Edson

[Dave Neptune]

Hi guys, I am trying to get an extra "nut" for a spare that holds the wheel on the tapered mount. It appears to be a 16mm and all I can find are 1.5mm & 2mm pitch. The 1.5 will thread on about 3 turns before binding up. I did not have a pitch gage on the boat and it is now 100 miles away. I am GUESSING it is a 1.25mm pitch. Does anyone know the spec on the Edson thread??

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

Dave, quick research indicates your wheel nut should be 5/8"-18.

[Dave Neptune]

Neil, tried that and not even close. The 5/8 fine is far to coarse of a thread and is a bit small. I have a 16mm x 1.5p bolt and it is not as fine a thread as on the mounting taper. Might be a bastard thread that Edson uses so you must go to them.

The Edson is on my newer boat a Bene made in So. Carolina in 2002.

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

I got my info from the Edson site. Your 16mm estimate translates to 0.629" and the only nut they have that's close is the 5/8-18

http://www.edsonmarine.com/marinestore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=163

[Dave Neptune]

Neil, I saw that too. I will take my gages down next time. I will also get another 5/8-18 (.0555") and try again~the one I got from Mcm-Carr did not fit. I tried 5/8-18 & 16mm x 1.5 (.0591") which is to coarse but will thread on about 3+ turns before binding.

I wonder if the pedestal came from Europe with a metric of some sort.

The Edson "nut" I have has a nylon threaded insert that threads onto the shaft. I tried a smaller wheel for cockpit room and it is a bit thinner at the hub. When I tightened it it worked fine but when I unscrewed it the insert stayed on the shaft. Easy to remove, I just wan something a little more robust for a back up.

Thanx Neil!!!

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

You might take along a 3/4-10 too. Who knows?

[Dave Neptune]

I did take a caliper to the threads and they are just over .625" (5/8) and under 16mm (.6299"). Thread heights are always smaller than the diameter stated and the nuts are just over.
I am wondering if they are using a larger thread diameter due to the nylon insert that threads on for holding friction and integrity.
I'll get some good measuring stuff down on Monday.

Try to find a 1/4"-17, it is just one of many screws and bolts that hold a "Davenport" screw machine together. They did the manufacturing of all of the threaded components so you could only purchase from them. I have seen many "new machinist's" struggle until they were enlightened as to the "specialty" of their search.

Dave Neptune

[Al Schober]

Perhaps what's needed here is a 5/8-18 die?
Friend with an Edson wheel had a 3 yo grand daughter that delighted in unscrewing the nut and dropping it overboard. He told me she liked the noise it made when it hit the water. I think she grew out of the habit before he checked to see what noise she made..

[capnward]

"what is that stick where the steering wheel should be?"

Thanks guys, for adding to my reasons for having a tiller. Happy Steering!

[ndutton]

Thanks guys, for adding to my reasons for having a tiller. Happy Steering!

The threads on a wheel nut are a reason? Okay . . . .

[sastanley]

Thanks guys, for adding to my reasons for having a tiller. Happy Steering!

+1 I taught Laura how to sail with a tiller boat. She has trouble with wheels!!

[Dave Neptune]

I got the gages down and it is indeed a 5/8-18 however the 3 5/8-18 nuts I tried will not even start. I can start a 16mm-1.5 and get about two easy turns and a 5/8 will not even start.

With the 5/8-18 thread gage I matched the "Edson hand nut" with the nylon threaded insert perfectly. When I put the gage on the threaded shaft I found the problem, not buggered threads but a special cut I have encountered only in a few special apps. The threads on the shaft are at 60* std and sharp on the top at 5/8"> However the bottom of the thread is relieved or not at a 60* sharp on the bottom but a "flat" or a surface raised to accommodate "relieved nuts". The gage would not "bottom out" against the "flat" at the bottom.

I could not find them so as I have "reamer company" at my disposal I will ream the nut out about .010~.015 nd hopefully this will work. I will take this approach rather than chasing a std thread on the shaft and screwing it up.

I'm just looking for some "cheap" spare nuts incase I drop one over the side at anchor or in the slip. I remove the wheel for easier access around the pedestal.

Will advise of results when I get the nuts reamed or bored out.

Thanx for the assistance.

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

I understand about removing the wheel at anchor/mooring for greater cockpit room, it's tempting.

However, one episode several years ago during a Thanksgiving weekend anchored in Cat Harbor changed my thinking. We had an easy crossing late Thursday night and a glorious day on Friday. Saturday morning at around 5:00 A.M. the motion of the boat was different, so different it woke me up. The wind was up, WAY UP and we'd dragged alarmingly close to a rocky cliff opposite Wells Beach. I dove into the cockpit to start the engine, the boat owners headed straight up to the bow to pull the anchor so we could get the Hell out of Dodge right then and there. In the process the wind lifted our 8' lapstrake dinghy out of the water, flipped it and dumped it back down upside down, loose oars floating away.

We got ourselves clear, re-anchored in a decent spot on two bow anchors, a neighbor retrieved our oars and only then did we assess what we could have done to be better. One point pertinent to this discussion was removal of the wheel for better cockpit room, something we'd considered previously. That idea was now off the table, permanently. I also adopted a policy of never closing the engine intake thru-hull when aboard.

You never know . . .