How I laughed....

[parasal]

when I left the water point, engaged gear with wheel, then once in forward the wheel kept spinning loose! I was already proceeding away from the side and tried to jump off and keep her in(no chance!) so had to leap aboard, into the engine room and pull the gear chain into neutral then get to back, jump off and pull boat back in! Phew!

On realising the split pin that keeps the wheeel ingaged was no longer there, set to a temporary repair with some wire.... moving off again realised the same was not thick enough, so repeat earlier scampering and find thicker wire till a friend furnished me with a shiny, sturdy split pin whilst being very careful and gentle about changing gear!

Will these learning curves straighten out?? i think not!!

Good job I like cornering!!

Edited December 17, 2009 by parasal

[rjasmith]

when I left the water point, engaged gear with wheel, then once in forward the wheel kept spinning loose! I was already proceeding away from the side and tried to jump off and keep her in(no chance!) so had to leap aboard, into the engine room and pull the gear chain into neutral then get to back, jump off and pull boat back in! Phew!

On realising the split pin that keeps the wheeel ingaged was no longer there, set to a temporary repair with some wire.... moving off again realised the same was not thick enough, so repeat earlier scampering and find thicker wire till a friend furnished me with a shiny, sturdy split pin whilst being very careful and gentle about changing gear!

Will these learning curves straighten out?? i think not!!

Good job I like cornering!!

 

Well done for getting out of a dodgy situation - twice!

 

I must admit I haven't built our Kelvin K2 gearchange arrangement yet (there is a design in my head but that's all). I think I shall be avoiding split pins and similar to secure the wheels and sprockets etc to the shaft. The constant unavoidable backlash when changing gear is bound to cut through one in time.

 

Although you've fixed yours for now maybe you could come up with a more solid locking arrangement for the wheel? Might need someone to do a bit of simple engineering (eg machining a keyway into shaft and wheel perhaps?).

 

Richard

[Swallowman]

How about threading the shaft to match a similar thread on the wheel and use a nylok nut to lock it in place?

[matty40s]

Similar happened to me on my first big trip!! We were going north through Crick tunnel and nearing the end tried to drop speed with the speed wheel, no response, wound it both ways and still stonking along. The two screws which held the vertical shaft had dropped out into the bilges and the horizontal shaft from the stern was no longer connected to the throttle controller on the engine.

Swift shouts to the front and Gramps rushes into the engine room, manually pushing the throttle controller until we could moor up. Temporary repair job with help from the ABNB team ( as I had not moved my toolbox on board at the time). The screws work loose with the engine vibration and are now held in with a strip of cable tie as packing which has now held for 12 months.

[parasal]

I guess just make that part of regular miantainance is the easiest way to go-the way its deigned surely there is always going to be forces acting on some part or other?

Just makes boating more exciting

[churchward]

Not knowing your actual set-up this may be of use or complete nonsense. If your wheel is held on with a split pin only ie the split pin goes through the shaft and wheel I would consider replacing the split pin (probably need to widen the whole that goes through wheel and shaft) with clevis pin and then hold the clevis pin in place with a split pin. The trouble with relying on a split pin is that often they are quite soft metal and wear quickly. A clevis pin being just a round plug of metal (wide one end to stop falling through) with a hole for a split ping to stop it reversing out.

[parasal]

I know the type you mean-good idea...ta!

[churchward]

Just in case we are talking at cross-puposes here is an example of what i mean by clevis pin.

 

http://www.force4.co.uk/4051/Marine-Pre-Pa...ampaign=pid4051

[BEngo]

Not knowing your actual set-up this may be of use or complete nonsense. If your wheel is held on with a split pin only ie the split pin goes through the shaft and wheel I would consider replacing the split pin (probably need to widen the whole that goes through wheel and shaft) with clevis pin and then hold the clevis pin in place with a split pin. The trouble with relying on a split pin is that often they are quite soft metal and wear quickly. A clevis pin being just a round plug of metal (wide one end to stop falling through) with a hole for a split ping to stop it reversing out.

 

 

There is an item designed for this job, and it is called a roll-pin. They come in various sizes and lengths and look like a strip of steel rolled into a small cylinder. They are quite hard and have some spring in them from the way they are rolled up so that they keep tight in the hole. Ideally they fit into a reamed hole but mine have been OK for the last 20 years into drilled holes.

 

N