Guess Who Actually Did Some Woodworking...

Dredging up this thread to post a shot of the steering wheel completed and in its natural habitat. Thanks Ken. We got lots of compliments on Saturday at the Lake Pepin Messabout.



And the only other shot of the boat from the weekend.

A fine family collaboration guys!

Dave, that is one sweet looking boat!

Thankee, Stu.

Looks like it was meant to be there! Good Job Dave!

Dave Richards said:

Dredging up this thread to post a shot of the steering wheel completed and in its natural habitat. Thanks Ken. We got lots of compliments on Saturday at the Lake Pepin Messabout.

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Looks nice, Dave

So, in a boat that size, what is the reason (or benefit) for having a wheel rather than a tiller? Seems like a tiller would be an easier thing to build/install.

(I learned to sail 4 summers back, but only in dinghies. I haven't got my own boat, and pretty much only get to sail once a year now at summer camp. Here I am last summer on Wolfe Lake, north of Kingston, in an old "Lightning". It's claim to fame was that it was supposedly in the Olympics back in the early/mid 70s, so the story goes. Goes great in a heavy wind, when the Laser -- the camp's other dinghy -- would get flipped pretty easily)

Dave.......Your certainly welcome! I enjoyed the challenge. I keep photo graphic evidence of my turnings. Would you mind if I downloaded a copy of the first photo here for my records?

Ken

Thanks Ed, Art and Ken.

Ken, by all means. Feel free to download any pictures of the wheel you want.

Art, do you want a sailboat with a steering wheel? To answer your question about the steering wheel in a boat this size, it was part of the plan to have a steering wheel although some folks do use a tiller instead. The idea of using the wheel is sort of two fold. The Friendship Sloops on which this design is based have a steering wheel mounted the same way and more importantly, the wheel takes up less space in the cockpit. That makes it easier to move around and there's no climbing over the tiller in a tack. The mecahnism is indeed more complex than a simple tiller but it's not really a problem.

I have a friend in the Twin Cities who built one of these boats but he chose to remove the cabin altogether. He opted for a tiller which I think is a good idea in his case. He needs to sit farther forward to get the boat trimmed properly due to the change in the hull's balance. He wouldn't be able to reach a steering wheel.

Dave Richards said:

Art, do you want a sailboat with a steering wheel?

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Nahhh, turtling a Laser is fun! I like the small dinghies.

Seriously, I have no experience with larger boats. And as long as I live here, it would need to be a small/light dinghy that can be thrown on top of a roof rack on my van or some such. Nope. Maybe someday if we live in an area with more lakes, or just closer to one.

Hi Dave,
I think that is a marvelous boat and the steering wheel is a beautiful thing.
Enjoy the heck out of it!!!
Shaz

Great job, both of you guys. Very well done. I don't think I've seen a sailboat with the wheel in back (but then again, I'm pretty ignorant about boats).

Thank you Shaz and Vaughn.

FWIW, here's a shot of a Friendship Sloop showing the wheel in the stern. These sloops were originally designed for lobstering and so it was desirable to leave the cockpit open for hauling traps.


And a whole Friendship Sloop

Tyler Howell said:

In any size boat I prefer a tiller over a wheel. Quick and responsive, less maintenance and you can feel every bump in the road.
As Dave said there is a down side, especially when tacking. There not very popular in big boats these days

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Considering most all of my sailing has been racing, I would agree with the tiller being more responsive, but for a leisurely day sail, the wheel would be nice. Not so much dancing around and less chance of spilling your beverage of choice!