DIY steering for 14 foot AL

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deliperrot@yahoo.com - 23 Apr 2005 11:38 GMT

HI I have a 14 foot Al boat. I want to install seats probably just the
canadian tire special. but is dumb to put steering on a small boat...I
have a johnson 6 i cant seem to find plans for steering on the internet
just kits and books....

cheers

maybe i can post a picture

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Roger Derby - 23 Apr 2005 13:51 GMT

Run a line around the perimeter of the crew space with eyes for fairleads
and secure the ends to the tiller. From anywhere in the boat, you can
adjust the helm and if there's enough friction, it stays where you leave it.

Probably won't work for Miss Budweiser, but it answered quite well for a
sailing kayak I messed with in high school.

Roger
derbyrm@NOSPAMearthlinkNOSPAM.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~derbyrm

> HI I have a 14 foot Al boat. I want to install seats probably
> just the canadian tire special. but is dumb to put steering on
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> maybe i can post a picture

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William R. Watt - 23 Apr 2005 15:06 GMT

You can bolt a vertical tiller to one gunwale with the lines running back
along the same side to the motor. TF Jones describes how to do it in one of
his books in the chapter on narrow powerboats.

We used to use an extension right on the handle of the motor.

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Ian Malcolm - 25 Apr 2005 12:04 GMT

> You can bolt a vertical tiller to one gunwale with the lines running back
> along the same side to the motor. TF Jones describes how to do it in one of
> his books in the chapter on narrow powerboats.

Or use a whipstaff (stick pivoted to hog, steering lines half way up the
stick, push the top the way you want to go) N.B. unless you cross the
lines at the transom, the action *will* be opposite to that of the
engine's tiller

> We used to use an extension right on the handle of the motor.

Gets in the way a lot and you cant do any tight manouvers easily. I
prefer the improvised twin rope steering. Have operated a rig like that
for about 50 hours while the proper safety boat was U/S (maintenance).
There was negligable slop in the steering and what there was was
easily removed just by pulling the steering bar gently towards you. The
twin cord remote throttle hookup was rather less satisfactory, I'd
reccomend fitting/adapting a proper control for that.

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Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
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'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Early 60's, Uffa Fox designed,
All varnished hot moulded wooden racing dinghy.

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Boat Forum / Building / April 2005

DIY steering for 14 foot AL