Among our first upgrades was to replace the original hide-covered steering wheels with something fresher.
Before
In the before picture, you can see the standard Lewmar Mini Maxi 40″ wheels with hide covers. The actual feel of the wheels wasn’t particularly bad so this upgrade was really mostly related to the aesthetics of it all. (And obviously also our subjective views on what looks great and what doesn’t. Understandably, not all would agree.)
After
As we wanted to mimic what Hanse uses themselves in their more recent yachts, we ordered the new wheels from Carbonautica. Hanse uses the SPORT model from the GFC (Glass Fibre Composite) line.
To get the right fit, there were quite a few measurements to take, but in the end, we got it right. With great help from Carbonautica’s excellent customer service, I might add. (Thank you, Žiga!)
Here’s a short list of the details.
- The correct replacement for Lewmar’s Mini Maxi 40″ was the 1000mm wheel (list price then, 865 eur per wheel).
- As the Lewmar wheel was thicker, it used too long wheel nuts for the Carbonautica wheel, so we had to order shorter wheel nuts as well (44.94 eur per wheel nut from seashop.be).
- The original Lewmar wheel brake wasn’t compatible either (too long, wouldn’t brake the wheel even when tightened), so we ordered new custom wheel brakes from Carbonautica to fit the style (120 eur per brake).
- Finally, we are trying to (bit by bit) remove the navy-colored fabrics, so we bought two new wheel covers from Carbonautica as well (150 eur per cover).
Summing It Up
We are very happy with the look and feel of our new black GRP wheels. The total price, including shipping and VAT but excluding the installation work, was 2,763 eur (or about 1,380 eur per wheel).
Comparing to Hanse’s list prices for new yachts: if you buy these as an option for a new Hanse 548, Hanse charges 1,840 eur plus VAT for the wheels and 690 eur plus VAT for the covers. It would make sense to buy the wheels as a part of the performance package, however, and I think that is a good deal.
Well you know that you influenced my decision to get the white wheels on Primal, however your new black wheels look amazing. I confess that when I look at pictures of Ningaloo (my 385) the steel wheels do look dated.
Just a comment on your canvas. I liked the dark grey we had on Ningaloo and went for the same on Primal, however I think that any dark colour is a mistake for warmer countries. Black will be great I. the Baltic (I shiver thinking of that cold easterly wind!) but if you have plans for cruising further south I’d go for a light colour for your sprayhood and Bimini.
Thank you!
And thank you for the canvas insight. I mentioned it to Charlotte and she agrees and wants something light 🙂 Let’s see what we can get. I think the most difficult challenge for us is to find someone (the company) to do it.
Mikael
Så snyggt!
Tackar!