Re: Help with extremely tight steering.
Cable steer systems typical turn one way or the other easier because of prop torque- it will push the engine in one direction depending on the rotation of the prop. A right-hand turning prop will push the engine to the left, causing hard steering in that direction. The trim tab behind the prop is there to hel alleviate some of that. Adjust the fin to counteract the torque and that will help with steering effort.
A dry/corrode/damaged cable will also cause hard steering in any direction. The cable end at the engine will often get a bath when you shut down and the wake wave comes over the stern- the cable and sheath get soaked and water can get in the sheath, causing corrosion. If that is the case, take the cable end off the arm that connects to the engine, extend it all the way and clean/lube it. If the corrosion is in the tilt-tube, you'll need to remove the cable completely from the tilt-tube and clean out the passage. Some boats will require the removal of the engine from the boat to get the cable end out. (Mine used to need that until I made a modification.) Run a cleaning brush through the tube and scrub it clean- it can take a good bit of work to get it clean. Then lube everything with a good waterprood grease and renstall everything.
A good cable should provide easy control- if you are having hard steering there is typically a reason for it.
UFM82
