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And thus the work proceeds;
the two tackles hoisting and lowering simultaneously;
both whale and windlass heaving, the heavers singing,
the blubber-room gentlemen coiling, the mates scarfing,
the ship straining, and all hands swearing occasionally,
by way of assuaging the general friction. —Herman Melville

Ahoy,

We're still working on covering boards and the like (sometimes dislike as well). We still making planks for the cockpit sharp curves and the like. In good time, we should be able to post a photo or two.

In the meantime, however, we began work on the steering system. We want something similar to the Edson design— a rack and pinion steering system often seen on larger sailboats and racers. We've thought about this for sometime, and even looked over a few similar systems featured on Frank Hagan's fine site.

We decided, though, to try something a bit different. Yes, we will have the three spockets, and accompaning cable with turnbuckles. It seems better to us (actually it seems better to Alan Mann) to fabricate an aluminum plate with all the components attached to the plate: spockets, shaft, and sheaves. Our plate will be around 24" X24" and will also include stops so that the tiller (rudder) cannot turn so far that the rudder becomes a brake. It will take a few weeks for us to fabricate what we need.

The plate will keep all the stress off the wood, and therefore, should be a much more reliable system. We have a tiller which I fabricated some many months ago. We may need a quadrant instead.

What's the maximum angle for a rudder turn?
How responsive should a steering system be? by that I mean, a complete turn of the coaxswain wheel for a complete turn, or only a partial turn of the wheel for a complete turn?

The sprockets should offer us a lot of leverage. We also want to create a brake for the steering shaft so that if our winds are favorable, we can lock the tiller and stay our course.

Such is our thinking for now.

Jim,
You had better get going on that boat. I may just be on short final into Phoenix. The steering set-up sounds interesting. My wheel takes too many turns lock to lock. If it was 1/2 turn from center to stop it would be better I think.


Bill,
PM and tell me about your mother’s house.

V/r

Craig

Any more than about 30 degrees to either side of center will result in loss of turning efficiency and result in braking increases and more drag. Some keel/rudder combinations take a little more, some less to reach optimum. But when it is too much it is quite noticable and you simply don't turn or turn in hops, skips and jumps. And hop, skips and jumps are better left for schoolyard games. :wink:

On a full length keel boat like yours, steering will be unremarkable, regardless of the system employed. It's a function of the water flow around the long keel, which makes the boat want to go straight. This is especially true when backing up. Many full keel craft can't back up, but in one direction, under power. This is a result of "prop walk" and you'll learn how to work this too. A well timed "blip" of the throttle with the correct helm input can swing the stern in the direction you want. It takes practice, but is very limited, particularly when compared to a trolling motor or outboard, linked to the helm.

Since your rudder is rather broad, you'll have a fair amount of leverage and hopefully the prop aperture, being so large will help provide some additional "bite", 45 degrees would be a handy spot to fix your stops. This is 45 degrees in both directions, not 22 1/2 on each side, totaling 45. This will get you into the brake zone, which can be handy at times, when you need to come to a skidding stop.

The moment you go past the effective angle the rudder needs to aid steering, it will become quite obvious. The rudder will stall and this will likely setup some vibration, plus the boat will start to dramatically slow down. With that keel, she'll not have any real bad habits, like jumping sideways or anything, but you'll quickly notice you're not turning. This usually occurs when you NEED to turn and are pointing your sprit at something much less forgiving, then you'd care to bash into.

I know most like to build their own steering systems and cable/pulley systems are okay. I like to use some of the racks or rotary steering systems, available from the local marine store. Bolt it on and stop cussing about the sloppiness, having to adjust cables, grease pullies, etc. These things last decades without service, generations if maintained. They cost about a buck and a half for a basic rack and are available in different cable lengths to suit any boat. They're a lot stronger then your steering needs will require and light weight.