Wire with pulley cable steering vs Hydraulic steering on race boats

[powerabout]

You have a steering wheel connected to a rotary hydraulic pump that supposedly has lock valves.
Its only a steering system because of the end result, not by design

[Ted Stryker]

Hydraulic for a cruising boat, for a boat that requires sharp attention the pulley steering can’t be outdone.

[TooStroked]

Extremely fast V-bottom driver told me that he would have nothing but cable/pulley steering and wont use the bottom seat cushion so that he can feel the boat. XR2001 Allison. However I must say that I do enjoy the hydraulic steering in my new to me River Rocket. Anyone know why the steering wheel keeps moving around and round a little? Shouldn't it return to center and stay in the same position?

The reason your steering wheel has no true center position comes from how a hydraulic steering system works. The system works by moving an incompressible liquid (hydraulic fluid) back and forth in a set of hydraulic lines. (Think of the fluid as the steering cable.) Since the fluid has to move both ways depending on which way you want to turn, there are a series of valves that open and close tp prevent flow in the "wrong" direction. (That's also what eliminates torque steer.) Since they don't open and close exactly the same way every time, your "center" is wherever it happens to / needs to be at that time. Two ram (wing plate) style systems have a much more repeatable center than single ram systems because you basically have a mirror image system on each side of the motor.

If that's the only downside to my Single Ram Latham Wing Plate system, I'll put up with it!

BTW: Anybody ever seen a string & pulley steering system on a real offshore style race boat? Nah.

[TooStroked]

Its only a steering system because of the end result, not by design

Not to sound like a smart ass, but that's ridiculous. I'm sure Bob Latham would totally disagree with you since he's been designing and building the finest "end results" (your term) in the industry for many, many years.

[powerabout]

Not to sound like a smart ass, but that's ridiculous. I'm sure Bob Latham would totally disagree with you since he's been designing and building the finest "end results" (your term) in the industry for many, many years.

He builds the best quality of a flawed design, yes I'd agree
He engine fittings are what he is known for and yes they are top shelf
Read the comments above, a person new to hydraulic steering cant understand why the wheel doesnt go back to centre as you would expect and slowly goes round and round?
Oh sorry to inform you but after 35 years of hydraulic steering we still put a wheel on a rotary hydraulic pump hence the result.
Nothing in the helm has been designed for steering a boat.

[Capt.Insane-o]

[XstreamVking]

The says it all.. I agree....

[BarryStrawn]

Rotary pumps with the designed in leak and moving center for the steering wheel is not the only way to design a hydraulic helm. But it works great to remove feedback and is first rate for a heavy rigs like offshore. Race or pleasure. Rugged. And cheap for the bassboats.

[Onetime]

The Capilano helm was specifically design for boats. The new hydraulic steering system packages are specifically designed for boats.

I have to laugh at a lot of these comments.

Going to relate it to airplanes. First ones were cable and pulley control surfaces. Lot off crashes from control system failures and unlike a boat, gravity is a bitch! Then higher performance and bigger went to control rods and rod ends. Now the biggest and most agile(fighter jets) are all hydraulic.

Like someone else said, have you ever seen an offshore boat with cable and pulley?

Have you ever seen the results when a pulley mount fails? Been in a boat when that happened, not pretty.

[BarryStrawn]

Talk about a laugh. Name a smallish airplane with hydraulic flight controls. Or one that doesn't use cables and pulleys. A few do have push/pull rods.

[Onetime]

Lancair, Glasair, Vans, Giles, MSX, Edge just to name a few that use control rods. “Smallish” airplanes for the most part don’t need hydraulic because control surface pressures are not high enough to warrant it.

Lets not get personal now.

You’re missing the point that it has been evolving technology in airplanes as it now is in boats.

Just like with airplanes there are those that don’t want to evolve.

[BarryStrawn]

I thought the last subject was hydraulics were superior for aircraft and laughing at a lot of these comments. Seemed pretty clear. I agree hydraulics are superior if it gets heavy and expensive enough. Not so much for the rest.

And I was unaware Lancair, Glasair, Vans, Giles, MSX, Edge used no control cables. I would have thought they had a mix of cables and rods. Still do.

I agree hydraulics are superior for any offshore use. Expecially side mount. And any utility boat use. Or any fishin boat of any speed. Or anything with a hydraulic jack plate. Or anything weighing more than maybe 1,500 lbs. Or anything with more than one seat. OK?

I think the thread got derailed with different peoples concepts of what a "race boat" is and why some use cable pulley.

[Noah Burns]

so... we're using servos and fly by wire controls on our helicopters at Bell does that factor in the boat steering conversation? just wondering... what about trains... how do they steer?

[Cpines]

2016 Liberator w/3.2 xs. It has Seastar hydro with power assist. I can drive 100 with one finger. I've driven cable steer when I was a young kid. Never again. Now, I don't drive a pad boat currently, so I don't need to rock the helm back and forth to keep it on tho pad. I can't imagine driving this boat with cables. Without the power assist it was tiring to drive. Now it feels like driving my wife's Porsche. Only thing that gets tired now is the grin on my face.

[powerabout]

727 has cables, maybe servo assisted but cables