What is this contraption?

[Joolz]

This came with the boat (a used 15' fibreglass runabout I bought last week as my first boat) and I have no idea what it is. Although I suspect it could be a water pump, seeing how it has a length of garden hose accompanying it. If this is a manual pump to get water out of the boat then please let me know how to use this. Going to take the boat on its first ride on water tomorrow and no idea if it's seaworthy. Worst case scenario a water pump may become a handy tool to have. If it indeed is a pump, I might as well bring it along and learn how to use it (which is where you come in)
Thanks

 

[bonz_d]

that would be a rotary steering helm unit.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... A rotary helm, 'n cable,.... no doubt junk,....

 

[NYBo]

What they said. It appears to be missing the steering wheel shaft, which is probably why it isn't installed in the boat. You can try detaching the steering cable to keep as a spare, but the helm itself is junk.

 

[64osby]

I would suggest; if you have a friend with a boat ask them to shadow you on the first trip.

Also first trips are also good to do with out kids, just in case something should not go quite right.

Give it a 15 - 30 minute test run and if all is good then grab the kids for another short run.

Good luck on the splash.

 

[Joolz]

Steering helm? You mean, a steering system other than the one in the pic below, showing what's in use in the boat currently. Which btw, works very nicely (do they call this a drive-by-wire?). I'm tossing the contraption in the garbage, even if I kept it as a spare I still wouldn't know how to use it. And the boat is so small I can steer/drive it either in the front with the steering wheel or the back using the handle. Although it's still not clear to me how to change gears from back there (just reach on the right side of the engine and engage the proper gear by pushing on the lever?)

Also first trips are also good to do with out kids, just in case something should not go quite right.

No friend that can come over unless someone at this rather busy lake on this beautiful weekend offers to shadow me for a bit. Will be arriving there at around 4pm (wife's at work till early afternoon) so hopefully it won't be as busy by then and someone will be kind enough to "hold my hand".

As for kids in the boat, absolutely not. Not for at least 30 min or whenever I feel comfortable enough handling the boat. It may only be a 20HP engine but given the boat's hull design, not sure if it'd be as stable as a deep V design - meaning that even a low powered engine could still roll the boat over should I make a turn too sharp? Or accidentally have the very loose (due to being well lubricated) steering mechanism turn on its own? Btw should I always have my hand on the steering wheel while in motion or does the boat keep a heading on its own? Again, simple questions that could make a difference between returning to shore or having the boat end up at the bottom of the lake.

Only after I'm confident I can handle the boat safely I'll be bringing the wife and my two boys (3 and 5) aboard, no matter how much they beg. Water in this lake is far too cold (near the Rockies's foothills, all water is from melted snow packs) and I definitely don't want to be risking their lives (and the wife's who can't swim) on a first run. And yes, everyone including me will be wearing their PFDs full time. Here hoping for a good first EVENTLESS run :happy:

 

[64osby]

Like the pic shows, it is called cable pulley steering.

You may want to save the other cable if it is any good, a new one would cost about $90. Might be able to sell it on xbay or CL and pay for some extra fuel or something nice for the Admiral.

Best of luck on the splash.

 

[Grub54891]

Makes me wonder if the po was attempting to install a rotary helm unit. The cable steering should be fine, as long as the cables are tensioned properly and not frayed. I have one of my boats with cable steering,It's just fine.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah that rotary helm is junk and there's a vinyl garden hose that needs to go in the trash too.

I would check that steering system over, not sure about the guys skills who installed it after seeing the pic. It could just be the pic angle but the upper pulley looks like the cable is either off the pulley or at an odd angle ready to go off. Watch out crawling underneath the bow cover, it looks like there was a sale on 3" deck screws.

Also it looks like one of his power tools is a beaver. :lol:

 

[Grub54891]

Ah yes, they must have took the rotary out and cobbled in a cable setup. The cable setup on mine is old school but a much better setup. And my cable is stainless coated with clear vinyl.

 

[Joolz]

Indeed a poor setup and here's why: it failed on us, late during our test run. Basically it worked flawlessly for the 2.5 hours of straight riding time at the lake, our first outing ever. Even my 5 year old was having a blast driving the boat with the steering wheel, at crawling speeds, of course. Wife too had a good time driving it. It felt tight and precise. Till after a big wave from a passing boat splashed us a bit. Not sure if the water caused the cables to fail or just a coincidence, but steering became very heavy after that. Made it to shore OK, which was no big loss as the sun was coming down and everyone had had enough for the day. But even moving the outboard by its lever felt heavy, due to the cables apparently coming loose a bit.

So yeah, may not have been the best setup or perhaps as indicated above, things didn't line up as they should. Gotta get this fixed but haven't had the chance to look at it yet. Will take pics of the way things are and hopefully you folks would be able to guide me.

Nonetheless a great day out. Unfortunately the boat is just too low to the water and susceptible to even the smallest of wakes. It's got a flat hull which isn't ideal, especially with little ones in the boat. Time to look for something bigger/more stable. But hey, one successful test run that has us all convinced that a boat definitely belongs in the family.

 

[NYBo]

I'm guessing the cable got wedged between the the pulley and its bracket.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Likely due to lack of or misadjustment of tensioning springs.

 

[Watermann]

Thanks for the telling us about your good times on the water, now you know the draw that water has on most of us here.

I'm not sure many boats would be able to take those half sunk wake board boat wakes on a plane without nosing into the second wake behind it. Those big rolling 5 foot high wakes are a danger to most smaller craft but they don't seem to care one bit. You just have to watch for the big ones and ride them out with an angle to the wave rather than head on.

It should be pretty easy to figure out the steering issue by starting at one end and working your way through the system to find the problem.

 

[Alumarine]

I'm glad you and your family enjoyed it.
Good idea to look for a slightly bigger, more family friendly boat with more freeboard.

 

[Joolz]

It should be pretty easy to figure out the steering issue by starting at one end and working your way through the system to find the problem.

Yep, as it turns out all that it was was a loose cable, the one that connects to the outboard. Tightened it up and it's now all good. Although it would seem that the bolt is stripped, so this will likely give away again. Note to self: if taking boat out again bring a wrench and pliers.