So I mentioned in my last post (Late Winter Check-up) that I need to remove the wheel from Errant. I’ve decided to forego replacing the stock Edson wheel with a Lewmar folding wheel. I still love so much about it, but
- it adds one more thing to break and maintain,
- it’s a slightly spendier gadget than I should justify now,
- and I’d rather “test drive” one before committing.
But I’m ready to swap out the hot-or-cold-or-clammy feel of a stainless steel wheel, and adding a suede/leather cover seems like a smart upgrade. But first I needed to remove the wheel to take it home. (More on the new wheel cover soon.)
How to Remove the Wheel
I should start by acknowledging that I got lucky. Removing Errant’s wheel was quick and easy. Apparently that’s not always the case, but I’ll leave instructions for trickier removal to my unlucky counterpart wrestling the wheel free.
In my case, the task was completed in three simple steps:
- To remove the wheel from Catalina 310 you will first need to remove the nut.
- Once you have removed the nut you can slide the wheel off. (Note: You may need a gear puller to loosen the wheel.)
- Once you remove the wheel from your Catalina 310 be careful not to misplace the key.
Here’s what it should look like.
What About the Autopilot?
Good question. I did skip explaining how to remove the autopilot prior to removing the wheel. Hope that doesn’t confuse anybody!
I have some autopilot maintenance (or replacement?) that I need to undertake and that I’ll report in a separate post. I’m still figuring out the best path forward. But, for the sake of clarity, if you have an autopilot that attaches to / syncs with your wheel you’ll obviously need to remove that before you remove the wheel.