Electric steering

[steveh]

I would like add a electric motor to steer my outboard engine. I am thinking of something with a push and pull action. It doesn't need to turn very far - about 15 degrees each way. Anyone got any ideas of something I could use?

Thank you, Steve

 

[reeac]

Depends on what boat you have but a Tillerpilot or similar would be the easy way to do it - maybe used in "simple" mode with no GPS connections but simply pressing the 1 or 10 degree buttons in order to steer.

 

[William_H]

I am guessing that you have a sail boat with rudder and would like to be able to move the motor in unison with the rudder for better control. I am guessing the motor is too hard to reach easily.

Perhaps the easiest option for a motor would be 12v battery powered drill driving a section of threaded rod. This willl give you a lot of power but perhaps be a bit slow. Push the carry handle rather than the tiller.
You will need a DPDT switch with centre off to give 2 directions of travel. If you want to get technical you can use a position sensing potentiometer to a bridge circuit driving switching transistors so that a control potentiometer will simply be set to the angle of steering you want. It will run till it gewts to the desired angle.

it is all fun to dream about but in practice is difficult to make reliable and unobtrusive. Best is linkage rudder to o/b tiller. olewill

 

[rogerthebodger]

Windscreen wiper motor. Low speed has or can be used as push pull motion and is reversible.

 

[matelot]

quite a lot of cars have electric steering these days so maybe there is something you could use from a scrappie/.

 

[halcyon]

We used to fit electric power steer to fork lift trucks in the 1980's.

Brian

 

[Adamastor]

I'd fit a Morse D290-type cable-steering kit, and then electrically power the user-interface: instead of a wheel you could use an electric motor with a suitable reduction. Roger's suggestion is quite interesting- the worm & pinion would probably give the right sort of reduction, but maybe a cheapie 12V electric drill motor and gearbox could work, too, especially with the opportunities reversible gearboxes and variable speed control presents.
But what about a tiller-pilot, toasted or otherwise? Cannibalise it and fit a manual control to the motor if its GPS is FUBAR?

FWIW, I had a horrid image of a careering power-craft doing 2.3kn with a stinky little Seagull screaming like a F1 engine behind it doing zigzags at less-than-breakneck speeds! Don't try this at home, kids, unless you've fitted the Patented Rogershaw Industries Entropy-Drive. (Which looks a little like a Ford Anglia wiper, but actually is completely solid-state and uses Brownian Motion technology!)

 

[DownWest]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the drives for satelite dishes. V. powerful and 12v. Also lots spare as most people have fixed dishes now. I slung a couple out recently. Big plus, not marine so cheap....
Andrew