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Hi,
I am currently building my first cocktail class racer and planning to use a Teleflex / Ultraflex system for steering. For that I would be thankful for your experience installing the kit in the cockpit, e.g.
– How have you mounted the main kit at the back of the cockpit to have a sufficiently stable solution?
– What wooden construction have you build to have the steering wheel not fully vertically oriented, but more in a 25° or so angle?
– What model from ultraflex or Teleflex has proven to be the better one for the CCR?
Any tips and if possible photos would be super helpful to learn from you expereinces and get inspirations on how to install it into my CCR.
Thanx a ton!
Markus
Hi Markus. Sorry this response was so long in coming.
You asked “How have you mounted the main kit at the back of the cockpit to have a sufficiently stable solution?” I am not sure what you mean by main kit. Can you elaborate?
Are you building your boat from a kit or from plans? The kit boat comes with a steering assembly that works pretty well, and that is what I used. If you are building from plans, take a look at the link to Brown Tool and Machine on the resources tab on the CCWBRA web site. They make parts for steering assemblies and a few other really nifty items for Cocktail Class boats.
With regard to the Teleflex remote control unit, I use a UFX-B49, which is the black control box. I believe that the white model is UFX-B47. I mounted a remote to each of my motors, so that I am not having to change out cables each time I change out the motor. I sank threaded inserts into the cockpit side and then mounted hand screw grips on carriage bolts so that I can just screw the control unit to the cockpit side. See photo below.
I hope that this helps. Please get back to me with any questions. Good luck with your build!
Thank you, Jeffrey! Thank you for your detailed thoughts. And you are fully right – i was not sufficiently clear in my post. The thing is that I am about to build an all-electric cocktail class racer with a torqeedo motor. As part of this effort i thought it would be also worth testing an alternative steering mechanism with a classic teleflex/ultraflex steering system.
I am now already somewhat further down the road. After quite some research I am now trying a system from Ultraflex (https://www.ultraflex.it/product/rack-and-pinion-steering-systems-for-jet-boats/)
If all goes well i can provide an update by end of the month of how it fits into the cocktail class racer… 😉
Thank again and all the best! Wish you a wonderful racing season!
Markus
I just joined, I am getting my kit 01/16/25 and can’t wait to join you all racing. I too would like to use a rack and pinion steering system. Please let me know how your installation went.
Hi rmgeis (what’s your name???). I am glad that you joined and that you are planning on racing! As far as I know, Markus is the only person who installed a Teleflex steering system. It looks like a nice system, but you are not likely to get a look at it since he is from Germany! Good luck with your build.
Hi rmgeis,
happy to help. Actually the installation was not that smooth as I had expected, but now it works very nicely. But let me first describe the complication: The steering system is designed for normal-sized boats. E.g. the mounting bezel has a bigger diameter than your entire cockpit dashboard in the cocktail class racer. Thus, you cannot work with the classical bezel, but rather mount the steering axis directly to the dashboard. It requires some tweaking, but not a big deal in the end. See some photos below:
Then I build a custom wheel out of a piece of wood and a race wheel of an old Fiat 500 Abarth:
There are several systems from Ultraflex, but I had to use the T86 (with 7 inch cable) as I needed max space below the steering system in the bow for my battery (probably not your problem if you go for a classical engine). Happy to assist with selecting the right version for you, if needed.
And by the way – I learned that it pays off to think before you mount it. Otherwise you will have a surprising test-drive (left is the new right…) and the need to do it all over again transforming your cockpit dashboard into a Emmentaler cheese:
But overall it is really a great solution. It works seamless and no cables in your cockpit. The only downside is that you have 3 wheel turns to get from full right to full left, but not sure whether the classic steering has a better gear ratio. I hope this was helpful to get a better view on the ultraflex steering option.
I can well remember the days when starting the build – enjoy!
Cheers, Markus
Well, I am not sure that the rack and pinion steering will be legal. In an email from Fred Allerton, Commodore, he wrote “As to installing a rack/pinion steering, that would be a deviation from plans for both boat construction types, so I will forward that question to the Design and Construction Committee to advise. ”
I like Markus’s point of installing it right side up. Thank you, I can see doing that myself. Also 3 turns lock to lock seems excessive to me also. I thought about rack and pinion 6 months ago for the Skua and looked through go cart steering, etc. so there are a lot of options out there.
I don’t believe I’ll make it to Florida in March, but I should be able to get to Kilmarnock, VA in April. (That is a race, right?)
I have a funny story here. My wife and I retired a few weeks ago, were arguing about something she wanted, she exclaimed “you are be going to race a trash can lid, and I can’t have this?”
Thanks for all of your help
Dick Geis
Hi Dick,
I think that 3 turns lock to lock will not give you the kind of steering response you need. Most builders use the pulley system that comes with the CLC kit. Here is a photo of the pulleys on Commodore Allerton’s Smokin Loon:
I am not sure how many turns it typically takes with this setup, but I am guessing about 1.5. Before I started my build, I saw a direct cable system without pulleys on Jack Pettigrew’s boat, and thought it would be a better setup for me. Here is a photo of my steering system:
Very few builders use this direct steer system, I think because it is not very forgiving. I personally like it, though, because the steering response is instant. You can easily oversteer with this setup, but after getting used to it that rarely happens.
With regard to Kilmarnock, that is a boat show and not a racing event. I have not been to that show, but I am sure that it would be worth a visit, if for no other reason than to meet some of the Cocktail Class folks. The first race, after the Governor’s Cup, is in Allentown, PA on the Lehigh River on May 31.
Best wishes,
The direct version looks interesting, Jeffrey! Thank you for sharing!
If you find the time at some point would be great to know how many turns you have lock to lock. Would be a good benchmark to evolve my setup
And I think your trash can lid looks very beautiful! 😎
have a great day!
markus
I can’t say for sure but it looks like Jeffery’s direct version would be around 3/4 to 1 turn lock to lock. A smaller drum diameter would increase “forgiveness”.
This may be the best idea if rack/pinion is not legal. With rack/pinion you are stuck with whatever turns LTL they give you.
Another variable that just struct me, how far do you actually turn the engine during competition. It would seem you would want to turn the wheel 1/4 turn while at racing speed.
Forgive me for speculation on something I know nothing about as I have never driven a Skua.
Dick
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