Rebel Heart's wife has her say

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ttex

So what you are saying is that I should treat the weather like a spoiled child and yell that I will "turn this boat right around!" if the weather starts getting all tantrummy?

No.. its saying if your engines died sail back up the ICW from Beaufort to Oriental to get it fixed or.. if a sunken mooring fouls your prop and bends the shaft in Taylors Creek do the same.. or if a wave dumps on you and pops a bulkhead or two N of Bermuda and the WP dies, do the same coz Alans a good guy and Sailcrafts a good yard..

[tommacdon]

Would like to open this discussion back up if there is anyone interested. My reasons are that I own Rebel Hearts “Neverland” sister ship, completed on the same month in 1975. https://m.facebook.com/HCBlackPearl36/?ref=bookmarks. Know a lot about how the boat was built since I’m at the tail end of a three year rebuild which includes building new decks and cabin. The steering failure is the first question that comes to mind, the steering is an Edson worm gear. Seems to work well other than needed cleaning, stuffing box has new stuffing. Looks to of never had an autopilot. Currently want to make sure everything is sound and planed out for a future auto pilot. Was originally thinking that I needed a rotary chain drive pilot with a gear sprocket mounted on the worm gear shaft, after more study I learned that this would of been a bad idea. Better to buy a Edson tiller arm and to mount a linear drive unit directly onto the rudder shaft before the worm drive connection, that way my autopilot driver can steer the boat if the worm gear fails. Heard mention of a deck joint, RH’s hull was the only thing which was built with a fiberglass mold. The decks and cabin were timber frame then plywood with just a thin layer of fiberglass under the teak decking. I attached a Facebook website with pictures of my boats rebuild which shows how she was built.
Comments and opinions please..

[RaymondR]

Is it a worm drive or An Edson with a right angle drive with bevel gears and a vertical shaft down through the pedestal?

[tommacdon]

A Edson Simplex 372-0 worm drive on top of the vertical rudder shaft, the rudder is wood. Hinged with bronze on the lower half, the shaft makes a bend and is mortised into the rudder along with being attached to a stainless hinge. Hinge plates are around 20” long, any wood past the plates has drift pins securing it. No pedestal, more of a saddle box that you sit on which is built over the top of the worm gear.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Is it a worm drive or An Edson with a right angle drive with bevel gears and a vertical shaft down through the pedestal?

From his photos it looks like there is no pedestal, however, in either case, a separate tiller for the autopilot, if properly attached to the rudder post, is a more secure way of installing an autopilot.

In my view any gear or worm drive is a high stress point where the metal casting or machining is a point load which can fail whereas a tiller uses the mechanical advantage of a lever arm to reduce the loading.

[RaymondR]

Worm drives tend to be fairly high friction devices which is handy if you want them to hold a load without kick back, you see a lot of them on anchor winches.

I've had two types of autopilot drive: the first was a wheel drive which worked well once I threw away the tiny toothed belt and built my own drive with an auto timing belt; and the second a hydraulic drive which I am finding excellent.

[tommacdon]

Suggest going to Edson and seeing the specs on the simplex, is oversized for the boat and has been tried and true for 100 years. Working a tiller handle while crossing a ocean also comes with issues.
But regardless it apparently did fail, believe that the couple only spent a few months to get the boat ready for their ocean crossing. After spending three years rebuilding her sistership which was the same age and also lived most of her life in Southern California I would say that without doubt that spending just a few months on getting the boat ready was just scratching the surface.
Cleaned the worm gear today, looked to be in good condition except for finding a few loose set screws. I’m tempted to take it all apart and to reinstall it.

[Tellie]

I'm always a day late and a dollar short. Was there ever any conclusion or satisfaction to the Rebel Heart saga?

[JPA Cate]

@Tellie:

They've pretty much dropped off my radar, Tellie. [And, thanks for all the watermaker help you give.] I formed the opinion long ago that their boat was really not ready for the journey, but he and possibly they thought it was. I also thought that she underestimated how much work it is to sail the boat and have to deal with two small children, one of whom is still in diapers.

How they're doing, probably still recovering from a very difficult life happening, post traumatic stree, etc. One wishes them well. Not everyone gets such a sharp slap from the fates.

**************

I hope tommacdon was able to deal with the vessel's shortcomings well enough for it to become sound.

Okay, Tom, back to your resurrection of the thread.....

Ann

[Tellie]

Hi Ann,


Yeah I always felt bad for them but he was stubborn when it came to taking advice. It takes a certain A type personality to outfit the right boat for a world cruise in the first place. I only wish them all the best. As you well know sometimes sailing around the world isn't like you see in the magazines and blogs, it can be down right dangerous.

Back to the OP's questions.

[Boatguy30]

I believe they are still trying to make money off it. Look how long it took Red Sky in Mourning to become a movie. Like 25 years

[JPA Cate]

^^^^^
Not saying you're wrong, but what corroboration of that do you have, boatguy30?

Thanks.

Ann

[GordMay]

“... And so last week (2016) we moved into our new home in Mammoth Lakes, leaving San Diego behind. Our boat plans are on hold. The idea of being on a catamaran sailing the high seas is as enjoyable now as it has ever been. ..
... And with that, I don't see any further updates to this website from me. If you're interested in following our new high altitude journey, you can find me over at mammothlife.wordpress.com...”
Eric Kaufman, August 24, 2016 ➥ Rebel Heart - Eric's Blog

“In 2016 I moved from San Diego, a town of 1.3 million people, to Mammoth Lakes, population 8,000 (a town less than 1% the size of San Diego)...
➥ https://mammothguy.com/about/
➥ https://mammothguy.com/

Charlotte Kaufman ➥ Blog — Charlotte Kaufman

[Fore and Aft]

Thanks Gordmay, Charlotte's blog is about the most depressing thing you have posted. I see it was last updated in 2019? I wonder if her internet connection drowned in her tears of self pity.
Cheers

[Boatguy30]

I possibly shouldn't have mentioned that, but have been told that by several people involved in the paid social media side of sailing and specifically family sailing.