We had a jog level on a Simrad AP41 as the only tower control in a prior boat. In that application it was painfully slow (about 3 seconds for full rudder response) however it was a single engine boat. We used it fighting fish and for everythign except docking anyway with no negative consequence except aggravation. In a twin application like yours I think it would have been just fine and there is something to be said for avoiding the extra hydraulic lines and sticking with wires.
I'm not sure how the hydraulic steering system would differ on a twin screw boat but on the Karen Lynn we have a very high capacity gear driven hydraulic steering pump, 7 GPM at 2200 PSI fed by a 1" suction line from a 24 gallon tank. We have to dump oil and reduce pressure immediately on the pressure side of the pump. We are using a typical commercial system with a hydroslave class 2.5 ram with char-lynn 9.7ci helms.
Our problem with the jog lever was two fold; first that it reacted too slow-real hesitation- which can cause you to lose fish and secondly because it did not return to center as Nomad pointed out. Lock to lock the jog lever is fast but the hesitation will kill you.
Jim
Karen Lynn Charters
I can't remember the PSI we're operating at but it requires us to put in a relief valve in our system.
You're absolutely right that hesitation would drive me nuts. I use to be impatient waiting for my trolling valve to disengage.
I hate to loose any fish by the boat, but the thought of loosing a money fish in a tournament or a slob BFT would not be good if the steering system were delaying the boats movements at the end of the game.
Sorry I was a bit vague. In referring to the steering issue for a twin screw my comment was on using throttles to steer instead of the rudder (jog lever or wheel) when fighting a fish. Without a keel you shoudl be able to slide the corner away fromt he fish pretty easily without any rudder.
While, I'm still thinking about the cockpit steering options. But like a moth drawn to a brighter light I'm now focusing in on a few other more pressing details at the moment.
I took another stand up rod and reel set up to the shop today so the guys can finish the under seat rod storage.
And I also took my camera!
Chad has installed the false bottom over the drainage channels below the starboard "L" seat and there is some major detailing is on going at the helm deck with anticipation of getting the area in primer soon. He's fiddling with a piece of wood as a mock up to see how we can best utilize the under seat rod storage. Most of the rods will be stored under the hard top and accessed via "Bomb Bay" style doors that will run fore and aft
The small console is in place to my starboard side. That's going to house some of the light switches and it will have a built in cup holder for the captain.
The let in has been cut into the helm deck so that they can install the G-10 material that the seat will be mounted to.
The remainder of the windscreen has been set in place and now we can cut the guys from J&J Marine loose to take field measurements for the tower.
It's really getting exciting now. I can't wait to work with the guys at J&J. These guys are really good and the best part is they're local so I can make as many trips over as I want during the fabrication process.
Needless to say this tower is going to be totally custom and very special.
Here are some pictures of my custom made American Marine wind screen.
The fit and style of that windscreen is unreal. I'm so please with the lines. We worked with American Marine to minimize the look while still making it, as Dave puts it, "Strong as Bull".
Two things are very important to us and they come from David. We want things "Strong as Bull" and we don't want anything sticking out like "Dogs Balls!". Dave is a character to say the least. And I believe in our design Dave and I have accomplished those goals up till now.
I didn't want a bulky looking windscreen so working with Kevin from American Marine we discussed extrusion options and Dave, the project manager and I worked on the lines and style. Once we were confident that we could accomplish the look that we wanted with minimal extrusion sizes then we really wanted to maximize glass sizes.
If you're riding out to the canyons and your crew is busy looking for signs as subtle as bait fish jumping in the distance or signs of tuna breaking on the horizon, the last thing that's needed are heavy extrusions obscuring vision. Same holds true while navigating the harbor.
Clear line of sight vision is crucial since small kayaks or wave runners can come out of a channel and into your path in a second.
We're so pleased with the design and as can be seen in the pictures, viewed from all angles it really compliments our design of the broken shear and the rake and swept back look of the dodger.
Now we're going to really focus on the design of the last major component, the tower.
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When you think about building a wood and epoxy boat one of the major things that never enters the mind is all of the detailing, sanding and fairing that needs to take place. We think about it to an extent that it's become a compulsion. Besides applying epoxy to every side of all wood to encapsulate it, any area where a hand or a finger may end up has been made smooth.
Need to dig a piece of plastic out of a limber hole, just reach in. Need to wipe a cloth around the inside of a cabinet base and it's had a filet applied. No risk of splinters anywhere. There have been no shortcuts taken.
The galley is still being detailed with costs of paint being applied. The counter top will be a corian top but even the surface below the top is getting painted. Obsessed with getting it right. Oh yes!
Here's some photo's of the interior. This week the primary focus has been the galley and the master berth. The other berthing cabin has had its second layer of gray primer applied and will get sanded and painted this week.
There's some refining going on in the master berth area. The step to starboard will be cut back a few inches to match the port side. The hanging locker on the starboard will be shaped more like the one on the port side. Those hanging lockers won't be used for much storage. There's a boat load of storage in the 3 draws under the bunk and the forward section of the bunk cushion support lifts out to reveal more storage.
The hanging locker to starboard will house the AC duct work. The AC unit has been installed under the second step.
The frames and mahogany planks will remain visiable forward of the cabinets. The same detail will remain over the galley seating area. But that area will be highlighted with 4 stand up rods with some nice gold reels running fore and aft.
I thought that would make a nice touch to remind people that although this is a yacht quality built her purpose is to fish for big game.
This is how construction of a custom bait freezer begins for a custom boat. These peices of wood will be the plug for the freezer. This is the last plug that will be made for this boat. Time for some gelcoat, glass work, 3" of rigid insulation surround and then copper pipe.
The whole lower cabinet on the port side cockpit is going to be a freezer.
And now for some very functional bling done in wood. Our custom collapsible cabin hatch is finished getting varnish.
And we just received the prototype for our locking door hardware for the sliding cabin door.
That little tidbit is in the shop getting installed in the door.
Just like the tuna door latch handle we've received, the sleek sliding door latch from our European vendor it's the very first of their type made and sent to market.
We've received some great support on this project from various vendors.
How's this for juxtaposition? Mahogany hatch next to composite light weight painted seat bottom access hatches.
The tuna door has seen it's final coat of varnish also.
Last edited by Fortunate One; 06-20-2009 at 04:17 PM.
Steve, I'm with you. That hatch cover is a throwback to days gone by but not gone totally.
Dr Faizal,
I went down to the shed this morning to document some areas before they get closed up permanently and I took some generalized pictures.
So you asked and here are some pictures along with an update. I hope you enjoy them.
Just to bring you up to speed. We're still in the paint and detailing mode. So the pictures may not indicate exactly how much we've progressed but trust me we're flying along.
There are parts and pieces made, some have been installed and removed so the paint and detailing can progress.
The AC systems are going in and the lines and plenums are being run. So all of that work is taking place as the detailing is going on.
The person that just goes out and buys a plastic boat has no idea the amount of detail that goes into a boat like this.
All of the filling, fairing, priming and sanding that must take place prior to paint being applied is incrediable. But in my opinion the end product is beautiful.
So here we go:
The guys from J&J came down and took measurements for the tower so with that out of the way the windscreen was removed to facilitate the painting process.
The helm deck has been sealed, sanded, faired, filleted and will be shot with primer on Monday. Then it gets sanded, shot with primer again and then sanded and painted with multiple coats of finish paint.
The G-10 reinforcement for the helm seat has been installed which consisted of letting it into the deck beams of the engine room, and glassed over. That insures we will a super solid surface to install the helm chair to and we won't have any leaver motion.
The galley has received the final paint. The back and bottom of all cabinets have been painted. It came out perfect. I can't wait for the doors to be hung. They are in the process of being painted. The large opening to the right is going to receive the fridge/freezer. It's a 2 draw unit that fits into that space like a plug.
The work is continuing in the master cabin. The starboard side steps have the cherry and mahogany tops installed. The step that's been removed is where the master cabin AC unit is installed.
The draw fronts will also have cherry and mahogany installed over them.
The galley seat back has been installed as well as a wood plenum up against the bulkhead for the AC. You can just see it over to the left. That plenum will also feed the cabin containing the over under berths. The frames and mahogany hull sides that are showing will receive finish coats of varnish and they will be fit with hardware to hold some stand up rods. It's a touch that I wanted to ad to the ambiance of the interior. Nothing like some fine custom stand up rods with gold reels hanging against a backdrop of varnished mahogany.
The cabin with the over under bunks has received the final coat of primer. And it's been fit with the mahogany bunk fiddles. It's ready for final painting.
The opening to that cabin has to be enlarged to receive the bi-folding doors. But for the time being it doesn't matter until the finish paint has been done.
Once again, sticking with my belief that a boat should look like a boat and not some padded luxury condo I’m leaving the frames and interior side of the mahogany hull exposed. They will be varnished bright work.
Besides the plumbing work, the work has started in the head. Once again the door opening hasn't been fully cut in.
A layer of glass and epoxy has been installed on the deck.
The entire area to the back going from the hull to the bulkhead of the head will be turned into a large shower.
The Atlantis Freedom head will be installed over to the left with a built in vanity being installed from over the head to the shower stall.
There will be a teak slat shower seat installed off of the bulkhead and the glass doors for the shower are going to be another custom design.
The custom bait freezer has been laid up in glass over the plug.
This thing is just another necessity for a tournament style fishing boat.
The boat has a huge fish box that can be used also to transport bait and chum buckets but since we were building our own I wanted it to be as large as the cabinet could accommodate.
The windless showed up. It's a top of the line Muir unit that is absolutely beautiful.
I debated about installing a windless but when Dave, the project manager said to me: "Do you really want to have to physically pull an anchor?"
The answer was a resounding no. So he ordered a windless.
The bill came in and I was shocked. Dave said we had a choice to go with a less substantial unit. He said I can send it back and get the cheaper model.
Then he went on to inform me that the "Cheaper Model" was exactly just that. Less quality stainless and less pulling power.
Well I haven't cut a corner to this point. So the unit will get installed.
I took the thing out of the box and I couldn't believe how heavy it is.
I took a couple of "Bilge Rats" with me this morning. They're more excited about the boat than I am.
The last time I took them down to the boat the snow was flying.
The Besenzoni seats have arrived but they are not in the shed. Dave doesn't want them to get touched.
But he did pick up the fabric bolt.
I took the Release Marine fighting chair to the shed a couple of weeks ago and Dave called me to ask me if I'd like the bright white vinyl side pads on the chair to be replaced with the matching material that is being used on all of the helm area seating.
It's those little touches that make for an extraordinary vessel.
Rob, who is one of the fiberglass / paint guys, was down at the shed working on one of his projects and he gave me a brief update and he also gave me this "T" shirt.
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