Folding wheel/Removeable wheel

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Life on board (when not at sea!) would be more comfortable if we could reduce in size or remove the helm wheel. Lewmar do a wheel that folds and also seem to do a quick release nut so that the wheel can be removed and stored on the pushpit rail. Has anybody any experience of either system? Good or bad comments?

tia

rob
 
be rather unfortunate if you dropped it over the side while storing it on the pushpit rail!

If you want more space in the cockpit, buy a catamaran! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Along the lines of Haydn's comment we went for a smallish wheel - about 600mm dia from memory and smaller than typical for size boat.

Lowered the forces needed to turn it by designing the boat with a semi balanced spade rudder (that will get some writhing /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) and lock to lock is one turn of the wheel - is on a Whitlock pedestal with drag link direct back to tiller bar on rudder stock. So is possible to design for smallish wheel even without hydraulics or very low gearing but a little hard to retrofit.

Wheel actually comes off in about two seconds, if wanted by just undoing the big nut behind the wheel /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif but never feel the need.

John
 
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Hmm. Mobos manage with little wheels and hydraulics. No power. Guess this would go against the grain for raggies. They seem to preffer a six foot wheel!

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I would guess that the big wheel is so that you can steer from either side of the boat.... often necessary when sailing.

Some manufacturers are creating 2 steering stations on either side of the boat, with 2 smaller wheels.

Richard
 
We had a standard Edson wheel system and we always removed the wheel when in dock or at anchor. It certainly opens up the cockpit space. Buy a spare nut if you are concerned, but we never lost the nut or wheel in 5 years of full time cruising.
 
I bought a 1m Lewmar folding wheel for my last boat. It seemed to work very well and the mechanism seemed robust enough. Didn't use it much as the profile was different from the fixed wheel and I needed to modify the autopilot mounting ..... never got around to it and so didn't use the wheel more than a few times. But overall impression was that it was a good bit of kit.

Alan.
 
I had a standard Whitlock big wheel on a 40' and we always removed it when at anchor/in harbour for more than a lunch stop, its only one nut! You just have to be careful you dont damage the leather when you rest it on the deck tied to the guardrail, so it was always sat on a cushion.
 
That's so we can sit on the upwind side when heeled and still see where we're going while holding onto the wheel - it's not a case of "my wheel's bigger than yours"!
 
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