13-Footer: Original Wire Rope Steering Rigging

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
  13-Footer: Original Wire Rope Steering Rigging

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   13-Footer: Original Wire Rope Steering Rigging

Dive Skipper posted 12-25-2006 10:10 PM ET (US)
[How is the rigging accomplished for wire rope] steering on a 13' 1970 Whaler? I took the [wire rope] off the pulleys and the [steering wheel drum] in order to rebuild the console. I got new [wire rope] to use since the old [wire rope] was in bad shape as well, and, now that I have tried to remember how it was on there, well.... Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Mark
alfa posted 12-26-2006 02:51 AM ET (US)
Hope this help
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000831.html
an86carrera posted 12-26-2006 10:47 AM ET (US)

Here is a picture of a wound steering hub.
Len
PeteB88 posted 12-26-2006 12:41 PM ET (US)
Great photo - I did mine last summer and will double check every season, not difficult - I marked center of cable w/ Sharpie for reference. Double check your pullys, attachements, pully shafts, and clamp things - I put two on for redundancy. I was ready to convert to Telex but decided to keep the cables instead. I can fix and adjust w/o problems, they work , so there.
Best
jimh posted 12-26-2006 03:33 PM ET (US)
In the REFERENCE section there is additional information about the rigging of the wire rope used in the steering. See:
Owner's Manual 9-17 Foot
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/operations. html#steeringSystem
jimh posted 12-26-2006 03:37 PM ET (US)
There are also some views of the steering system shown in Cetacea Page 82:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage82.html
Dive Skipper posted 12-26-2006 06:34 PM ET (US)
Thank you to everyone who advised me! I am putting it back together tonight! Have a great holiday & Thanks much! ~Mark
tawcat posted 01-04-2007 02:59 PM ET (US)
Hi guys. New to this site and I am so glad I found it. I own a 13.5 foot whaler and this past fall my steering cable became loose and unraveled itsef from the worm shaft.
I see the pic, can someone provide some step by steps for me. Like do I need to remove the worm shaft from the steering shaft? What other things should I look for?
Sorry as this probably sounds so elementary to ya'll, but I have never owned a boat with cable steering. I use this little whaler strictly as a fishing boat.
We have a small, 28 ft, cruiser on Arkansas' Lake Ouachita and I am Polish!!!!!!!
Thanks in advance.
superdave_gv posted 01-06-2007 09:03 AM ET (US)

Tawcat-- to answer your request would be to reveal one of the closely guarded secrets of Classic 13 owners everywhere. Reconnecting the pulley steering is a rite of passage for the uninitiated and not to be "step by stepped" like a cheap entertainment center. JUST KIDDING!!!
It is a pain though. You only need to take the spool/hub off if you are removing the steering wheel to refinish the wood.
The ideal way to do this is with plenty of fresh cable, start with the spool/hub first, keeping everything centered the whole time. Then just have more than enough cable on each side to connect to pulleys and the motor, make sure it works, cut the extra cable off and you are done. First time and loving life.
To re-connect existing cable is possible but can take a few tries to get the steering centered since you are working with no slack. If you are doing it by yourself, you may need to use some clamps. My Whaler does not have the clamp as shown in one of the pics of the Alaska hull (Minor Damage pic)--never seen a clamp like that before.
The easiest way to do the re-connect that I found was to..
1) only fix the cable to one side of the motor first
2) then feed the cable through pulleys toward the steering console
3) clamp cables and motor so it doesn't move. more on this in a second.
4) feed cable through pulley in console after determining upper/lower and left/right side relationship
5) It is now time to be upside down in your boat counting the # of threads. At this point you feed the cable to the center of the spool, around and down (or up depending on which side of the cable is free), inside the spool (see the vertical split in the picture), wound back to the center and out of the pulleys.
6) finish running the cable, remove clamps, make sure your wheel and motor turn like they should and the tension is in the spring.
NOTE: Step 5 is the tricky part. The hub as shown in the picture a couple posts up is a steering wheel at center. So if you clamp your cables and stabilize motor at center then you would start spooling in the center. For whatever reason after a few tries I ended up clamping my motor at "full right turn" and started at the bottom (or maybe it was top?) of the spool. Remember this whole time is "upside down in the boat trying to look up underneath the console time". I hooked the cable up to the spool (and thus the steering) backwards the first time. Was tempted to leave it that way if that gives you any indication of what you are about to attempt. First night I had a beer first, got frustrated and the beer won. Second night, I held off the beer until I was done and afterwards had one of the best beers I have ever had.
Hope that helps. If anyone else knows a better way then I hope you enjoyed hearing about the long way.
tawcat posted 01-06-2007 11:56 AM ET (US)
superdave_gv: thank you so very much for taking the time to post this for me. i initially planned on converting from the antiquated cable pulley system, but between cost and confusion of cable length, stand offs, link arms etc. it just became mind boggling. like i said i'm Polish and it doesn't take a whole bunch to confuse me. then i found this site, what a find. then i found the thread that showed the picture of exactly what i needed to do.
yep heaven sent for sure. thank you again, i'll let you know how i make out. be a couple of months before i attempt this. winter chill is still here in arkansas and i don't think there is anything worse than trying to string and twist and wind metal cable with cold hands and fingers!!!!!!
jimh posted 01-07-2007 01:20 AM ET (US)
One fine point to make: be sure you get the wheel turning direction and the boat turning direction to agree.
tawcat posted 03-25-2007 06:52 PM ET (US)
hey guys i just want to say thanks to all that gave feedback on this thread. i just knew i was gonna have a helluva time fixing this steering, and almost opted to go with a nfb system. but today i attempted to rewind the drum, i'll be darn, first try and not only did i get the wind right, but it was wound right so when i turned the whell right it went right!!!!!! hey sorry, but being Polish i figure i deserve a pat on the back. trust me it was sheer luck.
anyway, thanks again to all that posted and double thanks for the great pics provided of what it should look like!!!
Interviewer posted 07-15-2007 05:42 PM ET (US)
Very helpful thread as I am restringing my cable steering. There are two pulleys on the sideboard, the forward one being slightly higher than the aft one. Which pulley is the entry point for the cable and which is the exit point?
Binkie posted 07-16-2007 07:08 AM ET (US)
Interviewer,
The cable that comes from the top of the drum goes through the higher pulley, and the lower cable goes through the lower pulley. I sent you some pics of the steering setup on my 13 ft. project boat.
Rich
BQUICK posted 07-16-2007 11:42 AM ET (US)
I re-did mine once and planed off to test it and had it backwards. Very bizarre..... Really wierd feeling when your mind and hand are crossed up......
superdave_gv posted 07-17-2007 10:48 PM ET (US)

Good opportunity here to expand on the cop-out step 4 in my instructions and share the setup on mine. It actually appears to differ from Binkies but maybe both work fine.
Its best with nautical terms instead of right/left front/back although that may be new to some folks (it is me I'll admit it).
- The 13 console is in the starboard side of the boat. In the board along the starboard side of the console there are two pulleys. The pulley closest to the bow (front) is also higher up on the board.
- When the installed steering hub is wound as in the picture, one open end of rope is closer to the bow and the other is closer to the stern. The rope that comes from the bottom exits the bow side of the pulley and the rope that comes from the top exits the stern side of the pulley.
- The bow rope goes through the bow (higher) pulley. The stern rope goes through the stern (lower) pulley. Look closely and think about the angle of the rope as it exits the hub. It angle actually points the lower rope "up" to the higher pulley and vice versa. The ropes do not cross between the hub and the starboard pulleys.
- The ropes run down the starboard board with the bow rope running through the higher set of stainless rope "eyes" and the stern rope through the lower.
- The bow rope attaches to the starboard side of the motor. The stern rope attaches to the port side of the motor.
Thats what worked for me, hope that helps.
superdave_gv posted 07-17-2007 10:54 PM ET (US)

Need to proofread better. Jimh you can update it in the reply up there if you want.
In the second "-" it should read "...The rope that comes from the bottom exits the bow side of the hub and the rope that comes from the top exits the stern side of the hub..."

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: 13-Footer: Original Wire Rope Steering Rigging
Dive Skipper	posted 12-25-2006 10:10 PM ET (US) [How is the rigging accomplished for wire rope] steering on a 13' 1970 Whaler? I took the [wire rope] off the pulleys and the [steering wheel drum] in order to rebuild the console. I got new [wire rope] to use since the old [wire rope] was in bad shape as well, and, now that I have tried to remember how it was on there, well.... Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Mark
alfa	posted 12-26-2006 02:51 AM ET (US) Hope this help http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000831.html
an86carrera	posted 12-26-2006 10:47 AM ET (US) Here is a picture of a wound steering hub. Len
PeteB88	posted 12-26-2006 12:41 PM ET (US) Great photo - I did mine last summer and will double check every season, not difficult - I marked center of cable w/ Sharpie for reference. Double check your pullys, attachements, pully shafts, and clamp things - I put two on for redundancy. I was ready to convert to Telex but decided to keep the cables instead. I can fix and adjust w/o problems, they work , so there. Best
jimh	posted 12-26-2006 03:33 PM ET (US) In the REFERENCE section there is additional information about the rigging of the wire rope used in the steering. See: Owner's Manual 9-17 Foot http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/operations. html#steeringSystem
jimh	posted 12-26-2006 03:37 PM ET (US) There are also some views of the steering system shown in Cetacea Page 82: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage82.html
Dive Skipper	posted 12-26-2006 06:34 PM ET (US) Thank you to everyone who advised me! I am putting it back together tonight! Have a great holiday & Thanks much! ~Mark
tawcat	posted 01-04-2007 02:59 PM ET (US) Hi guys. New to this site and I am so glad I found it. I own a 13.5 foot whaler and this past fall my steering cable became loose and unraveled itsef from the worm shaft. I see the pic, can someone provide some step by steps for me. Like do I need to remove the worm shaft from the steering shaft? What other things should I look for? Sorry as this probably sounds so elementary to ya'll, but I have never owned a boat with cable steering. I use this little whaler strictly as a fishing boat. We have a small, 28 ft, cruiser on Arkansas' Lake Ouachita and I am Polish!!!!!!! Thanks in advance.
superdave_gv	posted 01-06-2007 09:03 AM ET (US) Tawcat-- to answer your request would be to reveal one of the closely guarded secrets of Classic 13 owners everywhere. Reconnecting the pulley steering is a rite of passage for the uninitiated and not to be "step by stepped" like a cheap entertainment center. JUST KIDDING!!! It is a pain though. You only need to take the spool/hub off if you are removing the steering wheel to refinish the wood. The ideal way to do this is with plenty of fresh cable, start with the spool/hub first, keeping everything centered the whole time. Then just have more than enough cable on each side to connect to pulleys and the motor, make sure it works, cut the extra cable off and you are done. First time and loving life. To re-connect existing cable is possible but can take a few tries to get the steering centered since you are working with no slack. If you are doing it by yourself, you may need to use some clamps. My Whaler does not have the clamp as shown in one of the pics of the Alaska hull (Minor Damage pic)--never seen a clamp like that before. The easiest way to do the re-connect that I found was to.. 1) only fix the cable to one side of the motor first 2) then feed the cable through pulleys toward the steering console 3) clamp cables and motor so it doesn't move. more on this in a second. 4) feed cable through pulley in console after determining upper/lower and left/right side relationship 5) It is now time to be upside down in your boat counting the # of threads. At this point you feed the cable to the center of the spool, around and down (or up depending on which side of the cable is free), inside the spool (see the vertical split in the picture), wound back to the center and out of the pulleys. 6) finish running the cable, remove clamps, make sure your wheel and motor turn like they should and the tension is in the spring. NOTE: Step 5 is the tricky part. The hub as shown in the picture a couple posts up is a steering wheel at center. So if you clamp your cables and stabilize motor at center then you would start spooling in the center. For whatever reason after a few tries I ended up clamping my motor at "full right turn" and started at the bottom (or maybe it was top?) of the spool. Remember this whole time is "upside down in the boat trying to look up underneath the console time". I hooked the cable up to the spool (and thus the steering) backwards the first time. Was tempted to leave it that way if that gives you any indication of what you are about to attempt. First night I had a beer first, got frustrated and the beer won. Second night, I held off the beer until I was done and afterwards had one of the best beers I have ever had. Hope that helps. If anyone else knows a better way then I hope you enjoyed hearing about the long way.
tawcat	posted 01-06-2007 11:56 AM ET (US) superdave_gv: thank you so very much for taking the time to post this for me. i initially planned on converting from the antiquated cable pulley system, but between cost and confusion of cable length, stand offs, link arms etc. it just became mind boggling. like i said i'm Polish and it doesn't take a whole bunch to confuse me. then i found this site, what a find. then i found the thread that showed the picture of exactly what i needed to do. yep heaven sent for sure. thank you again, i'll let you know how i make out. be a couple of months before i attempt this. winter chill is still here in arkansas and i don't think there is anything worse than trying to string and twist and wind metal cable with cold hands and fingers!!!!!!
jimh	posted 01-07-2007 01:20 AM ET (US) One fine point to make: be sure you get the wheel turning direction and the boat turning direction to agree.
tawcat	posted 03-25-2007 06:52 PM ET (US) hey guys i just want to say thanks to all that gave feedback on this thread. i just knew i was gonna have a helluva time fixing this steering, and almost opted to go with a nfb system. but today i attempted to rewind the drum, i'll be darn, first try and not only did i get the wind right, but it was wound right so when i turned the whell right it went right!!!!!! hey sorry, but being Polish i figure i deserve a pat on the back. trust me it was sheer luck. anyway, thanks again to all that posted and double thanks for the great pics provided of what it should look like!!!
Interviewer	posted 07-15-2007 05:42 PM ET (US) Very helpful thread as I am restringing my cable steering. There are two pulleys on the sideboard, the forward one being slightly higher than the aft one. Which pulley is the entry point for the cable and which is the exit point?
Binkie	posted 07-16-2007 07:08 AM ET (US) Interviewer, The cable that comes from the top of the drum goes through the higher pulley, and the lower cable goes through the lower pulley. I sent you some pics of the steering setup on my 13 ft. project boat. Rich
BQUICK	posted 07-16-2007 11:42 AM ET (US) I re-did mine once and planed off to test it and had it backwards. Very bizarre..... Really wierd feeling when your mind and hand are crossed up......
superdave_gv	posted 07-17-2007 10:48 PM ET (US) Good opportunity here to expand on the cop-out step 4 in my instructions and share the setup on mine. It actually appears to differ from Binkies but maybe both work fine. Its best with nautical terms instead of right/left front/back although that may be new to some folks (it is me I'll admit it). - The 13 console is in the starboard side of the boat. In the board along the starboard side of the console there are two pulleys. The pulley closest to the bow (front) is also higher up on the board. - When the installed steering hub is wound as in the picture, one open end of rope is closer to the bow and the other is closer to the stern. The rope that comes from the bottom exits the bow side of the pulley and the rope that comes from the top exits the stern side of the pulley. - The bow rope goes through the bow (higher) pulley. The stern rope goes through the stern (lower) pulley. Look closely and think about the angle of the rope as it exits the hub. It angle actually points the lower rope "up" to the higher pulley and vice versa. The ropes do not cross between the hub and the starboard pulleys. - The ropes run down the starboard board with the bow rope running through the higher set of stainless rope "eyes" and the stern rope through the lower. - The bow rope attaches to the starboard side of the motor. The stern rope attaches to the port side of the motor. Thats what worked for me, hope that helps.
superdave_gv	posted 07-17-2007 10:54 PM ET (US) Need to proofread better. Jimh you can update it in the reply up there if you want. In the second "-" it should read "...The rope that comes from the bottom exits the bow side of the hub and the rope that comes from the top exits the stern side of the hub..."