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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
Rudder position indicator
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Jerry, or anyone else, do you have a clear photo of the rudder position indicator behind the helm?
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 2, 2021 - 9:29am
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Hi Al,
I will send some photos when I get home tonight from work.
Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 3, 2021 - 2:57pm
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Thanks, Jerry!
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 3, 2021 - 3:30pm
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Here you go Al,
We manufactured ours on PT658 going by the Higgins Blueprint 2985-PT-43 PT625 Class Rudder Indicator and I included a photo of the same thing from Higgins Builders Photos of PT631 that show the Helm. I hope you can see enough detail. The indicator arrow is driven from a flexible shaft connected to a small gear on the back of the speed reducing splined gearbox. If you pull the Steering Wheel Helm outwards, the splined shaft engages the high speed gear, which allows you to turn the rudders faster but it is much more effort to turn. This is known as the "High Speed Position" and the other part is when you push in on the splined shaft to engage the lower gear. That is described as the"Low Speed" or Maneuvering position. We keep the Helm in the Low Speed Position most of the time.
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 3, 2021 - 10:03pm
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Outstanding! Thanks. Does the lower handle on the helm pivot or is it fixed like the ELCO?
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 4, 2021 - 2:51am
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Hi Al,
Yes it pivots. Note the knurled knob and the pivot and positioning detent hole in the attached photos.
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 4, 2021 - 11:45pm
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Thanks, Jerry. I need to revise my helm drawing a bit.
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 5, 2021 - 4:21am
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Thank you Jerry, I didn't know that Higgins had a "2-speed" wheel box. Very clever!
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Aug 5, 2021 - 6:34am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Yes it is pretty fun to play with! When you are moving at top speed, you only need to make small rudder corrections generally so the high speed setting that is harder to turn is not an issue. I included a screenshot of the very large blueprint. You can see the steering wheel shaft #15 on the left side of box. If you spot the outer splines of the Steering wheel shaft #35 it is shown in either of two positions in or out. When the wheel shaft is pushed in (to the right), it engages the inner splines of the shaft of the steering chain sprocket #20, #27 When you pull the wheel shaft out (to the left), it disengages from the chain sprocket and engages the interior splines of the high speed gear train #12, This now turns and the outside of that gear #5 engages the idler gear located below the shaft #3, The idler gear other end gear teeth #4 are engaged with the outer spline #6 of the chain drive sprocket, thus giving you a speed increase. I am unsure of the exact gear ratio, I may have to disassemble it to count the teeth of the gears, like we did on the supercharger drive shaft geartrain. Pretty simple huh?
Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 6, 2021 - 12:33am
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Thanks Jerry, it took a little while but by following your description I was able to understand. That is really cool.
Pretty fancy-schmancy, but did Higgins have the remote steering control system as seen on this Elco?:D
Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Aug 6, 2021 - 6:01am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am
Remote steering setup! That is both hilarious and scary at the same time! Great photo. No the Higgins never had that setup. LOL
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Aug 6, 2021 - 10:53pm
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
Jeff . . . .
Those are the good old days of "Analog," or better said" Fly by Wire". 
Posted By: Dick | Posted on: Aug 7, 2021 - 11:37am
Total Posts: 1417 | Joined: Aug 27, 2006 - 6:36pm
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 7, 2021 - 5:17pm
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Thanks again, Jerry. This is where I went with your info,
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Aug 7, 2021 - 5:20pm
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
And check out Jeff's great PT 103 website for the rudder indicator on an 80' Elco.
Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Aug 16, 2021 - 12:42pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am