Mechanical Cable Steering on Older 13-footer

[davidc]

I'm repowering [a 1968 Boston Whaler 13-foot boat] with a new 20-Hp short shaft outboard with power tilt, remote steering, and electric starting. I have heard horror stories that some had to cut a notch in the stern to fit the new steering cables.

Is there an outboard that works better on installs for [a 1968 Boston Whaler 13-foot boat]?

Should I just keep the old [wire rope and pulley] steering and not worry about problems with new steering conversion?

Thanks

[Mikeymeg]

A Teleflex standoff bracket will give you the clearance you need.

[jimh]

Anyone who cut a notch in the transom of a Boston Whaler 13-foot boat to fit the mechanical cable steering is very badly informed and must have been unaware of the proper method using a transom mounted standoff to hold the steering ram. You should avoid taking advice from people who butcher the transom of their classic Boston Whaler boat like that. There has never been any mystery about how to use mechanical cable steering on a 13-footer.


Mechanical cable steering on older Boston Whaler 13-foot boat transom

As for choosing an engine based on it having some advantage in connecting the steering on a particular boat, I wouldn't be keen to make that the selection criterion. Also, exactly how many options are there in 20-HP short-shaft electric-start power-tilt outboard engines these days?

[Oldslowandugly]

I like the Teleflex Safe-T steering system and have used it on two boats with great success. But the old wire rope and pulley system worked well for decades especially on small motors. Most problems arise from old rusted wire rope or corroded pulleys. To replace those items every few years is cheap and easy, and [you will then] enjoy safe steering.

I once mounted a Evinrude 125-HP engine on my 18-foot skiff just as a test. We hit 55-MPH on a measured mile. I was using a wire rope and pulley steering set-up; it was fine even with that gross over-power. Most wire rope for steering is coated with vinyl but if you could find vinyl coated stainless steel wire rope you would be in fine shape.

[Binkster]

Nothing unsafe about wire rope and pulley steering. It is the only type of steering system allowed in APBA outboard racing, and some of the classes of race boats race at over 100-MPH. You can buy the parts needed from Brown Engineering including [nylon covered stainless steel steering line] here:

http://www.btmco.com/Steering_Systems.html

It is the perfect setup for 13-foot Boston Whaler boats. Another thing I like is there is no torque feedback from the outboard, you can take your hand off the wheel and accelerate without the wheel turning.


rich

[jimh]

Rich--thanks for that link to the vendor providing all the components needed for a modern version of the classic rope and pulley steering system. I found it most interesting that that vendor sells a braided line or rope that actually has twice the strength of the steel wire rope normally seen. And the cost is comparable. Have you ever rigged a rope and pulley steering system with that braided line? It looks more attractive, too. Compare at:

http://www.btmco.com/popups/2604.html

RICH also says:

Another thing I like is there is no torque feedback from the outboard, you can take your hand off the wheel and accelerate without the wheel turning.

I don't see how there could be no steering torque. That force comes from the engine, and it cannot know it is not supposed to have steering torque just because of the steering system in use.

Finally, which pulley arrangement would you recommend from that vendor for the pulleys used on a 13-foot Boston Whaler boat at the helm to make the 90-degree turn from the wheel to parallel to the gunwales? Can you specify all the components you recommend from that vendor for a complete system? I would be interested to see what is needed and how much it would cost. If you can do that it would be most helpful.

[Oldslowandugly]

I think steering torque from a 20hp motor would be negligible. It also depends on how you rig the cables. If you rig the pulleys right to the motor bracket with the springs at the gunwales then you feel everything. I always ran a pulley on either side of the motor bracket with the springs between the bracket and pulleys. Then the cable went back to the gunwales where it terminated. This arrangement allowed the springs to absorb the motor vibrations and any steering torque. I ran a 1969 Johnson 40hp on a small skiff like that for many years and there was never any feedback to the steering wheel. In this picture the spring ends with the cut off cable and clamps would go to the "S" hooks on the motor bracket.

[Dead link to an image removed]

[Binkster]

At

http://www.whalercentral.com/infusions/ ... ser_id=802

there images that show the steering system. on my older 13-footer.

Note the 90 degrees coaming pulleys on the side of the console. They came from Brown Engineering along with the cable. I used original pulleys because I found some that were like new, and I thought racing pulleys would be excessive. I would have spent the extra money for Browns pulleys if I hadn't found the others.

The race boat type of helms and steering wheels don't really fit well on Boston Whalers, because the steering is mounted in front of the dashboard. This is done because all of the steering components must be inspected by the safety committee at every event. You can make your own periodic inspections, if something is not right. To see problems will be easy, unlike a rusty cable hidden inside a tube.

As far as the no feedback torque, true as long as you use the two to one pulley setup with two pulleys with a spring at the motor with the cable returning one to each side of the boat there won't be feedback. If you stand behind the motor when on a trailer is impossible to turn the outboard by hand, you must use the wheel.

[RevRun]

Using nylon coated wire instead of vinyl [coated wire] is much better and only slightly more expensive.

[Binkster]

When raising the seating you need to take into consideration the height of the console, you may need to raise the height of the console to avoid having to drive in a hunched over position. When I built a new custom center console for my 15 footer I had to design and build a RPS seat so I could drive from a sitting or standing position.

https://fifteenfootbostonwhaler.shutter ... pictures/8