home made wind vane to emergency tiller post - can it be done ?

[day dreamer]

Just wondering if anyone has tried to make a wind vane and link it to the emergency tiller post  ?

I m  thinking  welding a wheel to the tiller post  and linking that with a belt to another  wheel   on the vertical  wind vane -- 

mad idea  ?   

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

First hand, I think you should try hooking up your emergency tiller to give you an idea of the force needed to move the rudder that way. Honestly, I haven't tried it myself but have heard from other sailors that have said it's pretty hard.
Just my thoughts, good luck with it.

Mike

[Stephen Butler]

Do not recall if we wrote this up before, but we lost our steering coming into Tampa Bay due to a cable failure and had to quickly use the emergency tiller to stay clear of a container ship leaving the bay.  We quickly inserted the short tiller and while we could steer, it required a great deal of strength and was very hard to maintain a course.  The emergency tiller is just too short to give much leverage, and anything longer would have require removing the wheel (which was not possible given the situation).  We lashed up lines to both sides of the boat from the stubby tiller, to help us hold a course, but this was problematic given the angles to a turning point for the lines.  We have sense gotten a much longer emergency tiller and hope that we have enough time to remove the wheel.  Hope this is of help.

[Stu Jackson]

Just wondering if anyone has tried to make a wind vane and link it to the emergency tiller post  ?

I m  thinking  welding a wheel to the tiller post  and linking that with a belt to another  wheel   on the vertical  wind vane -- 

mad idea  ?   

day,

Keep dreamin'  

I had a long discussion about this with a C30 skipper years ago.

He ended up being VERY creative:

He bought a used bicycle wheel and, from ACE Hardware U-bolts, connected it to his wheel, aft side.

He then used blocks from a marina swap meet, and connected his vane gear to the wheel.  Properly.

I agree with Mike:  ya gotta try that "emergency" tiller, 'specially under power, to find out what it does.

And doesn't do.

Indeed, EVERYONE reading this should go and try it.

It will, at the very least, instruct you to apply some discipline to knowing where all of the "stuff" is on your boat!  

Dunno what kinda bike he got the rim from...

[day dreamer]

interesting ---   

with my open transom I was pondering a long tiller aft ...     but if considerable force is needed  it  sounds a no go ...

the bicycle  wheel   idea  stu   mentions  sounds more feasible ...     

if I made a vane  which  turned  the same diameter wheel  and  connected it to  the helm  with a long belt ?     anyone done this ? 

I m   trying to take advantage of my  workshop  and maybe save money  !!

[Stu Jackson]

if I made a vane  which  turned  the same diameter wheel  and  connected it to  the helm  with a long belt ?     anyone done this ?

If you're working on a vane, you should by now have learned that they connect to the wheel or tiller with LINE, not belts, through blocks.

http://selfsteer.com/

Belts are used with electric autopilots.