Hook up the steering cable - works better.

[55Crestliner]

A couple weeks ago my dad and I started away from the boat launch. I gave the motor a bit of throttle, and I heard a thunk. I thought that was strange, untill I turned the wheel and the boat quickly turned the other way. I looked behind me to see I never hooked up the steering cable! Could have been bad I 'spose, but there is a no wake law for a hundred feet from the launch, so I wasn't going real fast. Felt like a real rookie though!

 

[BJM]

Re: Hook up the steering cable - works better.

How's this one then.<br /><br />Put the boat in for its first trip of the year. Fired it up, cleared all the fogging oil. Everything was good. <br /><br />Tow it to the other side of my lake to the ramp and dropped it in. Put family in boat putt-putt away from the ramp. Give it some throttle, feels good, give'er some more, we start planing, still feels good. Suddenly the wheel is ripped out of my hands and we do a hard right at full lock. Boat is only half planing so the wheel is basically jammed. Yanked the throttle back and just managed to avoid slamming into nearby dock.<br /><br />So what the hell happened? The power trim decided to fail and collapse allowing the motor go full down. The motor normally cannot be at that angle with the boat on plane so the steering loads were huge. <br /><br />It only took $1000 dollars to replace. Now it works fine.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Re: Hook up the steering cable - works better.

Hearing all these stories of going to the lake, reminds me of what I often told my troopers after listenening to thier trials and tribulatons of the day, while we were in 1st Marine Air Wing on board Futema Air Station, (the island of) Okinawa, Japan circa 1975-76.<br /><br />I'd listen, try not to laugh,,,,,,, then tell them, "Every day is an adventure, ain't it"?. <br /><br />Ed.<br /><br />Ohhh,,, great project you got there.<br />However, I think you need to hang about another 100 hp on the back of it in order to make tomorrow an even better adventure than the last time you took it out....... har, har, har,,,,

 

[ddaigle]

Re: Hook up the steering cable - works better.

Have the old style steering on my boat where the cable hooks to a bracket. Did some modifications to boat so moved bracket to other side of motor(!). Took boat out for test ride as had been working on engine. Wind is blowing 30 mph. Launch boat, engine will only run at high idle. Find out after hitting several docks and poles and chasing other boaters away that I have reversed steering. Have to paddle and pole against 30 mph wind to get back to trailer. But still boating!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Hook up the steering cable - works better.

About twenty years ago (seems like yesterday), a high school friend of mine asked me to help him fix his 85HP Merc outboard. Seems the motor wouldn't swivel to steer. He had been wrestling it for a couple of years, and it really rusted tight this time. It took us many hours to work around the rusted bolts and disassemble enough of the motor (pulled lower unit, powerhead...) to grease up the swivel bushings. His basement was covered with black-painted metal parts. His father came down to see how we were doing, shook his head and left. We got the motor back together, and installed on the boat and went for a ride. <br /><br />At the ramp we launched the boat for a day of water-skiing. As it turned out, we had the shift rod misaligned and forward and reverse were switched. Also, the father had incorrectly installed a new cable steering mechanism (we broke the last one trying to turn the motor), so the boat turned the wrong way. What a wacky day of skiing that was, turn right to go left, push the throttle forward to slow down.<br /><br />Later that day we fixed everything!

 

[asgrinne]

Re: Hook up the steering cable - works better.

Had very similar experience. Except the incorrect nut came off the steering rod. Boat did a hard right direct at friends 24ft Bayliner. After dark Yikes that boat side looked huge as we took direct aim. Got trottle pulled back in time as he also took a hard right. <br />We had just come off a river run at speeds of 40+ with sea walls and a million piers within 150 ft each way........ Could not even imagine what would have happened losing that at speed in close proximity.