Elephants Trunk - Up or Down

towersje · 19 November 2008, 00:36

Here's one. It's created a big debate with colleagues (who are mainly on safety cover, teaching and active rescue work).

When out in our smaller boats fitted with elephants trunks (thinking up to 5.4m - mainly seariders) I always drive with the elephants trunk down. Upsides - I never have to leave the console and water can (nearly) always drain out. Downsides - when stationary water seeps back in (although with a small period of razzing it soon disapeers). The other downside is people forgetting to bring it up at the end of the day, but surely that's something training can fix?

Didn't see any RYA guidelines on this!

Anyway, your thoughts please!

codprawn · 19 November 2008, 01:16

If water only seeps in then leave them down!!!

Nos4r2 · 19 November 2008, 03:24

Down of course.

walruz · 19 November 2008, 05:55

Depends on conditions. When reasonably calm I drain the water then pull them up. In any kind of rough leave them down.

Ian

Bigmuz7 · 19 November 2008, 06:01

9D280 · 19 November 2008, 12:03

Alternatively, take the "up rope" forward & fit a cleat by the console - then you can operate them without having to move and can be lifted / lowered when going flat out - at milliseconds notice and without letting go of the wheeel.

Works for me!

towersje · 19 November 2008, 12:04

Thought so. Might try taking a rope forward at some point. Only question would be how to do the routing? Rather essential that the floor space is kept as clear as possible! What have people managed before?

rchrdleigh · 19 November 2008, 12:32

Pass it through the grab handles on the tubes of a SR5.4 and make a quick release catch which keeps the trunk up until you want to lower it. Can be done with one hand if needed but better to get the crew to do it while you concentrate on driving, keeping a lookout etc
I'll try and get a picture next time I'm out on the SR with it fitted.

9D280 · 19 November 2008, 12:45

I suspect rchrdleigh's picture is exactly what I took so long to type that he posted before I finished..... I also have routed the prototype through my handles, BUT I have had 2 instances so far of people thinking it was more firmly attatched than it is and nearly going over the side 'coz the trunks were down and 2 foot of slack was found on a rope that looked taught enough to grab

..... hence my suggestion of running it along the hollow under the toob. But back to the pre edited post.....

I routed it along the "hollow" created where the toob joins the deck. Also have a length of bungee tied to it to make sure the trunk drops when released. On the SR I had to grovel to get at it, which is why I'm experimenting with a hook - the theory being I can attatch it to the toobs without any problems or drilling holes - I'll ty to describe the prototype......

Rope is tied off with a bowline on a 6" (ish - enough to make it easy to hit without too good an aim) loop round a convenient place on the toob (e.g safety rope anchor/ handhold or you could glue a dedicated patch on) with the trunk in the down position. Then lift the trunk, and figure out where the taught end of the rope meets the loop. Tie a small stainless hook there. Then drop it again, and experiment with bungee cord and adjust to get optimal "down force" without giving yourself a hernia getting it back up. You may need a couple of up / downs of the trunk to optimise it, but once done, a bit of whipping twine will make sure nothing goes walkabouts.

Chris · 20 November 2008, 21:42

What about an electric Elephants trunk

I feel another little project coming on, some sort of actuator that drops the trunk at the flick of a switch. Clearly you would need to re-attach it manually but thats no problem is it.

G.Mac · 20 November 2008, 22:00

The thought has never crossed my mind, in the works ribs that ive used (Deltas)ive always left the trunks down and as soon as we have stopped pulled it up, sort of second nature.
The pac22 that ive got now this does not matter as the deck and scuppers are above the waterline and its fitted with non return type scuppers anyway.

But I would say leave them down, you will get used to lifting them up once your feet get wet a couple of times.

Graeme

Nos4r2 · 20 November 2008, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Clearly you would need to re-attach it manually

Why? A waterproof servo motor could do both ways-or if you were clever you could make something out of an old tailgate gas ram and a £5 compressor that'd do the job in both directions.

Chris · 20 November 2008, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Why? A waterproof servo motor could do both ways-or if you were clever you could make something out of an old tailgate gas ram and a £5 compressor that'd do the job in both directions.

I was thinking of something a little more subtle and ultimately the main requirement is to be able to drop the trunk when you are stuck at the helm.... a small linear solenoid like this would do it.

EBAY Solenoid

Which when extended butts up against a catch that you can clip the rope of the trunk into.

And when you release it the rope drops out.

Nos4r2 · 20 November 2008, 23:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

I was thinking of something a little more subtle and ultimately the main requirement is to be able to drop the trunk when you are stuck at the helm.... a small linear solenoid like this would do it.

EBAY Solenoid

Which when extended butts up against a catch that you can clip the rope of the trunk into.

And when you release it the rope drops out.

I see your point, but it's as easy to hide an air line as it is a wire if it goes along the main trunking and a small gas ram can easily be hidden too.

However, I'm not sure either idea would be 100% reliable in practice and it'd need to be to beat sods law. Imagine having to free a stuck trunk while the boat is flooded as well as deal with everything else.

Doug Stormforce · 21 November 2008, 00:04

As already described leave it/them down and remember to lift up when stopped, getting feet wet a few time helps jog the old memory.

In my Searider days our battery was raised off the floor in case the boat filled up with water (due to trunk left down or rain) while moored. It did not take long to drain from full once the engine was started as long as water had not entered the fuel breather. In fact a full SR4 put into full forwards will loose most of it over the transom while doing a “wheelie” and then takes less than 2 mins to drain the rest through the trunk. If in scary waves turn cross/down sea (about 140-150 degrees) from the wave direction to drain. Only problem was on the SR4 raising the battery caused a bit of deviation to the compass.

I also drove a few SR Safetyboat (4, 4,8, 5,4) that had extended trunk lines down the side of the boat just under the tube with a V cleat near your foot so that you could open from the helm's position. I always found it fiddly and never thought it that necessary but I suppose it’s down to personal preference.

towersje · 21 November 2008, 02:22

Getting complicated! To be honest, I tend to just leave the trunks down anyway (as said) - however bailing other peoples ribs out first thing in the morning has taught me to bring them up at the end of a session!

Raising battery's something I've thought of. Problem is, in our SR4s we've got the battery under the seat (the evinrude tanks we use don't fit in the same place I believe), with said tank under the steering wheel. Having said that, even when boats have been flooded overnight it's not gone above the battery level. Divine protection maybe?

Nice to see a touch of debate!

TonyC · 21 November 2008, 08:22

Our RIB and alot of local clubs/WYA etc have it so the trunk can be operated by the helm without having to leave the helms position.

Ill take a photo of the rib today.

Mollers · 21 November 2008, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

I was thinking of something a little more subtle and ultimately the main requirement is to be able to drop the trunk when you are stuck at the helm.... a small linear solenoid like this would do it.

.

Teenage kids work well. Yelling 'Drop the trunk' works a treat.

9D280 · 21 November 2008, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by towersje

Raising battery's something I've thought of. Problem is, in our SR4s we've got the battery under the seat

Does your console not have a shelf in the sticky up bit for the wheel (the bit that forms the "hole" under the wheel section that I think you are describing that holds a 22l (or one of the old 5 gallon steel) tank? (Did that make sense?)

It's arranged such that the batt on the shelf has the terminals above the water line that if you totally swamped the boat they's still be above water.

towersje · 21 November 2008, 11:00

I'm afraid not, I've never seen one like that before. I suppose it's fairly easy to engineer, might think about doing that to a couple next season. There's some very silly layouts going on at the moment, especially at one of our centres where the SR4s had fuel tanks in the stern! Bring on the ultra fast getting onto the plane