Chuck Gould wrote:
scbafreak via BoatKB.com wrote:
So I have recently started to learn about sailing and more about boats and I
am trying to learn all I can about all of the systems on a boat as well as
how to work them. One thing I am looking for is a diagram for a rudder setup.
snip
I googled up this diagram of a steering quadrant, and there may be
other and better examples available.
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cd...OPTR=508&REC=4
My homebrew steering wheel was made from plumbing, pulleys and cable,
and utilised a telescopic tiller arm in lieu of a quadrant. Some will
say it is counterproductive, since the steering ratio is more sensitive
at centre, and less effective at max deflection, but with 3 turns lock
to lock and 45 degrees max deflection, it served well and felt good.
The telescoping tube used as a tiller arm required that a bungee be
employed to keep the arm shortened up near centre, else it could snag
on other bits in the centre under the binnacle mounting bracket and
cable pully assembly at it's foot. It all fit under a new wooden
steerage deck in the cockpit about 5 inches tall. The tiller / quadrant
pulleys were at the rear, pulling the shortened tiller all the way over
to the sides of the footwell, where the tiller end ran part way around
the pully, which almost rubbed on the side walls.
I tried to build a quadrant, but it became too complicated, since it
needed a gimbal to keep it low and fair leading, since the rudder post
was not vertical and it's head was low down and close to the poop /
lazarette bulkhead.
It was easier to replace the tiller with a telescoping tube and use the
vertical hinge on the tiller head to keep the cable pulls fair. The
tube was mounted to a block of wood with modified eye bolts.
A heavy plastic drainpipe formed a binnacle with one bolt through the
cockpit sole and a cross member bridge deck 2 by 6 braced it
vertically. I could more easily have mounted the wheel on the after
end on the cockpit footwell, but didn't like the location.
The steering wheel axel was a burned out electric fan motor rotor with
a double ended long shaft, turned down to form a pully for the steering
cable. screws in the cooling holes clamped the cable. Inner tube
rubber boots closed the ends and faired the compass mount and steering
lock, an oil filter change wrench with bidirectional threaded clamp
band ends, all laced up tiddely and marine like. Cable ends were nico
press. Cable was ss aircraft cable from Canada Tire Corp. Wheel
bearings were cut / melted into the plastic pipe with a Weller
soldering gun and expansion fitting screwed on to accept compass base
and sieze the wheel pulley.
The ss shaft did not bother the compass. The crude wheel axel bearing
arrangement worked well for two years, until the boat was destroyed by
arsonists.
The wheel was a big 5 arm aluminium pulley with copper pipe spokes and
soft copper rim all tee'd, riveted and soldered together and faired
with epoxy bog. It could have accommodated a belt drive autopilot in
place of the steering lock.
Most annoyingly, I led a wire to plug in the compass lamp using an RCA
phono plug and twisted wires to eliminate DC circuit magnetic effects
on the compass when the lamp was on.
I used verola door casing wood for the steering deck and mahogany
veneer for the 2 by 6 steering bridge, over which it was neccessary to
climb into the helm seat, if walking on the cockpit seat tops was not
more convenient. A free standing binnacle was possible, but seemed
less desirable, then.
It was tough and rough, and it cost all of about 25 bucks and
completing it was the most satisfying thing I did that year. Painted,
it fit right in on my old Hinterhoeller 28, and I showed it happily.
Replacing the real tiller arm was a three bolt affair.
Terry K