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You are welcome Markus. We did plan ahead and added a 1/4 inch marine plywood backer under the cockpit floor, in addition to areas where we mounted handles, U bolts, remote controls, so that we had enough wood to screw the inserts into. I think that we added the inserts after we varnished.
Markus, you asked why I mounted the cable system for my steering outside of the cockpit, rather than inside. There were probably a few reasons for that. One is that I saw this set up on Jack Pettigrew’s boat, and he was happy with it, so I figured that if it was good enough for Jack, that it would be good enough for me. Secondly, I thought that there was a chance of my interfering with the cables if mounted on the inside of the cockpit. And since you really need to keep your hands inside the boat while racing, though many of us do not (which has resulted in the past in a partially lost finger!), mounting the cables outside would work best. Lastly, I bought a set of these really nifty coaming pulleys from Brown Tool and Machine to utiize. They are fairly chunky, and in the case of a flip or accident, bashing my ribs against the pulleys did not seem like a very appealing idea!
Hi Markus,
I built a saddle with the assistance of friends who participated in the build. Like all good ideas, mine was stolen from past Commodore Fred Allerton, who the saddle is named for…”The Allerton Seat”. Here is a picture of Fred’s saddle in Smokin Loon. My saddle is similar, but I put 3 screw inserts into the floor and fashioned knobs onto some carriage bolts so that I can install and remove the saddle easily. The saddle really saves my knees, so I really love it. Sometimes, you may be in your boat waiting on other boats to arrive at the starting line, or waiting for some kind of delay. It is much easier to relax and not stress your knees, or your body, with a saddle installed. But, some drivers feel that your weight is too far forward if you stay on a saddle, and they prefer to slide aft as far as possible, presumably so that less of the boat’s hull is in contact with the water. My saddle is far enough forward that I am able to slide off of it and move my weight aft if I want to. The saddle is built with a tiger maple frame, and traditional upholstery materials with a vinyl faux leather cover. I hope that this helps.
Yes Markus, it scares some people, which may be why so few people use the direct steer system. Personally, I like the responsiveness.
Good luck with finishing up your build Dick. I look forward to seeing you on the water!
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,
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 Markus,
Thanks for the awesome post and for sharing! What a cool build! I am sure that there are some other adventurous and creative builders who might be interested. Please be sure to keep us up to date as you put the finishing touches on your boat.
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!
Hi Andy,
I was trying to keep my build low budget. I was fortunate enough to have somebody give me a broken down jet ski trailer that I was able to fix and modify to meet my needs. Since the trailer would be garage kept, I was not worried about protecting the boat from the weather and I felt that an open trailer was OK. I rigged the trailer so that I can mount multiple engines on it , strap gas tanks to it and have an attached tool box. It has worked out pretty well for me. Plus, it is light enough that I am able to pull it with a vehicle that has a low towing capacity.
Quite a few racers have cargo trailers, which are extremely convenient, but more expensive and heavier to haul. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind having a cargo trailer, but I am OK with my set up and will probably stick with it.
I would recommend visiting a race or two to get a look at what setups people have. You might get some good ideas. Good luck. I look forward to seeing you on the water!
Hi Andy,
I put marine plywood backings behind all of my handles. I think that it is a good idea, because between the weight of your boat, the motor and water that is shipped onboard during a race, your boat can get quite heavy.
Regarding the motor wedge, yes, I am sure that you will need a wedge. The angle of your motor to the transom is an important factor to your boat running flat and not porpoising. It is a challenge to get this right and you will find that you may need to make many modifications to your wedge and the adjustment of the angle. I got a lot of help from experienced racers on this and it helped a lot. But I still had to experiment and test, and then had to keep working at it after adding new motors. I rejected the idea of a thrust bracket because I added a 1/4 inch aluminum plate to my transom to add strength. I found my aluminum plate at a local scrap dealer, and have gone back several times for other pieces of aluminum to use on other parts of my boat. I think the aluminum plate has paid off because my boat has not broken in spite of several collisions, one with a submerged piling, and several racing collisions when my boat got smacked on the aft (ass). But the addition of the aluminum plate limited the space between the transom and the motor, so a thrust bracket would not have worked for me. You will find that each builder finds his/her own way to deal with these variables, and we often later modify what we have done to make improvements. The great thing about CCWBRA builders is that each of us finds a way to approach our build and to innovate. There is no right way to do things, but it is a good idea to go to a race and to see what other builders have done, and to take from their ideas.
Best of luck with your build!
Hi Andy. I hope that your build is going well. Cameron hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned. I use Ultraflex control boxes on all of my motors as well, and I have a separate box for each motor, though many builders use just one box and change out the fittings to handle different motors. The Ultraflex boxes are much less expensive than the manufacturer controls. Here is what the control looks like:
If you call Ultraflex (941 351 2628) they can tell you which cables to buy and which fittings you will need to mate the cable to your motor. Unfortunately, when I built my boat I was not able to find any 6 ft. cables, so I have 7 ft. cables and have one of those big weird loops in each cable. But, it works, so I am good with it.
Good luck with your build!
Good luck getting your race together Chris. Keep us posted. Maybe some of us northerners will be able to join you!