One of the challenges that arises when going with the kick up rudder option is that any mechanism designed to rotate the rudder shafts will also need to contend with any changes in geometry as the rudder is allowed to kick back upon hitting a large submerged anvil.
Rather than go with a complicated series of pivot arms, levers, cables chains and sprockets or with a 100 percent hydraulic steering, I have designed a simple, robust system that incorporates dyneema rope, aircraft grade pulleys (one system per hull with an alignment link system between the two. The reason that I decided upon a design of my own were:
1. I engineered it to handle stronger loads than most conventional steering systems..
2. All components are available through Mc Master Carr and a local machine shop.
3. I will be able to repair and maintain this system anywhere in the world without needing to order specialty parts from far away marine supply houses.
4. The system is strong but very lightweight.
Here are a few photos showing some of the details of the design but without a schematic or sketch of the full design, it will be fairly difficult to see how all these details will come together so I will post a full description of my system once it has been completely installed.
More will be revieled
Rather than go with a complicated series of pivot arms, levers, cables chains and sprockets or with a 100 percent hydraulic steering, I have designed a simple, robust system that incorporates dyneema rope, aircraft grade pulleys (one system per hull with an alignment link system between the two. The reason that I decided upon a design of my own were:
1. I engineered it to handle stronger loads than most conventional steering systems..
2. All components are available through Mc Master Carr and a local machine shop.
3. I will be able to repair and maintain this system anywhere in the world without needing to order specialty parts from far away marine supply houses.
4. The system is strong but very lightweight.
Here are a few photos showing some of the details of the design but without a schematic or sketch of the full design, it will be fairly difficult to see how all these details will come together so I will post a full description of my system once it has been completely installed.
More will be revieled
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2 comments:
Great blog! One thing to think about with using dyneema line in a steering system is that it will creep (get slowly longer). You will spend a lot of time in the first few months of use re-tightening the system. The creep eventually stops. The longer the rope runs, the worse it will be. I thought I was going to leave the dyneema lines on after using them for an emergency repair on the way to the Marquesas, but I got tired of climbing into the laz to adjust the steering.
Hey, thanks for the words about using dyneema for my steering system. You're most likely correct but I'm thinking about incorporating a really unique device that is being used to adjust downhaul on a windsurfer. It's basically a very robust and simple crank that provides a huge mechanical advantage while making it really easy to take up any slack. I'll let you know if I can make that work without adding a potential failure point.
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