Emergency Steering

[atavist]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread but Nausikka's post made me wonder, how many people on here still keep a sculling/steering oar onboard?

What size boat have you found to be the largest that an oar is effective for sculling/steering?

what type of set up do you have for sculling/oar steering?

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by atavist

What size boat have you found to be the largest that an oar is effective for sculling/steering?

Ships' lifeboats are equipped with a steering oar. Fully loaded, a lifeboat could typically be 32 feet or so loa and have a displacement of 5 tonnes.

As for the set up I have, I have written about this in an earlier post. See http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/index.php...rgency+steering

Any questions about my set up then just let me know.

Aye // Stephen

[imagine2frolic]

I haven't a sculling board, but I do have an emergency tiller. I have hydralic steering, and my first time on the boat accidently pushed on the autopilot. We were idling around the St. Maarten Lagoon waiting for the bridge to open. When I realized there was no steering I broke out the tiller, and attatched it to the rudder post. Of course it would not budge. I saw the flashing light on the compass, and realized my mistake.

Because of this I always thought I could epoxy one of my small interior doors to the emergency tiller, or through bolt it if it was a quick fix. Hopefully I would have time for both. The sterns of Imagine have a grate running between them, and they are attached to the rear cross beam. I always figured I could lash the tiller to the center of the cross beam, and hopefully tie it off to the sheets if it was a long sail.

The good thing about a cat is that you get 2 chances to lose your rudder!

[Weyalan]

In any sort of serious conditions (and, lets face it, your steering system is unlikely to break in any other conditions), I think that any sort of jury-rigged oar steering system is going to be little more than useless. Amongst the more experienced sailors I have spoken to, the general consensus is that a decent transom mounted system, preferably a cassette type that you can attach to permanent hard points before dropping the rudder into the cassette, is the only realistic way of achieving a working emergency steering that will function effectively in serious conditions. How many of us have that? Not many, I'm betting. I don't, but I am in the process of designing just such a thing and it is on the (long) list of boxes that must be ticked before we set of for long term live-aboard offshore cruising.

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

In any sort of serious conditions (and, lets face it, your steering system is unlikely to break in any other conditions), I think that any sort of jury-rigged oar steering system is going to be little more than useless.

I can appreciate your thoughts abput thr uselessness of a steering oar in hard weather but if you read accounts of those who have survived voyages in ships' boats then you will find that steering oars have, in fact, worked well.

I hope your atempt to design an emergebcy rudder is fruitful. Please share the details with when your development work is complete or if you come accross prolems - there are many cleaver people who read these forums who also are willing to offer advice.

For me emergency steering it is both belt and braces. Ultimately I hope to end up with my normal rudder, wind vane steering, emergency steering (i.e. steering oar and possably some other system too).

Aye // Stephen

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

In any sort of serious conditions (and, lets face it, your steering system is unlikely to break in any other conditions), I think that any sort of jury-rigged oar steering system is going to be little more than useless. Amongst the more experienced sailors I have spoken to, the general consensus is that a decent transom mounted system, preferably a cassette type that you can attach to permanent hard points before dropping the rudder into the cassette, is the only realistic way of achieving a working emergency steering that will function effectively in serious conditions. How many of us have that? Not many, I'm betting. I don't, but I am in the process of designing just such a thing and it is on the (long) list of boxes that must be ticked before we set of for long term live-aboard offshore cruising.

Participants in the TransPac race must demonstrate that they have a workable emergency steering system. I'm told by someone who sailed a 51' yawl that he simply rigged what I'll call a "double drogue" of two small drogues with two separate lines the be let off the port and starboard sides of the transom.

Similarly, I know of two cases where boats lost their rudders in trans Atlantic crossings and rigged up "drag something(s) in the water" steering systems. It works. Even for long passages.

Our 54' 29 ton displacement boat has one of those huge barn door rudders hung on the keel. The new steering set up is 1. powered hydraulic, if it fails then go to 2. manual hydraulic, then if that fails 3. re-connect the double arm worm gear to the rudder if both hydraulic fail, on to 4. connect tiller arm if bullet proof worm gear fails. All 1-4 pre-suppose that we have the rudder in tact. If not, then 5. throw a couple (yet to be determined) "things" over the transom for a "drag" steering system; if that doesn't work 6. build a large oar out of materials available onboard like the 18' long boat/gaff hook and a cabinet door



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