Steering should never break, ever!

Here is my dream steering system.

It would be simple and cheap for any manufacturer.
It will not break and it will also result in better steering dynamics.

The simple bar mounted on top of the rudder, that suffers from various attachment problems, as well as slowing the steering rate down as you approach the limits of the range, which is the opposite of what is really required, is so overdue to be retired.

What I want is a horizontally mounted, circular piece of carbon or fibre re-enforced plastic molding, that has a groove in the circumference for the cord to run in, with smooth radiused holes in a stop at the rear where you tie a knot in the cords.

This has a couple of benefits.

The cord is supported the whole way and is always inline with the deck tubing, so less strain and less friction.
The knots are in an environment that will not cause the cord to cut at the knots.

The radius never changes, so that compared to a tiller bar, the pull will be less in the middle and more near the ends. Just what is required.
It could even be non-circular and create custom variable ratios throughout the movement.

It would be user serviceable.

It would take up no more room than already taken by other systems.

It would be very stiff due to the circular construction and could be made of very light non corroding materials.
It simply bolts on top of the rudder shaft or may be keyed and pinned, whatever suits your fancy.

Inspection of the cable is easy, and in practice the cable that is exposed to the UV up the front of the boat would be the failure point anyways.

As a plastic molding, it would be cheaper than drilled metal that is the norm now days, as well as lighter and noncorrosive.

May also be possible to be a part that is an industry standard, everybody uses them, they work good, they are cheap.

Up front, the zig-zag system that is becoming most popular, can be changed so that instead of the cord being tied together as they are now, with the associated difficulties of centering and pedal angle adjustment, instead they could be terminated at each side with an adjustable length rod/turbucle/whatever.

This way centering is consistent as you don't accidentally move them when you adjust for length, pedal angle adjustment is also easy and consistent, providing micro adjustment instead of trying to judge the knots to get the angle you want, usually settling for something close and never trying other settings as it is such a pain in the arse.

So, come on manufacturers, lift your game and give us a simply cheap and reliable system that is user maintainable and offers better setup and feel of the current hodge podge of of unreliable crap.

"The simple bar mounted on top of the rudder, that suffers from various attachment problems, as well as slowing the steering rate down as you approach the limits of the range, which is the opposite of what is really required, is so overdue to be retired"


I disagree with this statement
I make skis and have access to both a steel bar AND a wheel system, and you must use a bar with pedals or the cable will fall off the wheel when there is no foot pressure on the pedals that tension the cables . With a tiller bar system there is always tension and the cable will always stay in the groove when a wheel is used . If you were to use a shock cord on the pedals it may improve things a little but if the cable comes out of the groove it will be disaster
also you DO want less "steering rate" as you approach the limits, as the rudder just becomes a brake anyway and its much more important "in the middle" where its used 99% of the time. cheers Lats

ps a wheel(mine are machined black plastic) or steel bar (stamped square centre hole and drilled side holes) cost me exactly the same from my supplier(in Australia) so there is no economic benefit for me to favour one system over another.
Also a "stop" can be built into a bar system and this can be very useful indeed.

Would it not be easy to put a clip over the outside of the wheel to make it captive?

I agree, there is some hodge podge out there. I don't see alot of different surf skis, but have seen a couple with overly complicated steering systems up front. Rube Goldberg would be proud.

I've seen your disk idea in the sea kayak market. Though, it was quite sometime ago and the idea never really took off, don't know why because it seems to make sense. My question to you, can you make your own disk and prototype it? As long as your ski will take a disk, seems like it would be a pretty easy thing to make.

Your independent side steering cable (the ones that terminate on each side) idea is already being used. My current ski, a Vector made by Sterling's Kayak and Fiberglass, has this. The cables run forward from the rudder as typical, they are fairlead through two small grooved circular blocks on the footplate, and then terminated at the forward most position on the track. The footplate assembly slides easily with no cable/rudder adjustment problems. It's a pretty sweet system and easy to use.

I'm going to rig mine up via an adjuster to the same point that I hooked the centering bungies to the boat, as soon as I find /make appropriate hardware.

My idea for a circular steering disc now incorporates a longer (as in higher)than needed surface for the rope to go around so that there is no way that it can drop of the fittings as suggested can happen by Latman.

It would also be rounded on the front and flatened at the back or have wings to allow it to act as a steering stop.

It could be as simple as a 3/4 inch high carbon cylinder with a flat piece of carbon top and bottom.
The cable could attach at the back on a vertically mounted flat plate the connects the top and bottom plateand sticks out perpendicular from the cylinder.
It would have two radiused holes for cord to go through and a knot be tied.

The top and or bottom plate could have a protrusion to bump into a stop on the hull.