Etap vertical steering

I have been reading a English forum on tiller vrs wheel forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/can-anyone-cure-me-of-my-prejudice-against-wheel-steering.405807/page-6 and someone mentioned the Etap vertical steering as a alternative to either

This system is a modern version of whipstaff steering en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipstaff

The Etap uses a bevel gear to transfer the motion and the fellow who has it on his boat said it was a good thing

Regards Don

Hi Don,
I am new to this or any fourm so not sure if this will help but I finished building my yacht a few years ago and looked at both options, I ended up installing a Hydrive hydraulic wheel steering system. These units are easy to fit up and install ( no cables / pully to contend with) while still giving you feedback feel on the helm. I have a 900mm wheel that is easy to get around while sailing with freinds on the Tamar river but swap over to a larger wheel when going offshore to helm while sitting down. The other advantage of the hydraulic system is it is easy to set up and uses minimal amps which I have found I use all the time as I sail a lot on my own.

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Ramona said..
May as well have a wheel if you want to stand out there in the weather! The main advantage of a tiller is your sitting comfortably and getting out of the wind.

Hi Ramona

I have to agree with you on this one

The previous owner of mine replaced the tiller with a longer one and it allows you to hide under the dodger in bad weather and steer

Regards Don

Hi HG

It is the filler for the diesel tank

If you look at the top of this photo the tank is visible and it mounts under the rear cockpit floor

It is a square stainless (From memory but it could be alloy) tank that probably holds around 40 litres and has a sight tube on the front of it and a simple tap to shut off the supply

The small chrome firing above the tiller is the tank breather and the large round plastic part is a breather for the engine compartment

It has the filter on the engine and another below the engine that I will eventually replace with a filter/separator mounted up high so it is easy to get fuel up to bleed the thing after filter changes

If I was as keen as you I wouldn't mind cutting the cockpit floor out and putting a hatch panel in ti give me better access to the rear of the engine, gearbox and prop shaft but it will never happen

Regards Don