Adding 3rd control station to tuna tower

[DaleH]

Just some photos of the mock-up pieces to test out locations and ergonomics, before I start cutting expen$ive starboard that is ... Due to the control swing arm, they're mounted a tad lower than I would have preferred, but this move them to be lower than the plane of the steering wheel (the new one will be a 13-1/2" Edson destroyer type wheel with suicide knob).

The first and possibly 'only' install will be simple controls and steering, plus an ignition kill lanyard for safety. No gauges at this point. If I end up using it a lot I'd like to add a satellite signal feed from my main units.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Interesting.

What kind of controls are those??

Also, are you building a box to hide the helm pump?

Cool Project.

 

[DaleH]

What kind of controls are those??

Uflex single lever stainless steel controls. My original concept was to make a teak helm pad ... but I have enough teak as it is and I don't need teak exposed to the sun 24/7 on an exposed tower ...

Also, are you building a box to hide the helm pump?

Hide the helm pump? There will be a box fab'd around it, but I'm not so much into visuals ... this 1st gen will be sort of a Rube Goldberg meet Wicked Tuna attempt ... think Capt Marciano's boat !

 

[Bryan 2530]

How about a fiberglass helm pod make a mold or foam one or, there are some commercial ones available.

I like what you have started though, even the beer holder. 8)

 

[warthog5]

You already know this, but some may not. That steering wheel will be about 4 1/2in higher once mounted on a hyd helm. Unless you back mount it. I don't really like the back mount due to access to it.

I haven't taken a pix of it since I brought it home...... but I have a new Crows Nest control box just like the one that was on the Mako. 41 1/2in wide.

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[ParkerJr]

Very cool project. How do you plan on running the hoses and cables down into the pilot house?

 

[warthog5]

Rigging tubes and flanges. Just like connecting between the transom and motor.

But I'm looking for 2 1/2in hose....All I can find is 50ft roll. Wanna share a roll?

I've been the route with the 2in hose. There always seems to be one more item you want to run up there. 2in I had to split and didn't like that.

 

[DaleH]

That steering wheel will be about 4 1/2in higher once mounted on a hyd helm. Unless you back mount it.

I went with the rear mount helm. It came with a remote fill kit and to tell the truth, I've never had to touch a helm, less re-filling, unless it was an intentional intervention like adding a 2nd or 3rd station. As far as filling, the highest-mounted helm gets the vented plug, so that will be the tower position.

Very cool project. How do you plan on running the hoses and cables down into the pilot house?

The tower tubing is shaped like a large oval or '0' going across the boat the long way. The steering cables will follow below that piping, as will the control cables. There will be a 2" SS standoff, 4" tall, off the roof just forward of my rear-starboard tower leg. All cables will go through this. I will be using OB rigging hose as Bobby noted.

 

[DaleH]

UPDATE ...

Let me tell you ... you just haven't lived until you've tried to bleed all of the air out of THREE steering helms and lines, nevermind the burden when doing so with just 1 or 2 stations!

I think I spent the better part of a day, from the ground up onto the ladder into the boat, into the cockpit, into the main cabin, then back to the motor, then back up the ladder and into the boat, then up onto the trunk cabin and crawling up into the tuna tower ... and repeat, repeat.

Lacking the $800 Power Purge Jr. from SeaStar Solutions, I have my own method, a tad slow and laborious, but it allows bouts of work on other tasks (waiting for any air bubbles to rise to the top-most station) in between the repeated purges of air. And it does remove all of the air. The lower 2 stations are sealed, but I was able to crack both open early on SUN morning in cool temps, and when turning the wheel hard over against the stops, the fluid level didn't drop - which indicates there's no air in those lines back to the motor. Yippee !

I'm still playing around with the gear & throttle controls (and custom control box) as you see this photo taken after the launch, as well as the final tower hydraulic hoses, but all is functional. Other upgrades included new fuel/vent hoses, new color/overlay radar, dual horns 120dB, and LED lights for red/white cabin lights, LED cockpit spreader light, and tuna swivel rod holders for short bent-butt 80s. Oh, and the pulpit was re-finished with 3-caots of marine UV-proof epoxy and 6-coats of sacrificial UV-proof clear varnish ...

And now ... she fishes ... with a color GPS remote to the main to be tied onto the tower control pod. No teak up there, whew ...

 

[Brent]

thumbs up

great job

go catch some fish :mrgreen:

 

[DaleH]

UPDATE 14 July:

Added a Lowrance color GPS/fishfinder to the tower station. This fishfinder works on different frequencies than my Furuno so there should be no interference between the units.

I bought an older-generation, but new (old stock) Edson flush-mount helm box (aluminum casing with acrylic top) on eBay for $100 shipped. I tell ya' ... my boat should almost be named Miss eBay, not Miss Teak!

Not as pretty an install as Warthog's work, but still 100% functional!

 

[Megabyte]

Nice work!

 

[warthog5]

Something I found out by not being as observant as I should.

Note the wheel in dales pix above. Especially note where the Spinner is.

I had one wheel that had the spinner in the rim......and the other in the spoke like dales above.

It was amazing how much more effort it took to turn the wheel.

Both wheels looked identical [except for spinner mounting location] and both wheels were 13 1/2in.


So when your shopping for a wheel.....keep this in mind.

 

[Megabyte]

Never noticed that before.
I need to check my Edsons when I visit the boat today to see where they are mounted.