Steering - It's Crazy!

[kadet]

Move the engine mount to the front hole that angle is cr@p if needed re-drill hole for steering arm to get the motor centred with rudders. Factory linkage is not the best consider getting BWY quick connect.

Cavitation plates should be level with bottom of hull not water line.

That's all I got

[Neo]

Move the engine mount to the front hole that angle is cr@p

Thanks for the quick reply Kadet. I can fix the angle with a different rod setup, no problem, but my main concern is the alignment with the rudders?

My cav plate is 2" below that.

All the best
Neo

[kadet]

Thanks for the quick reply Kadet. I can fix the angle with a different rod setup, no problem, but my main concern is the alignment with the rudders?

Yep BWY quick release has two adjustable screw ends to easily get alignment right.

Another thought how much play do you have in your wheel? Mine has almost a quarter turn and the steering wandered a bit till I used a tiller pilot to dampen it. Fix the trim tab too as a priority cause before the tiller pilot that was the biggest fix I made.

Good luck with it. It takes some tinkering and trial and error with the steering on the it is not the greatest.. Have often thought of spending a BOAT buck and replacing it.

[Neo]

Thanks Kadet,

There is minimal play in the steering. When turning the wheel the OB starts moving from 12 o'clock to 1 o'clock and rudders start moving a bit before that.
I drilled out and bushed a few rods to make it that good. I used some bushes I had left over from my motorbike days. They're shock absorber bushes. They are very tough and do not corrode.

All the best.
Neo

[Neo]

Ok, steering arm is fixed up .... Surprisingly the OB still stays parallel to the rudders. ... Steering feels a little lighter.

Trim tab adjusted. ...Need to test it all out on the water ....which won't be until next weekend.

Thanks for your help guys.

All the best.
Neo

[Three Gypsies]

After thousands of miles on my Mac 26X , both as a sailboat and as a MacTrawler , one thing is certain .

If you want the boat to go straight you have to keep at least one rudder in the water and just a tadbit of centerboard down .

Macs are 26' boats , long heavy boats , with small outboards ( in comparison) on them . The foot just doesn't have enough A$S to control the boat alone . The hull is mostly flat and tends to skim over the water .

I always run with one rudder under normal conditions and about 6 inches of centerboard . In bad weather conditions or rough seas , I run more centerboard and both rudders , it helps keep the boat going in a straight line in high winds . More centerboard and both rudders also decrease the side to side rocking in beam waves .

In a tight , stressful docking situation , I put both rudders down , for enhanced steering , as well as more centerboard , to make the boat pivot better .

With my GPS registering the speed over ground in decimal points , I cannot register a difference in speed with two rudders in the water verses one rudder , though I run one , under normal conditions to reduce drag.

[Tomfoolery]

I always run with one rudder under normal conditions and about 6 inches of centerboard .
<snip>
In a tight , stressful docking situation , I put both rudders down , for enhanced steering , as well as more centerboard , to make the boat pivot better .

That's exactly what I do. I would only add that when docking in unknown waters, I uncleat the rudders and just let them hang. I'm going very slow anyway (like 1 kt or less), so they don't have to be actively restrained, and they'll kick up easily if I graze the bottom.

[Neo]

Thanks guys.

Do you choose port or starboard rudder depending on the maneuver/conditions? ... or doesn't it matter?

All the best.
Neo

[Tomfoolery]

Do you choose port or starboard rudder depending on the maneuver/conditions? ... or doesn't it matter?

It absolutely does matter. I choose which rudder based on which side I'll dock on. I have pictures of the local launch ramp in the Erie Canal, drained down for winter, with rip-rap high enough at the wall to trash a rudder on the dock side. For instance.

So I always use the rudder on the opposite side of a wall, and keep the CB just low enough for good control. All the way down, it's 5-1/2 ft under the surface, which is pretty deep for a boat that size.

[Three Gypsies]

I haven't noticed a difference in which rudder I put in the water .
And yes , I leave the rudders untied if I am in shallow water , so if they do drag the bottom , they can bounce up
and out of harms way .

But cruising in deep water , I like to tuck them down and tight , and cleat them off .

[Neo]

I leave the rudders untied if I am in shallow water , so if they do drag the bottom , they can bounce up
and out of harms way .

I'm wondering if it would be worth reinforcing the bottom front edge of the rudder with some form of SS cap/plate to help protect against the odd knock ... Any thoughts on that guys?

All the best
Neo

[Three Gypsies]

I leave the rudders untied if I am in shallow water , so if they do drag the bottom , they can bounce up
and out of harms way .

I'm wondering if it would be worth reinforcing the bottom front edge of the rudder with some form of SS cap/plate to help protect against the odd knock ... Any thoughts on that guys?

All the best
Neo

I added Cloth and resin to the bottoms of my rudders to reinforce them . They were showing some wear .

[Tomfoolery]

The only wear mine are showing is from being dragged up a ramp. Pretty sure the PO did that.