TDB14 w/ stick steering and PTT

Gene Jr.

Gene Jr.

Well-known member
Here it is guys. I know this keeps coming up every now and then and I've been wanting to post pics to help explain what I've done. I've not seen another one YET. I know Larry is on his way though. The stick steering and remote controls are fairly easy to install, especially if you have another boat to look at.

Here is how the "consoleless" cockpit looks. Note everything folds down to allow for the hard cover, gps bracket, depth finder bracket, compass... The seat is not bolted down so there is NO net loss in usable space. Only issue I've had is leaning back against the PTT toggle and running the unit when set up and hunting. Does no harm but sends a shock through you when not expecting it!
cockpit2.jpg

This motor was originally a tiller and converted to remote and a CMC PTT unit added. Larry, I did reinforce the transom board with aluminum plates but not the transom to the boat yet.
motorportside.jpg

Here is a shot of how the cable is run for the steering. I do not have it supported anywhere except the helm and where it enters the motor tube.
ltfront.jpg

I hope this helps and is usefull to some of you. I was not on this site when I did the project. I sure wish I had been! I found it shorty after completing it. I hope I can save someone else some of the research time I invested. As I've told Larry, the stick steering isn't quite the cat's meow the advertising would have you believe but it is a solid quality unit. I don't care for the long reach from stop to stop but I think there is a new short throw unit that might be better. It is a KISS unit and works well for such.

Best wishes,
Gene
 
Don't want to rain on your parade.......

From one 14 owner to another, it looks good.

However, I can recall the late Tom Kondrk (who was the Ohio sales rep for Maine built TDB's at that time) cautioning me about having too much weight in the bow when running against a heavy chop. You now have two tanks and yourself up tight to the bow. Make sure you haven't unwittingly created a situation that will cause you to porpoise and bury the nose in a wave.

Tom was the biggest fan of the TDB line and a knowlegeable waterfowler so I don't take his caution lightly.
 
Gene,did you give and thought to running that unit under the deck and have the cable emerge at the stern for the motor hook up?Bob's point is well taken.I guess that your weight trim has been done.I would probably need the tanks under the rear,to even out the trim.
 
MLBob,

Point well taken. I have hunted this set up for two full years now. It will stuff the bow in a wave/chop if the cans are full and I'm alone. I will often pull the spare to the stern if alone and in a chop. The bow weight is often needed to get through some of the tidal creeks with the motor tilted up. Since I hunt for puddlers and geese here at home on the Susquhanna river and divers, brant and sea ducks on the Jersey shore very little stays in the boat between hunts. I try to adjust accordingly for the situation. If I have another hunter along, HEAVY box of long line wieghts, etc... I also run with the blind up to deflect most of the water from anything that comes over the bow. As you probably know these boats will dunk the nose pretty quick. With the PTT the only time I really have any problem is on the hole shot until I get enough power to get her nose up and into the chop. She can take a breaker or two over the bow until I get powered up and the nose lifted.

Joe,

I did think about running it internally. In the TDB there are sealed floatation compartment and I didn't want to have to drill though those and the hull. Plus going on the outside allows for wider bends in the cable. Using a standard verticle mount will eliminate one of the bends completely. A different boat style may adapt well to running the cable inside the gunnel.

Best wishes,
Gene
 
Gene,

I am going to do some work on my boat this year. I'm thinking of a new paint job and maybe adding a wheel and throttle. I saw the stick stearing thing somewhere on this site and I liked it. I hear you with the short throw though.

Could you show a pic of the stick stearing up close? thank you in advance.
 
Andrew,

I'll try to get a shot of it for you. It is very basic, little rectangular box with a post to mount the stick on coming out of the one side. Note the stick is at a slight angle away from the box, not perpendicular! It has a hole in each corner to through bolt it for mounting. Mine is bolted through the deck with a backer of 1/4" plywood on the underside, if I recall I also stuck a piece of mudflap rubber in between the ply and the underside of the deck because the deck is not completely flat.

Gene
 
Thank you. I'm thinking of using some leftover plywood to make a small center console --- really small. Anyway, i thought of having the steering stick to the side where the throttle usually is. I saw this arrangement in an old yacht club tender, thought it was cool.

Thanks, A>
 
Andrew,

I've seen regular wheels mounted that way, always on tenders or workboats for slow speed use. I thought of using that method when doign this project. I just couldn't keep a regular wheel out of the way of the hardcover. Sounds like a neat project your doing.

Gene
 
I've always thought it'd be very cool to have some sort of folding side console that you could "open up" to drive and then fold down out of the way for hunting. Not really sure exactly how to do it, but I think it would be cool. Kind of the best of both worlds (ease, balance, and visibility of driving with a wheel, and the open space provided by an unobstructed floor like a tiller).

Can't wait to see what you make. Are you getting rid of the scythe? Say it isn't so... That idea/implementation is so neat.

Charlie
 
Gene, thanks for the pics. I got my Ezy-Stik and sat in my boat much of the weekend figuring out how I'm going to rig the steering. I decided to mount the helm under the bow with only the post protruding through the hull (as Lee suggests). I'll have to get a short post extension fabricated somehow, somewhere. The new hole for the stick can then be drilled at a slight angle so the stick will be parellel with the lope of the bow blind. I don't plan on running with the bow blind up, but it gives me that option. The stick will be outside of the blind.

With the helm under the bow, I'll have to get the cable out of the boat, so i'm planning to drill a hole through the front starboard. this makes me cringe, but it seems like the best place to protrude the hull (or maybe aft just in front of the foam) and maybe i can figure out a way to make the hole water-tight. Of course the cable will have to be secured.

I had no idea that the boat could porpose as MLBob cautions. Thanks for sharing that Bob. I'll keep that in mind if i find myself in heavy chop. I assumed that more weight would be desirable in the bow.

I don't have my new motor yet, so I haven't figured out where to mount the throttle controls. It will likely be just like yours unless i get a brilliant idea and figure out a way to have it fold away.

I considered removable steering wheels and small helms like those for inflatables, this stick steer seems to be the best all-around solution.
 
Larry,

My boat sees it's share of salt water and my steering unit has tightened up a bit. I should tear it apart and clean everything up. My point/concern is.. as the stick gets farther fromt he box you gain leverage on the box, putting a twisting motion on it. Makes me concerned about pulling the bolts through the deck. Another point to consider..The knob on the handle needs to clear the combing around the cockpit. I can't quite picture how you are planning on angling the stick. I'm sure you'll work it out. The knob rubs on my combing buts gets past it ok.

MLBob has a very valid point, most of these style boats will stuff the bow into a wave instead of riding over it. As you move your center of gravity forward the more likely it is to plow into a wave instead of over it. One of the reasons I started this project was the opposite reason. I had a boat the drafted only a few inches but I needed 18" of water because of my fat butt sitting at the transom and an over powered boat (25hp) digging straight down when I put throttle to it. The bow was always up in the air. By moving my weight forward and making use of a PTT unit I can now use it to it's potential. On plane there isn't 2" of boat in the water and the cavitation plate on the motor is barley covered. The PTT allows me to trim the bow up when in heavy seas, but you must be throttled up for it to work. When you cut the power the nose drops down. Same theory as steering, when the prop stops turning you loose effectiveness. So, the lighter you keep the bow the higher it will ride in the water and be more likely to ride over a wave than plow through it. If you get a new 4 stroke gas sipper you should be able to keep one six gallon tank back at the stern. I keep 2 6's under the deck out of habit. I keep one full all the time and run on the other one. When it's time to switch over I know to refill the other tank. Just my way of knowing I always have plenty of fuel. Only a few times hunting I've ever run a full six gallons out. I usually know if I'm going to be running that hard anyway.

Gene
 
Charlie... the scythe stays ; ) It's my poor man's center console.

I'm thinking of building a small console that fits to the right side housing a wheel (or stick) and a throttle. Not sure yet. Morton and I have to stare at the boat for a couple of hours and we'll figure something out.
 
Gene,

my plan (call it Plan A) is to extend the post by bolting on a short post with a new hole for the stick. the new hole will be angled so that the stick will be angled up off the combing. the stick will have the same slope as the blind. getting this piece fabricated will be the key part of Plan A.

I was planning to put a metal plate on the outter bow for extra support. just like you did under the bow.
 
Gene,

Many thanks, I get it now... so I could mount mine to the side of a very skinny center console with a throttle on the other side. Cool.
 
Andrew,

For the minimal approach, mount the box on the inside of the console with the shaft sticking through the side. Nice clean look as well.

Gene
 
Just had to comment.

Hearing old Tom's name brought back a lot of good memories. That guy had seen it all and done it twice. He also owned the oldest Choclate lab I have ever seen, he was so old he looked moldy.

Ballard
 
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