No steering

[Senior B]

Coming back in today I went around a tug boat that was pushing a barge. I was doing @35 MPH and my steering went hard to port. It was one of the most violent things I've experienced. The base of my table was ripped from the deck and everything in my cooler came out. Cabin was a wreck. Had to get towed in. My steering wheel turns each way and I can move my out drive by hand. Think I may have a broken steering cable. Any thoughts?

 

[Senior B]

The craft is a 2000 FourWinns 248 Vista that is pushed by a 2011 Volvo 5.7 GXi-JF and a SX-A DPS.

 

[4now04]

If it has a tilt steering wheel pull the front edge of the boot for the tilt mechanism back from the dash toward the steering wheel. Verify that the tilt mechanism Universal joint is intact. If that is OK, open the engine hatches and check whether the steering cable is connected to the power steering cylinder and moving correctly. You might also have someone move the outdrive from side to side while you are watching the steering mechanism in the engine compartment.

That must have been a heck of a ride, one I hope I never experience.

 

[Senior B]

I thank you for your response. The issue was that the clevis pin that hold the end of the steering cable arm to the steering assembly that moves the out drive popped out. I never found a cotter key. Perhaps it was never installed when the boat was repowered and it decided to Pop out when it did. Was a 30 min fix but a couple hours to clean up the mess. I was lucky to have been on the boat by my-self at the time as there would have been some serious injuries otherwise.