Outboard steering linkage

OK, so I mounted a Nissan 9.8 on my Cal 28 when I bought it 3 months ago and was skeptical to say the least--I was used to an inboard, with the prop right in front of the rudder, which gave a very nice amount of control at least going forward. Reverse was another story--the best I could manage was to put it in reverse and depend on the prop walk to the right. Of course, once the boat started moving backwards, I had a little more control, at least until the rudder flipped to one side. Rudders weren't made to steer in reverse. So how would a sailboat operate with an outboard mounted behind the rudder? Absolutely terrible. It's almost impossible trying to maneuver out or into a slip or dock. Once you slow down to under a knot, there's almost no control as to your direction, except maybe in reverse, if you can control the rudder from the prop wash. I figured I would have to resign myself to always having at least one crew member with a pole to keep my boat away from other boats. And if the wind was blowing? Don't even try. If I could manage to point the boat in the right direction and get it moving forward, everything was mainly OK, unless you had a wind on your beam. Or, if you're moving slowly forward with an oncoming breeze, the wind could easily catch the bow and push you sideways. You're only two options were to speed up and regain control, or stop and get your crew to fend you off of the parked boats. So, I setup a home-made prototype steering linkage from the outboard to the tiller. Basically, I attached a bracket to the tiller shaft, pointing to starboard, and a bracket on the outboard of the same length pointing to starboard as well, then made a linkage with two joints to connect the two brackets together. The linkage can be easily detached from the tiller bracket when sailing (so the tiller doesn't have to turn the outboard under sail). It's really meant for low speed maneuvers in the harbour. Here are the results: --Wow! lots of control! --I find when I hit reverse, I'm almost always wanting to reverse a certain direction, like toward a dock or into the wind for instance. Because of this, the prop wash is almost always going either to port or starboard of the rudder, avoiding the battle for control of the tiller. This is a big relief! --Going forward, I can almost turn the boat in it's own diameter. The best turn I could do without this control was maybe a 60' circle if I was going over 2 knots. --The really nice thing is that I can steer and control the boat from a standstill and at very low speeds. So, I can point the engine/tiller to port from a standstill and when giving it some forward thrust, the boat will start turning to starboard even before it starts moving forward. Very nice. The same happens in reverse. Overall I'm happy with the prototype, so I'll have to build the real thing with stronger and more stable linkage. I was thinking it may be better to use two linkages--one on each side of the outboard/rudder shaft, but I found one is somewhat sufficient. If two were used, I think I could get away with cables, and use them to pull the motor each way. A solid shaft or a thick cable is necessary when only one linkage is used. The problem with it is that it needs to be disconnected when the engine is raised or tilted, and when under sail. But I think that's a small price to pay for the amount of control in harbour. I've maneuvered in/out of the slip various times alone, even in a wind and have confidence I have good control over the direction of the boat. I'm wondering though, has anyone else done this sort of thing with their outboard? If so, how did you do it? I know on smaller boats you can actually control the outboard with the tiller handle on the outboard, but on my Cal 28, the outboard is beyond my reach, and it's a remote control model anyway. So, before I build the real version (out of thicker, stainless steel), any better ideas are welcome. --Jim

Hi Jim, Sounds like you came up with a good solution for a vexing problem. Can you post some pictures or maybe think about getting a patent. This could be a viable product. There are linkage mechanisms for outboard fishing boats that allow a kicker or trolling motor to be controlled by the main engines steering system, but not the same. Good luck, Tom Vandiver From: jimskelton <ji… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Sat, November 14, 2009 12:04:45 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Outboard steering linkage OK, so I mounted a Nissan 9.8 on my Cal 28 when I bought it 3 months ago and was skeptical to say the least--I was used to an inboard, with the prop right in front of the rudder, which gave a very nice amount of control at least going forward. Reverse was another story--the best I could manage was to put it in reverse and depend on the prop walk to the right. Of course, once the boat started moving backwards, I had a little more control, at least until the rudder flipped to one side. Rudders weren't made to steer in reverse. So how would a sailboat operate with an outboard mounted behind the rudder? Absolutely terrible. It's almost impossible trying to maneuver out or into a slip or dock. Once you slow down to under a knot, there's almost no control as to your direction, except maybe in reverse, if you can control the rudder from the prop wash. I figured I would have to resign myself to always having at least one crew member with a pole to keep my boat away from other boats. And if the wind was blowing? Don't even try. If I could manage to point the boat in the right direction and get it moving forward, everything was mainly OK, unless you had a wind on your beam. Or, if you're moving slowly forward with an oncoming breeze, the wind could easily catch the bow and push you sideways. You're only two options were to speed up and regain control, or stop and get your crew to fend you off of the parked boats. So, I setup a home-made prototype steering linkage from the outboard to the tiller. Basically, I attached a bracket to the tiller shaft, pointing to starboard, and a bracket on the outboard of the same length pointing to starboard as well, then made a linkage with two joints to connect the two brackets together. The linkage can be easily detached from the tiller bracket when sailing (so the tiller doesn't have to turn the outboard under sail). It's really meant for low speed maneuvers in the harbour. Here are the results: --Wow! lots of control! --I find when I hit reverse, I'm almost always wanting to reverse a certain direction, like toward a dock or into the wind for instance. Because of this, the prop wash is almost always going either to port or starboard of the rudder, avoiding the battle for control of the tiller. This is a big relief! --Going forward, I can almost turn the boat in it's own diameter. The best turn I could do without this control was maybe a 60' circle if I was going over 2 knots. --The really nice thing is that I can steer and control the boat from a standstill and at very low speeds. So, I can point the engine/tiller to port from a standstill and when giving it some forward thrust, the boat will start turning to starboard even before it starts moving forward. Very nice. The same happens in reverse. Overall I'm happy with the prototype, so I'll have to build the real thing with stronger and more stable linkage. I was thinking it may be better to use two linkages--one on each side of the outboard/rudder shaft, but I found one is somewhat sufficient. If two were used, I think I could get away with cables, and use them to pull the motor each way. A solid shaft or a thick cable is necessary when only one linkage is used. The problem with it is that it needs to be disconnected when the engine is raised or tilted, and when under sail. But I think that's a small price to pay for the amount of control in harbour. I've maneuvered in/out of the slip various times alone, even in a wind and have confidence I have good control over the direction of the boat. I'm wondering though, has anyone else done this sort of thing with their outboard? If so, how did you do it? I know on smaller boats you can actually control the outboard with the tiller handle on the outboard, but on my Cal 28, the outboard is beyond my reach, and it's a remote control model anyway. So, before I build the real version (out of thicker, stainless steel), any better ideas are welcome. --Jim

jimskelton wrote: > > > So, I setup a home-made prototype steering linkage from the outboard > to the tiller. Basically, I attached a bracket to the tiller shaft, > pointing to starboard, and a bracket on the outboard of the same > length pointing to starboard as well, then made a linkage with two > joints to connect the two brackets together. The linkage can be easily > detached from the tiller bracket when sailing (so the tiller doesn't > have to turn the outboard under sail). It's really meant for low speed > maneuvers in the harbour. Here are the results: > > --Wow! lots of control! > > --I find when I hit reverse, I'm almost always wanting to reverse a > certain direction, like toward a dock or into the wind for instance. > Because of this, the prop wash is almost always going either to port > or starboard of the rudder, avoiding the battle for control of the > tiller. This is a big relief! Both of my boats have outboards in wells. Both allow some rotation of the outboard. I've also found that this can be very helpful, especially in reverse. By rotating the outboard, its prop pulls your stern in the direction you want it to go. One boat is in a slip, and backing out can be difficult when the wind is unfavorable because of the narrow width to the docks on the other side. Rotating the motor helps a lot. I've also done it at low forward speeds, usually when some sort of embarrassing disaster is about to occur. Chris Campbell >

Well, I finally followed up on the steering linkage prototype. I've been looking at lots of outboard mounts and realized that the Cal 28 is pretty unique. Most sailboats with outboards are smaller and the outboard can be reached from the cockpit. I think originally the Cal 28 had a hole in the lazarette that the outboard could mount in, but mine has been filled in. I've seen this arrangement on a Haida 26 and did a sea trial in it and wasn't impressed with especially how the exhaust gas seemed to make it back into the cockpit. Plus, I think the arrangement was made for smaller 2 cycle engines. On the Haida 26, the 4 stroke Merc just barely fit inside, and it looked difficult to remove when storing. So I guess that's why it's mounted on the transom with a kicker bracket--to accommodate the larger outboard and to be able to raise it out of the water when not in use. There's a Cal 25 for sale in the harbour here and it has the outboard mounted on the transom, but it's easy to reach. The Cal 28 is basically out of reach and can't be controlled unless you have the remote control package, which I got. But back to steering. I got 6 feet of 1/2" marine grade stainless rod and cut it into 3 pieces and made 2 reciprocating joints to accommodate the fact I had to mount the linkage through the cockpit, lazarette, and transom walls. These joints would not be necessary if I was willing to drill 2" holes to accommodate the side to side motion the linkage makes when steering. I posted some photos of it here <http://www.theskeltons.org/misc/linkage.jpg> . I was wondering--how do you attach a photo to a message to this group? I'm using the groups.yahoo.com interface... I just used a grinder to cut the tongue and grooves necessary for the joints, then drilled a 3/16" hole through it and put in a clevis pin for the hinge. I cut two grooves on the ends to mount on the brackets on the outboard and tiller shaft. These are connected again by clevis pins, but I'd like to find an easier way, especially to mount the linkage to the outboard (I've already dropped one clevis pin into the water). The steering has a very solid feel to it and seems to work well. --Jim --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "jimskelton" <jimskelton@...> wrote: > > OK, so I mounted a Nissan 9.8 on my Cal 28 when I bought it 3 months ago > and was skeptical to say the least--I was used to an inboard, with the > prop right in front of the rudder, which gave a very nice amount of > control at least going forward. Reverse was another story--the best I > could manage was to put it in reverse and depend on the prop walk to the > right. Of course, once the boat started moving backwards, I had a little > more control, at least until the rudder flipped to one side. Rudders > weren't made to steer in reverse. > So how would a sailboat operate with an outboard mounted behind the > rudder? Absolutely terrible. It's almost impossible trying to maneuver > out or into a slip or dock. Once you slow down to under a knot, there's > almost no control as to your direction, except maybe in reverse, if you > can control the rudder from the prop wash. I figured I would have to > resign myself to always having at least one crew member with a pole to > keep my boat away from other boats. And if the wind was blowing? Don't > even try. If I could manage to point the boat in the right direction and > get it moving forward, everything was mainly OK, unless you had a wind > on your beam. Or, if you're moving slowly forward with an oncoming > breeze, the wind could easily catch the bow and push you sideways. > You're only two options were to speed up and regain control, or stop and > get your crew to fend you off of the parked boats. > So, I setup a home-made prototype steering linkage from the outboard to > the tiller. Basically, I attached a bracket to the tiller shaft, > pointing to starboard, and a bracket on the outboard of the same length > pointing to starboard as well, then made a linkage with two joints to > connect the two brackets together. The linkage can be easily detached > from the tiller bracket when sailing (so the tiller doesn't have to turn > the outboard under sail). It's really meant for low speed maneuvers in > the harbour. Here are the results: > --Wow! lots of control! > --I find when I hit reverse, I'm almost always wanting to reverse a > certain direction, like toward a dock or into the wind for instance. > Because of this, the prop wash is almost always going either to port or > starboard of the rudder, avoiding the battle for control of the tiller. > This is a big relief! > --Going forward, I can almost turn the boat in it's own diameter. The > best turn I could do without this control was maybe a 60' circle if I > was going over 2 knots. > --The really nice thing is that I can steer and control the boat from a > standstill and at very low speeds. So, I can point the engine/tiller to > port from a standstill and when giving it some forward thrust, the boat > will start turning to starboard even before it starts moving forward. > Very nice. The same happens in reverse. > Overall I'm happy with the prototype, so I'll have to build the real > thing with stronger and more stable linkage. > I was thinking it may be better to use two linkages--one on each side of > the outboard/rudder shaft, but I found one is somewhat sufficient. If > two were used, I think I could get away with cables, and use them to > pull the motor each way. A solid shaft or a thick cable is necessary > when only one linkage is used. > The problem with it is that it needs to be disconnected when the engine > is raised or tilted, and when under sail. But I think that's a small > price to pay for the amount of control in harbour. I've maneuvered > in/out of the slip various times alone, even in a wind and have > confidence I have good control over the direction of the boat. > I'm wondering though, has anyone else done this sort of thing with their > outboard? If so, how did you do it? I know on smaller boats you can > actually control the outboard with the tiller handle on the outboard, > but on my Cal 28, the outboard is beyond my reach, and it's a remote > control model anyway. So, before I build the real version (out of > thicker, stainless steel), any better ideas are welcome. > --Jim >

Jim, I am glad to know I am not the only Cal 28 owner who has experienced the total lack of control when moving too slow. After much experimentation and near disaster, I found the problem was easily solved by simply pouring in on a little more gas. Simply by adding a little throttle, the boat responded nicely. Both in reverse and going forward. However, it helps to have a least two boat lengths within which to gain speed and control. I too have a Nissan 9.8 outboard. Here is a link to a letter I posted to this group some time ago, which you should appreciate more than most: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cal_Boats/message/1944 The manuervering problems at slow speeds are towards the bottom of the story. Send photos of whatever you work out on your ouboard! Bruce Stirling Gangfurd Cal 28 - Hull 82 http://www.stirlinglaw.com/cal28 On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:04 PM, jimskelton <ji… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: > > > OK, so I mounted a Nissan 9.8 on my Cal 28 when I bought it 3 months ago > and was skeptical to say the least--I was used to an inboard, with the prop > right in front of the rudder, which gave a very nice amount of control at > least going forward. Reverse was another story--the best I could manage was > to put it in reverse and depend on the prop walk to the right. Of course, > once the boat started moving backwards, I had a little more control, at > least until the rudder flipped to one side. Rudders weren't made to steer in > reverse. >