Just spoke to my father about the run of the steering chains and the NE of Scotland boats were all basically similar. The Yoke on the rudder was at deck level right in the stern covered in by a box. The chains ran inside pipes on the deck beside the accomodation right up to the front of the wheelhouse. They went into the wheelhouse base and went vertical via a pully for a few feet before running in towards the steering support under the wheelhouse floors again via a pully wheel , then vertically up to the wheel inside the wheel support column.
You can simulate this with pipes running along the deck in parallel with the casing and have your real steering below deck hidden from sight.
First 3-4 boats my father went to sea on were either converted Zulu's or early pattern motor drifters working the seine net. I was 4 months aboard the Silver Wave BF372 which was built in 1952 as a drifter complete with chain steering ( still rigged for herring in the hold , still had the chain steering and the belt driven winch and had had a steel wheelhouse fitted in 1970 when I was aboard her in 1989 !!! )
DavieTait,
Thank you for the great information!
I'd like to get ahold of an old (scrap value?) wheelhouse, but with the original wheel, and ideally, instruments, of ANY commercial, maritime vessel, just so I could, as I say, the WHEEL HOUSE, etc...possibly for mounting on a (short) "tower." Something that would otherwise be scrapped.
How feasible is my dream, in your opinion?
Thanks much,
Peter
