Boat steering wheel

A steering wheel comprising:

• an annular steering rim;
• a central hub having a spoke receiving means and a central axial opening;
• a plurality of elongated radial spokes having a first end with rim coupling means and a second end with hub coupling means, each spoke coupled at the first end to said steering rim and at the second end to said spoke receiving means;
• spoke securing means in the central hub, said spoke securing means being a relatively more easily deformed portion of said central hub for engaging said spoke within said spoke receiving means;
• and
• said spoke receiving means including a plurality of radial, circumferentially spaced openings in the central hub, extending through the central hub to the central opening.

A steering wheel comprising:

• a metal material annular steering rim;
• a central hub having a spoke receiving means and a central axial opening;
• a plurality of elongated radial spokes having a first end with rim coupling means and a second end with hub coupling means, each spoke coupled at the first end to said steering rim and at the second end to said spoke receiving means;
• spoke securing means in said central hub, said spoke securing means being a relatively more easily deformed portion of said central hub for engaging the spoke within said spoke receiving means;
• said rim coupling means of the spoke including an axial end projection having a smaller radial cross section than the cross section of the spoke adjacent the axial end projection;
• and
• said steering rim having axial indentations for receiving the axial projections of the spokes, the axial indentations extending partially through the steering wheel and opening toward the central axis of the steering wheel.

A steering wheel comprising:

• an annular steering rim of foamed polypropylene;
• a central hub having a plurality of substantially cylindrical, circumferentially spaced, radial openings extending through the central hub and connecting to a central axial opening of the central hub;
• a plurality of elongated generally cylindrical radial spokes having a first and a second end, each spoke coupling at the first end to the steering rim and at the second end passing through one of the plurality of radial openings, the first end including a non-circular head stud having a radial cross section larger than the radial cross section of an adjacent portion of the spoke and the second end including a circumferential groove having a radial cross section smaller than the radial cross section of an adjacent portion of the spoke;
• and
• a staked projection from the central hub into a radial opening and engaging the circumferential groove of the radial spoke passing through the opening thereby securing the radial position of the spoke, the staked projection being a relatively more easily deformed portion of the central hub.