Left Handed

[Joe 26M Time Warp]

Left Handed VHF or motor?

I'm right handed. I remember working with a guy who was left handed but I hadn't noticed, or had forgotten. I mentioned how I'd come across an adjustable wrench that was threaded backwards, 'some kind of cheap import I guess', brought his response of how right-handed the world is, and how unfair it was to those lefties.
Anyway.
I don't have the Honda ZW7-V51 flush mount control yet but I did get some time and duct tape to play with ideas.
Why wouldn't it be cool to have a totally unobstructed walk on the starboard side. I know walking coolers through there sucks.
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Putting the control on the port side is a most recent development, building the flushmount in - (slicing through whatever I have to) to make the cockpit even an inch more roomy just makes sense.

Also in the overhead pic above, you can see how the control is rotated around and tilts into the pedestal tube for close to a straight shot for the control cables.

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The helm's view shows how the throttle lever in its neutral position is tucked close to the wheel and shouldn't interfere with anything. You can also see from this view how the lower left corner of the stock helm box is in the way.

In neutral while sailing tucked between the wheel and the pedestal, full throttle points almost straight up the line of the tube (I'm assuming my soon to arrive flushmount will operate similar to the old control ZW5-621 - just under 180 degrees of travel from wide forward to reverse), pushing the control into reverse shifting and some throttle is easily reachable. You probably have to stand slightly to get her in full throttle reverse, but that's got to be a rear maneuver.

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[Joe 26M Time Warp]

Kinda forgot I started this thread with pic's of the old throttle arm duct taped in place. The new control arrived the next day(5/31), and I've been playing with it ever since.
I've been taking pics along the way and I've cut the heck out of the pedestal, trying to find the best position for a left-handed throttle.

One thing noticably missing from the pics above is the view of the steering housing and how far that extends into the tube. Along with the angle of the steering housing farther port at the top and way starboard halfway down the tube. That angle comes into play in the throttle control installation - It's really more set up for a right-handed flush mount control, mounted high on the box.

Another thing I noticed was the steering response, or amount of play between the wheel and the moving end is actually pretty impressive. I'm more convinced fixing all the MacGregor steering links with bearings would make for a much nicer sailing and feeling boat. You can move the wheel or the business end and see no real play or slop in the steering.

I'm pretty sure you could change the angle if you wanted but you couldn't reverse the side of the rack compared with the steering wheel shaft. That means you have to install the throttle very low on the port side to give enough clearance, and the lower the more clearance you get.

Along with the idea of a less obstructed walkway over the transom and into the cabin, I'm hoping to make enough room on the pedestal face (the bare instrument panel above my streering wheel) for a PC type GPS display. More so than any other display option I'm excited about the Motion Computing Tablet from capjack.com
That may come later but I'm pretty sure my throttle location will allow plenty of clearance for it. That and wondering what I'm going to do with all that extra space on the starboard side of the pedestal, looks like a great spot for cup holders right now.

I'm still holding out for the digital tach / hour meter / tilt from Honda Accessories but even if I just use the old one I'll mount it in a new box I add below the steering column.

[Richard O'Brien]

Joe, I wrestled with several variants, of positions and controls too. i'll carefully watch your approach. You'd think Roger would have tried a few before designing the binnacle this way? only 2 or 3 inches longer, and a bit less camber would have made a world of difference. What was he thinking? i tried heat gunning the plexi which kinda worked, making a custom mold with a 5' diam inset, and a couple of others. Good luck, and let us in on the progress report.

[Joe 26M Time Warp]

Well here's a quick update - finally. I switched out the pics with the duct tape in my first post to different pics with duct tape. At least it is the new control unit this time.
Sorry about not flipping them.
I really like the left handed setup. Walking past on starboard is as roomy as it gets with just a steering wheel in the path.
Yes that is a Bud box, it's got my original Honda tach & the new key switch "installed".
It shifts just fine but I need to get my new cables before my final mounting is set.
I modeled the cuts in the tube to fit the control using 3" PVC schedule 40. The inside diameter of the PVC is almost exactly the same the outside of the tube.
The idea is covering the sliced open SS tube and flowing a new rounded shape into the Bud box. The panel face will probably be wood, or acrylic, or lexan.
The curving shape (keeping it as out of the way and knee-proof as possible) could be made of wood and fiber glass, but it could also be modeled out of sheet steel and then made from sheet stainless.
The whole thing sticks out from the tube about an inch straight to port.

Somehow I guess the Bud box has to go. I'm working on that.
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

[Joe 26M Time Warp]

I guess a little progress report is in order...
I bought a 4 X 8 of 26ga. 304 stainless steel to clean up some of the holes and stuff. I really needed something bend-able and that was the smallest size I could get.

I wanted to make the cover hiding the lower part of the throttle, and the hole I cut into the pedestal tube out of ss no matter what. At first I thought I was going to weld it and use a heavier gage, then I decided I'd try to keep forming the shape simple and glue the cover with 3M 5200.
The tube cover as shown isn't glued down yet and doesn't have it's "beauty ring", another top flange that will hide the sins (and rivets) you can see here, along with a bead of 5200 around the top.

Oh yeah, the throttle installs through and is bolted onto the pedestal box. The ss tube cover bolts to the fiberglass pedestal which stays removable, the cover is pretty much pemanent.

My gage box (formerly refferred to as the "bud box") will house the tach ignition key switch & several other things. Sorry about another sideways pic.
First shown as a paper pattern. That's the sheet of 304 it's resting on.



One of these days soon we'll be sailing again. I mean this is all fun but I can't hardly wait.
Hoping I'm a couple of weeks from starting the motor.