Re: Steering Setup for 33hp Johnson
While many people think of pulley steering as extraordinarily dangerous, I'm old enough to remember when it was the only system available. Properly maintained, they are fine and I never knew anyone who crashed a boat because of one.
That said, they are rarely used these days. What you are more likely to find in any boat you buy is a "push/pull" type cable/tube assembly. Some people call them "teleflex systems," because Teleflex Marine is one of the major manufacturers of the system. You'll probably also find that its very hard to find parts for a pully/wire rope type steering wheel. I often see pulleys, clamps, springs, etc. for these systems, but not the steering wheels or steering wheel parts.
All is not lost, however, because there are a couple of easy and relatively inexpensive ways to use a teleflex style steering system with your Johnson. One is to install a bracket/clamp assembly on your transom, which holds the stationary part of the cable in place. This allows the inner portion (the push/pull part) to be bolted to a bracket on your motor. This method is inexpensive and effective, but it does have one drawback - the range of motion when tilting the motor up can sometimes be restricted because of the transom bracket.
Another possibility is to use a tilt tube adapter. There are probably a few manufacturers of these adapters, but the Ezy-Glide, Inc. is the only one that I know of for your engine size. They call their product an "Ezy-Glide Universal Engine Connection Kit." This product is rated for outboards up to 40hp and works quite well. I've used one myself and liked it. I also have a larger version of the same product on my current boat, which has a 1972 Johnson 65 hp engine.
To see one, go to page 384 at the following link (Donovan Marine):
http://www.donovanmarine.com/catalog/Donovan2009.pdf
You might also try right here at iboats - I know they sell other Ezy-Glide products, but I don't see the adapter on the iboats marine store web site. I just made a call to iboats, however, and the salesperson said that he could probably order it from Ezy-Glide. In order to help with that process, I just put a call in to Ezy-Glide at iboats request. I ended up having to leave a message, but as soon as I get a part number from Ezy-Glide, I will pass it on to both you and iboats.
BTW, this product has been described by some distributors as being for use only with boats that have a port side cable run. In my application, I needed a starboard side run and had no problem flipping the tube in the bracket. The trick to doing so, is to remove a zerk type grease fitting that is located in the middle of the tube. From there, the two nuts on the tube are removed and the tube can be reversed, so that the threaded portion of it, faces the starboard side. Once reassembled, the zerk fitting can be screwed back into the tube.
