steering linkage pop quiz

[DaveC426913]

Try to guess which is the original and which is the replacement.

Say PO, still trying to convince me she merely had "a light tap" on the stern??

[Crikey]

I've never seen that linkage before... What is the diameter of the main rod?

It would have also given you a 'toe out' condition which was not good for pointing or turning. Kinda sloppy!

[DaveC426913]

This is the connector between the rudder bar and the motor on a MacX. It keeps motor aligned with rudder position.

You can see it here on the upper left, joining under the motor cables, in this pic:


It wouldn't cause toe out, it would cause fighting between the direction the rudders want to go and the direction motor wants to go.

Would have no effect in full-sail or full-power mode, would only have an effect on hybrid "rudders down, motor on" mode, which I only ever do below 5 knots. And that's presuming it was never readjusted to compensate.

The main rod is about 1/2" to 5/8" inch diameter SS.

[c130king]

I have a similar issue. My motor is out of alignment with the rudders by 5ish degrees. But as you said in full-sail or full-motor this is not an issue. And at 6 knots and below it doesn't really matter. And when my motor is disconnected for the steering and locked in place it is out of alignment even a little bit more...maybe 8ish degrees. But you wouldn't even know it if you weren't looking right at it...at low speed with motor locked and rudders down the rudders easily compensate for the off-center thrust.

I have recieved my new BWY quick-disconnect steering linkage. This should...I hope...eliminate this "non"-issue for me. But won't be installing until August when I pull the boat out to prep for the Jacksonville Macgregor Get-Together trip over Labor Day weekend.

Cheers,
Jim

[Crikey]

It looks like one of the threaded ends is also bent as well as the body. I think the bend in the centre could have been made to miss the engine when it was fully retracted, however the thread should be straight and only used to ensure straight tracking with the rudders when the lenght is adjusted. You would still benefit with the ability to disconnect the motor from the rudder.

Ross

[DaveC426913]

How many of you disconnect your motos on a regular basis?

[seacatcapt]

I disconnect everytime I'm fully under sail. Of course, the trick is to remember to connect it back before returning to the slip!!

[DaveC426913]

I disconnect everytime I'm fully under sail. Of course, the trick is to remember to connect it back before returning to the slip!!

Other than easier steering, what does it accomplish?

[c130king]

Other than easier steering, what does it accomplish?

I also disconnect 98.47% of the time I am sailing. It only takes 60 seconds max...and I have the PITA version of the disconnect...BWY system is sitting in my house ready to be installed.

For me it is less stress on my autopilot, less stress on my steering cables (which broke back in 2007 so now I take it easy on the cables), and just a better feel hand steering under sail.

I have motored for long periods of time in this configuration...boards down, motor disconnected and locked (8ish degrees off center), and 6 knots. Can do this all day (or as long as my fuel lasts) with the autopilot doing the steering.

If under sail and I need my motor it takes less than 20 seconds to get the motor down and started.

Cheers,
Jim

[Divecoz]

I must be the BasXXXX Red Headed step-child in this group.. I never disconnect.. I seem to never have a real issue ( that others are concerned with) Motor flop..

[Crikey]

My BWY disconnect (which I tested yesterday) was mainly installed to accomodate a follow on autopilot, though it eliminated some binding with the original PITA that came with the boat, when the engine was tilted and turned to one side. My steering is now hydraulic without feedback (at present) and I want to eventually control it with an electric pump instead of a helm pilot to get the best response speed, without the extra mass to move.

Divecoz - sure you're not a 'ginger'?

Ross.

[40Toes]

How many of you disconnect your motos on a regular basis?

I am about 50-50. I have the same setup, but I had to use rubber washers on the the motor attachment because I needed a little more movement to attach it to the rudder bracket when disconnected in the full up position. I found the boat steers quite well under power with the engine disengaged from the rudders in benign conditions - wouldn't chance it otherwise though.

[raycarlson]

i never disconnect,and also leave motor fully down when under sail, it seems to smooth out steering and as far as i could tell under gps speed test if it causes any type of drag under sail it is only 1 or 2 tenths of a knot as could not detect any speed difference motor up or down on the gps.so unless your in some type of race thinking your a real sailboat in a americas cup race your just wasting your time playing with all that gadgetry.

[Crikey]

Disagree on those points Ray. If you see as little improvement with a large prop and gear housing out of the water compared to in, then I'd suspect your rudders are mis-aligned and probably stalling. Even a 2kt penalty is some 30% of the rated sailing speed!
America's cup aside, isn't every race relative to what the other boat is doing?

[jschrade]

I disconnect everytime I'm fully under sail. Of course, the trick is to remember to connect it back before returning to the slip!!

I can add that going into the slip is no problem but coming back out, it will add some confusion! My daughter was backing the boat as said the helm was not responding. I thought possible the steering link had broken but I had for gotten to link the motor to the rudders.

As for the impact of detaching the motor and tilting it out of the water. There's a noticeable difference on my 2010 26M and ETEC 6 combo. Even non-sailors notice that when I tilt the engine up the boat sails differently - as in better. It's a 1/2 knot or better in speed gain on the GPS and I suspect that overall, I get even more with the better sailing posture. The best way to explain it is that the stance of the boat changes, it gets smoother.

I have the factory nut and bolt system. It's not really the hassle that it gets described as and it's simple and I cannot imagine how it could fail. I have extra screws and nuts in case I drop one. Setup/Breakdown less than a minute. I changed the nut and bolt for a cotter key and it works perfectly.


Jim