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Old 16-06-2016, 20:53   #1
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Curious idiot question #2

So lets say your boat shopping, and you've found the boat you want except for 1 major problem. Lets say the one you found has double helm at the rear and you would like a single helm more tword the front.
The curious idiot question is..... how hard would it be to change the helm? Is it even possible?
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Old 16-06-2016, 20:58   #2
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Too much effort.

Do not make major modifications to a boat unless you have some crazy emotional attachment with said boat.

Keep shopping until you find the one with the configuration you like.

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Old 16-06-2016, 21:05   #3
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Possible but might cost more than the boat is worth.


With enough money you can make any change you want.
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Old 16-06-2016, 22:22   #4
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

There are many advantages to a double helm.
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Old 16-06-2016, 22:35   #5
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenomac View Post
There are many advantages to a double helm.
Two that I cam immediately think of.
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Old 16-06-2016, 22:40   #6
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

In all probability you'll never find a boat that is exactly what you want in every way. You'll almost certainly have to compromise. You just have to decide what compromise suits you best.
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Old 17-06-2016, 05:41   #7
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

I am not a fan of buying a boat that has a major problem with something that is not a normally "consumable" item (sails, electronics, etc.) If it is major, expensive to change, and involve other systems, I would leave it alone as long as it was functional. Changing a two helm boat to a single would be in my category of "no way". If you don't like something that is such a major, fixed feature then don't look at the boat. You would also probably kill the resale value with this "improvement" and lengthened the time it takes to sell. Those are bad things in my book.
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Old 17-06-2016, 06:12   #8
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

While I agree it isn't something I would ever do....

At a minimum you would need to select where the new helm would be. Then figure out how to rerouted the stearing cables to that location. Depending on the design and layout of the boat this could be trivially easy or next to impossible, it just depends. Once you do that it's simply a matter of installing the right hardware in the right place. Some of it you could scavanage from the old wheels, but likely not all of it. Finally you would need to build covers for where the wheels were that matched the rest of the boat.

I could see this running from say $5,000 up to around $35,000 depending on how hard it is to reroute the cables. Some boats it would just be dropping in some pulleys, on others it may take a massive redesign of the aft cockpit and stateroom.

At a minimum your new wheel would provide terrible sight lines to the sails, since any boat with twin wheels is also going to be pretty wide, and now you only have the center line one.

I guess is should also point out that if the boat has hydrolic or electric steering (very unlikely on any boat with twin wheels) it may be far easier. Adding a new hydrolic line would be almost trivial.
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Old 17-06-2016, 06:24   #9
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Most cruisers buy what they believe is the best boat for them.
Any design issues they were concerned with when purchased go into the, “we learned to live with it over time”.

Not surprisingly, most cruisers that say this is my last boat purchase go for a couple of years then buy a different boat.
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Old 17-06-2016, 06:32   #10
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Panope View Post
Keep shopping until you find the one with the configuration you like.

Steve

That may become its own problem. I have a short list of "must haves" and "can't haves" and it leaves me with one model that hasn't been produced in more than 15 years.
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Old 17-06-2016, 06:43   #11
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

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Originally Posted by Tetepare View Post
That may become its own problem. I have a short list of "must haves" and "can't haves" and it leaves me with one model that hasn't been produced in more than 15 years.
and how is that a problem?
many sail 40 and 50 yr old boats and older.
many times they are better than brand new.
good luck with your search.
it only took me from 1990 until 2005 to find my current cruising boat, and then 3.5 more years to talk the owner out of it so i could cruise it.
mine is 40 yrs of age, non production. was loaded with all the usual, but it had a simrad hdl2000 autopilot. cannot beat that.
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Old 17-06-2016, 08:31   #12
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

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Originally Posted by Tetepare View Post
That may become its own problem. I have a short list of "must haves" and "can't haves" and it leaves me with one model that hasn't been produced in more than 15 years.
i also had a list similar to yours...i looked at boats for 15 years trying to fill the list completely. i finally "settled" for a 30 + year old boat with most of the list items ticked off. after a couple years of living onboard i couldnt even remember what the items were that i didnt get to tick off the list. there is no perfect boat....if there was it would be the only model ever built.
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Old 17-06-2016, 08:35   #13
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Don't change the boat, change your "want".

If you don't have some flexibility right from the start, you are already doomed.
I would be thrilled to find a boat with just ONE thing wrong with it.
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Old 17-06-2016, 08:56   #14
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Boat shopping is just a part of this disease that cruisers have called Thalassomania.
If this is your first boat, no worries as this will not be your last.
You refine your likes and dislikes every time you’re out on the water.

Thalassomania = An abnormal love of the sea

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Old 17-06-2016, 08:59   #15
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Re: Curious idiot question #2

Quote:
Originally Posted by landlockedsquid View Post
So lets say your boat shopping, and you've found the boat you want except for 1 major problem. Lets say the one you found has double helm at the rear and you would like a single helm more tword the front.
The curious idiot question is..... how hard would it be to change the helm? Is it even possible?
Reinventing the wheel will almost always come back and bite you in the ass.
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