how many turns in your wheel?
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:53 pm
How many turns in your wheel?
Fair weather sailor that I am, only recently I was faced with a fresh breeze against a 5 knot tide for about 4 hours, including coming up the channel in Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK). It was a rather exhausting afternoon. The wheel felt very heavy, and keeping the sails in good trim demanded full focus and reaction time measured in seconds.
Now, I only have one and one-half turns of the wheel between full rudders. I don't know if this is "normal" in a F30 CK. Never asked myself the question. But one of the crew on board then remarked it was too little, and suggested I should consider changing the gear ratio at the base of the pedestal, or installing a hydraulic dampener on the link to the tiller lever.
I don't know what mechanism is there at the base of the pedestal. Presumably a radial arm drive of some description, but seems to me unlikely I can change the gear ratio on it without replacing the whole thing.
Anyone with experience of having done this, or whom suffered the same heavy wheel problem, I would much appreciate your input.
Many Thanks
Rafa
Fair weather sailor that I am, only recently I was faced with a fresh breeze against a 5 knot tide for about 4 hours, including coming up the channel in Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK). It was a rather exhausting afternoon. The wheel felt very heavy, and keeping the sails in good trim demanded full focus and reaction time measured in seconds.
Now, I only have one and one-half turns of the wheel between full rudders. I don't know if this is "normal" in a F30 CK. Never asked myself the question. But one of the crew on board then remarked it was too little, and suggested I should consider changing the gear ratio at the base of the pedestal, or installing a hydraulic dampener on the link to the tiller lever.
I don't know what mechanism is there at the base of the pedestal. Presumably a radial arm drive of some description, but seems to me unlikely I can change the gear ratio on it without replacing the whole thing.
Anyone with experience of having done this, or whom suffered the same heavy wheel problem, I would much appreciate your input.
Many Thanks
Rafa