|
Hi Frank, The cheaper outboard motor steering
systems are cable but they went out with Noah. Next up is Rack and pinion
flexible Rod. Next up is the Hydraulic system which is also used on
commercial boats. The outboard motor hydraulic system I have on my 6 metre
runabout with 175 hp Yamaha and it is much nicer to use. You don’t get
any wrist breakers on acceleration. Cant remember the prices but they are
available as kitsets and that is the way I will be going. Just cut
the hoses and have ends put on them with a nipple thru the hull. I am
guessing that it will be finger controls compared with 175 hp motor. Talk
to your local marine outlet. Probably see it all on West Marine.
They seem best prices. Teleflex. Hugh From:
owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org
[mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org] On Behalf Of ShellyDalg@aol.com Hi Hugh. The outboards I've used had a
cable system where the cable is wrapped around the steering column and runs to
the back of the boat where it pulls the motor left and right. How does the
hydraulics tie into this? My thought was to use pedals ( like
brake pedals from a car) pushing master cylinders and the fluid transfer would
go to the slave cylinders located out side the sub. The two pedals and
corresponding cylinders will need to be tied together so that when one is
pushed to extend, the other would retract. The orifices would need to be drilled out
to allow faster fluid transfer, but the pressure needed to push the cylinders
would be much less than required to apply the brakes on a car. It won't take that
much "push" to move the rudders or dive planes. The orifice size will
determine how fast the cylinders extend. I don't think a standard master/slave
cylinder set up from a car will have enough fluid capacity to do the job so I
was thinking along the lines of using off-the-shelf hydraulic cylinders as
master cylinders with about a pint or so of fluid capacity. The exterior/slave
cylinders would be much smaller, maybe with a capacity of a few
ounces. With the right linkage at the pedal, a 4 inch travel of the master
cylinder should move the slave cylinder 4 inches as well, thereby turning
the rudders or tilting the dive planes. The tie-in between the two systems
could be a pressurized reservoir tank filled with fluid, with a check valve to
prevent oil from flowing back into the tank. By pushing a pedal, you
are transferring fluid from one part of the system ( master ) to the
other ( slave ), but not pushing against the internal pressure of the system,
just against the opposing cylinder and what ever resistance the rudder or dive
plane adds. The reservoir pressure would be supplied by a scuba
tank to keep the water from entering the system at the slave
cylinders, and to keep the system filled with oil should some leak out at the
seals. All the thru-hulls would need valves so
if a leak develops, shut off that line and motor up to the surface. What do you think ? Could it work ?
Anyway, I'm going to play with it and see what happens. I should be able to
make a simple system on-the-bench to test what kind of pressure it takes to
push the pedals and move the slave cylinders against a spring or counter
weight. For a bench test, I could use just plastic tubing and jury rigged auto
parts ( free is good ! ) to see if it's even viable. I'll keep the guys posted
on what I find out. Frank D.
Need a
new ride? Check out the largest site for |