Since this boat will easily exceed 50 MPH, a Teleflex NFB Dual Cable
steering system will be required. A used unit was scavenged from a
junked SeaRay cuddy cabin cruiser. Two 15' cables and clevises will be needed to
connect the cables to the rudder's tiller arm.
(08-JUN-2006)
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We've upgraded from a Teleflex NFB Dual Cable system to Seastar hydraulic
steering. Running two hefty cables through the stringers to the tiller
would have compromised the stringer's integrity, so we'll be running 3/8" copper
lines instead.
(30-JUL-2007)
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Visible in this photo are the two fiberglass drain plug tubes. A brass
sleeve will be slipped into the tube and sealed with 3M 5200 sealant. If
any water leaks past the tube, the fiberglass tube liner will protect the
frame from water damage.
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In order to mount the cylinder within the stringers, we fabricated a second tiller
which will connect to the central tiller arm via an adjustable tie bar. The
tiller arm was flame-cut from a piece of 3/8" steel plate.
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A piece of 3/4" ID schedule 80 steel pipe was fitted through the tiller arm pivot
point and bushed with a bronze bushing. The pivot rod is a 9/16" x 2" machine
bolt captured between the top and bottom plates. We'll post more photos when
we finalize some of these parts . . .
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More parts came back from the machine shop. The slave tiller arm
bushing housing was welded, the pivot pin was upgraded to 3/4" diameter and
re-bushed to tighter tolerances. Nice work, Steve !
(24-DEC-2007)
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To complete the assembly, we fabricated a hydraulic cylinder mounting
bracket and stainless steel tie bar. At a later date, we'll be replacing the tie bar
with two tie-rod ends and a length of threaded rod.
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