Converting Tiller Steering to Hydraulic Steering

[drewan08]

I am installing a hydraulic system. I would like some information and help running the numbers from people who are experienced with hydraulic steering systems. I also have questions about my selection of an autopilot and the interface into my current electronics.

Crunching the numbers.
I have a rudder with an approximate sq ft of 8, it is less but for safety I am rounding up. It is semi balanced with the rudder post about 1/3 of the way through the top of the rudder. However because of the swept shape of the rudder I would say that it is less than 10% of the rudder forward of the post. For safety margin in the calculations I would not mind if you considered it an unbalanced rudder. I would like to be able to keep the full 90deg arc of the rudder, 45deg to either side. Most manufacturers recommend only 35 deg. I would like the extra deflection for slow speed docking and the ability to stall the rudder to slow the boat. I would like to also be able to use a tiller in emergency situations or if I get into racing. I have enough room in the cockpit for a large enough tiller. I plan to also add an auto pilot to the system.

I am currently looking at a capliano 1250 or 1275 helm pump, a teleflex ba150-7tm or ba175-7tm cylinder, a bypass valve to enable use of the tiller, and a simrad autopilot system with an rpu 160 pump. The other parts of the auto pilot system are; AP24 Control Head, AC42 Course Computer, RC42 Rate Compass, RF300 Rudder Reference.

I currently have a Garmin 4200 series plotter and network.

Am I on the right track. What are your recommendations as to brands and sizing of the components. Are there any helpful hints or tricks I should know about the system and installing it

Thank you

Andrew

[boden36]

We have found Hydrive great. Whichever one you choose will have an installation handbook. Just follow the instructions and remember that with hydraulics, cleanliness is everything.
Regards, Richard.

[drewan08]

Thanks for the help.

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by drewan08

I am installing a hydraulic system. I would like some information and help running the numbers from people who are experienced with hydraulic steering systems. I also have questions about my selection of an autopilot and the interface into my current electronics.

Crunching the numbers.
I have a rudder with an approximate sq ft of 8, it is less but for safety I am rounding up. It is semi balanced with the rudder post about 1/3 of the way through the top of the rudder. However because of the swept shape of the rudder I would say that it is less than 10% of the rudder forward of the post. For safety margin in the calculations I would not mind if you considered it an unbalanced rudder. I would like to be able to keep the full 90deg arc of the rudder, 45deg to either side. Most manufacturers recommend only 35 deg. I would like the extra deflection for slow speed docking and the ability to stall the rudder to slow the boat. I would like to also be able to use a tiller in emergency situations or if I get into racing. I have enough room in the cockpit for a large enough tiller. I plan to also add an auto pilot to the system.

I am currently looking at a capliano 1250 or 1275 helm pump, a teleflex ba150-7tm or ba175-7tm cylinder, a bypass valve to enable use of the tiller, and a simrad autopilot system with an rpu 160 pump. The other parts of the auto pilot system are; AP24 Control Head, AC42 Course Computer, RC42 Rate Compass, RF300 Rudder Reference.

I currently have a Garmin 4200 series plotter and network.

Am I on the right track. What are your recommendations as to brands and sizing of the components. Are there any helpful hints or tricks I should know about the system and installing it

Thank you

Andrew

Hello Andrew,
Welcome to the forums. Perhaps a little more information would be helpful :-
Give us some specs on the boat ie..
LOA
LWL
Displacement
Cockpit position in boat (photo?)
How is Tiller now attached to rudder post (photo?)
Presume that you are intending to build a binnacle with a steering wheel attached to it? where will you place it in the cockpit ? OR
are you intending to drive the existing tiller arm with the Hydraulic ram?
Does the rudder's present post allow sufficient space to allow for a quadrant for which to attach a ram from the hydraulic system?
Where will sit when at the helm?
------------------
Why do you want to add hydraulics?

[delmarrey]

I installed a hydraulic system a few years ago and will stick with it for as long as I own this boat. I use the pressure on a pair of hydraulic gauges P/S to trim the sails. Most of the time I sail hands free of the wheel. Once tuned (least amount of feedback on the rudder) the boat sails itself. I fly by instrument!

Some links to the installation:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ring-4842.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ring-6961.html

[drewan08]

That is a vary clean installation delmarrey. On the kobelt bypass valve what size/type are the fittings? For the pressure gauges I am assuming that you just t'd them into the lines and ran them to the helm? Where did you get the gauges and fittings that were of marine grade?

Thank you

[delmarrey]

The hard plumbed sections are 1/2" copper refrigeration tubing. The fittings are SS or brass O-ring & JIC with 37º flared/sleeved lock nuts. I had to goto 4 different sources to find all the fittings in non-ferrous grades. The fittings on the back of the pump I actually machined down from a # 6 to a # 5 O-ring. I couldn't find a # 5 O-ring to # 8 JIC.

The bypass valve took 7/8"-18 O-ring male to #8 JIC male.

The gauges were T'd in between the safety valve and the cylinder w/1/8" 5000 psi hyd. hose w/SS ends (to avoid surging) up to the helm.

The gauges are SS backed w/ a white face to match the Teleflex instruments. I bought them thru Wika Stainless Gauges 2.5" U-Clamp Panel Mount-Industrial Automation



I just recently purchased a manual on/off wheel lock and will bypass the old wheel lock that came on the back of the pump. On hot days with the boat on the hard, which is most of the time for now, the pressure on both gauges would reach as high as 900 psi (both sides expanding against each other). If the boat were in the water any wave/serge against the rudder would have relieved the opposing pressures. With the lever off I will get feedback at the wheel, if I so desire, but not likely.