, the faster the reel rotates. A long lever on the starboard side of the windlass controls a brake. To deploy the anchor, push the lever away from you slowly until the lock handle can be easily pulled forward about six inches. It will usually just fall forward by itself. Pull the control lever toward you until the reel just begins to pay rode out. It may be necessary to "help" the anchor get started. Do not let too much slack into the chain or try to get the anchor out too quickly. It will swing into the hull or bulbous bow. Once the anchor is in the water the rode can be let out quickly. Once you have let out the desired scope, stop the reel rotation, push the lock handle back and SLOWLY pay out just enough rode to allow the lock to engage. To retrieve the anchor, simply reverse the operation. If the anchor comes up to the bow roller sideways a person with long arms can reach down and rotate it by hand. If the flukes are up as the anchor begins to rotate over the bow roller simply reel it in very slowly and allow the flukes to fall down before getting close to the hull. Remember to set the lock and to turn off the windlass switch and hydraulics when finished. There is usually some slack in the chain when the anchor is up in it's stowed position. There is a small block and tackle which can be used to tighten up the anchor so that it does not rattle around. NOTE. IF THE CONTROL SWITCH IN THE WHEELHOUSE OVERHEAD IS ACCIDENTLY SWITCHED OFF WHILE THE ANCHOR IS BEING PLAYED OUT THE DRUM WILL FREEWHEEL OUT WITHOUT ANY CONTROL. Stand back!!!

TAKE HOME DRIVE

In the event of a main engine or transmission failure, Starr has a hydraulically driven backup drive system. The system is made up of a hydraulic motor, chain-connected gear on the prop shaft, and directional control. The first step is to connect the motor to the prop shaft. The chain is in a plastic box under the sink next to the tool chest. Remove the white chain guard from the drive motor and connect the chain around both gears. There is a large pipe wrench in the laz to stop and hold the shaft with. Set up hydraulic power as you would for thrusters. Locate the toggle switch on the port side of the American Bow Thruster control box located on the aft engine room bulkhead. Flip this switch up. This switch disables the stern thruster and enables the take-home drive. Use the stern thruster control lever at any station to operate the drive. Moving the control to the right drives the boat forward and to the left is reverse??? With proper electrical load control both gensets can be used to drive the boat around five knots in calm seas. ZF, the main engine gear manufacturer has suggested topping off the oil level in the gear and suggests we keep a watch on how hot the gear box may become..

BOAT DAVIT

The boat davit is one of the simpler systems on Starr. A direct-connected AC motor drives a hydraulic pump that supplies power to the davit. The electrical power can come from either the gensets or from the batteries. To select the power source, whither gensets or batteries, use the selector switch located on the electrical panel's lower port panel. The pump/motor set is located in the engine room below the vise. Included in the set is the reservoir for hydraulic oil. Operating the davit is just a matter of connecting the electrical controls to the aft end of the davit arms and pushing buttons. The controls are normally kept in the locker to starboard of the mast. A spare control is kept in the pilothouse underneath the settee, starboard, forward cushion. If, after plugging the control in, some functions do not work, ensure that the connection is firmly in place and that all of the pins are clean and intact. The three toggle switches on the control are fairly self-explanatory. LINEAR WINCH controls the cable, BOOM LUFF controls the davit arm, and ROTATE DAVIT does just that. There are two sets of red marks used to align the boom for lifting the large tender. When the boom is raised to the proper height a long red line will be visible on the port side of the pedestal, aligned with the boom arm. Lining up the two red marks on the forward side of the pedestal puts the arm over the boat in the proper location. After connecting the cable to the bridle check (again) that the boat is released from the three deck tie-downs, and that the plug is in. Note that when lowering the boat into the water that the boom WILL hit the side railings if lower too much. Also note that the deck mounting for the davit is not designed to lift the tender with the boom below about 45°. Try to lift the boat out of the water close to either side of Starr. This precludes lifting the tender from the stern of Starr.