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Date Posted: - Tuesday - 01/25/05 - 12:51pm
Author: Randall
Author Host/IP: 64-161-221-132.opentable.com / 64.161.221.132
Subject: The Immortal Worm
In reply to: Rob 's message, "Emergency Steering" on - Thursday - 01/20/05 - 6:04pm

Worm gear is famous for being reliable. Imagine the steering mechanism in your car being replaced with the steering mechanism from a Caterpillar earthmover and you’ll get a sense of why they’re so tough in our boats. As a small case in point, notice that there aren’t any mentions of worm gear failures on this board.

That said, there is no ruling out the need for contingency planning.

Along those lines, I’ve often wondered what an emergency to the worm gear would look like. In general, the pieces are so heavily built compared to most production boat steering systems that the only thing I can imagine is 1) slipping of the gear teeth. The only wear my 32 year old gear evidences is in the teeth—she steers like a 57 Chevy; 2) failure of the entire assembly’s connections to the deck. Whereas neither of these seems all that likely, both would imply that the rudder is hopelessly jammed until the worm gear can be disassembled.

Re recovery from same, I've had the following ideas (just ideas—none implemented to date).
***I'm attempting to acquire a used Hydrovane wind vane, whose permanent rudder could act as THE rudder in an emergency.
***One can envision fashioning a crude tiller that fastens to the top of the rudderpost via the worm gear "rocker arm". There are two nuts and bolts at each end of this “arm” that hold the “steering rods” (I’m making these terms up as I don’t know what the right ones are) that come off the gear itself. The fashioned tiller could attach here using the same nuts and bolts currently used to hold the arms. Of course, this assumes the emergency didn’t destroy this specific assembly.
***Then there’s the old standby: knocking a small hole in the top most outer corner of the rudder, to which one could attach lines that would run up and over the starboard and port counter to the jib sheet winches. I can’t imagine this to be a very convenient way to steer, but then, if all else fails, whatever works is, by definition, the best solution.

My two cents,

RR

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Replies:

[> Re: Emergency Steering -- Gordon, - Tuesday - 01/25/05 - 5:19pm (pcp03673530pcs.grosep01.mi.comcast.net/68.40.108.88)

My M40 has a hydraulic steering system, it's very reliable. However, if it fails I have a large wooden tiller that fits into the head nut of the rudder. So, as long as I 'have' a rudder I can always pilot the boat.

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