Designing Our Yacht Steering Wheel System

I’ve spent much of my career surrounded by engineers, often far more knowledgeable about steering systems than myself, so moments like this always carry a fear of self-imposed ridicule. But here we are. This is the story of how we designed the yacht steering wheel system for Explorer Yacht XPM-002 Vanguard.

We were underqualified, yet required to make decisions. That is usually when real learning begins.

What Yacht Steering Wheel System Already Works?

A useful starting point was examining what already works well.

Mobius, our reference point, maneuvers excellently and features substantial redundancy:

• Duplicate electro-hydraulic steering actuators

• Independent manual hydraulic emergency system

• Rudder stock removal cutout without dropping the rudder

• Jefa water-lubricated, self-aligning rudder bearings

We also analyzed FPB78 and Arksen 85 designs to compare rudder areas for similar twin-rudder layouts. A quick review of Lloyd’s Register and DNV rules confirmed Mobius’s rudder stock was over twice the recommended minimum diameter, reassuring for our design path.

The Vanguard Rudder & Steering Design

Initially, the Yard proposed a supported rudder with a lower bearing mounted on the skeg. But since we requested twin skegs (to allow drying out on a grid or flat), the lower-support design risked alignment issues on uneven surfaces.

So we changed course:

Our final rudder approach:

• Cantilevered blade rudder

• Large 45° chamfer on the leading edge to reduce fouling from ropes/debris

• The stock stops at ⅔ of the blade height

• The lower third of blade has reduced thickness to crumple safely under impact

• 24% area forward of stock axis (semi-balanced, per Kebelt guidelines)

• Rudder stock diameter remains at 2× Lloyd’s rule

• Self-aligning bearings retained for reduced torque

This gave us a rugged, serviceable, and carefully balanced design.

Yacht Steering Actuators

We evaluated two proven actuator suppliers:

• Kebelt

• Wills Ridley

Both have deep commercial-vessel lineage, so reliability is not a concern. Each offers:

• Electro-hydraulic operation

• Full 100% redundancy

• Parallel or single-unit running

I briefly considered pure electric actuators, but the advantages weren’t compelling compared to a compact hydraulic power pack. For steering, we leaned toward reliable, mature technology.

Dynamic Positioning & Split Rudder Control

This is where things become more interesting.

Short-handed operation of a 78-foot yacht creates challenges. Most vessels rely on bow and stern thrusters unless using podded systems like Volvo IPS or Cummins Zeus, which are elegant but not suitable here.

Praxis Automation, our control system supplier, offered an elegant solution:

Split Rudder Actuation

Instead of linking both rudders:

• Each rudder can operate independently

• One engine and rudder provides fore/aft control

• The other engine and rudder provides lateral control (rudder hard-over)

This effectively creates a dynamic-positioning-like capability without adding the bulk of a stern thruster.

We retained the existing Mobius-style bow thruster but upgraded to a proportional model suitable for extended run times.

Final Yacht Steering Wheel System Design

With all components finalized, Vanguard’s yacht steering wheel system now includes:

✔ Semi-balanced rudders

✔ Full redundancy from helm to actuator

✔ Ability to hydraulically lock either rudder center

✔ Optional mechanical tie-bar between rudders

✔ Electronic tow-in/out adjustments stored in non-volatile memory

✔ Adjustable response gain

✔ Local emergency steering in the engine room

✔ Redundant Ethernet links to helm, flybridge, and transom stations

Call me paranoid, but this is a system built to survive the unexpected.

Read Also

• Explorer Yacht Bow Thruster

• Seawater Intake System Design Proves Problematic

• Yacht Stabilizers: Thoughts on Stabilizers