Next message: Michael: "[world-cruising] Re: Hydraulic steering"
If you value the "feel" of a sailing boat that gets transmitted
through the wheel or tiller, hydraulic steering may be a
disappointment. Hydaulics are also hard to repair without
specialized tools or lots of spare parts. That said, thousands of
boats have hydraulic steering as it is adaptable and powerful.
Spencer
--- In , "klysmi" <klysmi at dot dot dot > wrote:
>
> Thanks, all. This information is very helpful.
>
> Karen
>
> --- In , "Bryan Genez" <svcapella@>
wrote:
> >
> > On 5/1/07, klysmi <klysmi@> wrote:
> > >
> > > My husband is considering buying a 1987 boat with hydraulic
steering and
> > > has no experience
> > > with it. I'm scrambling to research. What are the pros and
cons? What
> > > are *very* specific
> > > problems to look out for? What are the issues with hydraulic
steering and
> > > windvanes? Can
> > > anyone weigh in with their experiences or recommend good
reading (esp
> > > online, as we're in
> > > Paris) on this topic? I'm looking for as much detail as
possible here,
> > > and I appreciate any
> > > insight.
> >
> >
> > Pros: hydraulic steering is a simpler solution than cables for
boats with an
> > aft cabin (i.e., center cockpit). Cable steering on those boats
can follow
> > a tortuous path, with many bends, each of which becomes a
potential failure
> > point. Hydraulic steering is quite strong, which means very
little effort
> > on the wheel will turn a large rudder. Many boats, especially
larger boats,
> > use hydraulics for multiple systems: backstay tensioners, solid
boom vangs,
> > even furlers and winches. So one properly designed system can
serve
> > multiple functions.
> >
> > Cons: if they leak, you have a mess. I've spoken with owners
who claim
> > their hydraulic steering "creeps" - causing a slight rudder turn
while the
> > helm is amidships. There's no "midships" marking on the wheel,
as that
> > point will change. As Henry mentioned, there's no feedback; if
you're not
> > watching your compass, you can easily wander off course. I
don't know
> > anyone with a windvane + hydraulic steering, so no help there.
> >
> > --
> > Best,
> > Bryan Genez
> > "Capella" V40-158
> > New Bern, NC
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
