Posted by Mark on 18th May 2007

Project: Keyhole Cuffs

Over the past few weeks I have been researching ideas to come up with a new way to grip the joysticks on the SKUD. Again, dad helped me create my idea in his workshop. I'm very proud of the end result and look forward to trying it out on the boat during the upcoming practice in Newport.

Check out the finished keyhole cuffs.

The keyhole cuff slips the round hole over the head of a bolt attached to the joystick, and it fixes itself to the joystick by moving the cuff down to secure the shaft of the bolt in the upper part of the keyhole. We cut-up some premade leather cuffs and affixed the carbon fiber piece with the keyhole by stitching it to the leather. It's a nice snug fit and I'm confident the cuff will not create pressure issues on my wrist since I have used this cuff before in a different fashion

The new cuffs will help overcome several issues that I've experienced over the past year.

• No more pinched, and potentially broken, fingers.
• No more sloppiness; the keyhole feature reduces play because of its snug fit. This will lend itself to better helm feel.
• The keyhole feature also allows for true quick release in case of an emergency.