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Seastar cylinder modification for 99 yamaha

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Anyone ever lengthen the 2 bla

Anyone ever lengthen the 2 black arms on the pivot shaft to move the cylinder back a couple of inches. There is a clearence problem with the cylinder butting up against the engines transom clamps when you tilt the motor right up. The local shops here solve the problem by just hacking of the clamps and bolt the engine to the transom. Works fine but I would rather make a modification to move the cylinder back far enough so it doesn't interfere with them...I sell these engines every 2 years and I know the value will drop with the clamps missing. My thinking is that I would only have to make the modifcation once and re-use everything on the next motor and it would be a straight bolt on there after. This is being done to accomodate a liquid tie bar so I can have both the kicker and main turn when fishing and by turning a valve switch to just the main turning. Anyone else done this?
 
"Rollie:

Never done what yo

"Rollie:

Never done what you are describing. There may be a couple other options. After rereading your post, I'm thinking you want to move the cylinder forward, to clear the clamps. Why not use the thru-bolts after removing the clamps? If you don't want to thru-bolt the engine, maybe look at modifying a pair of clamp screws? You could just cut a straight slot and use a jam nut 'inside' - or get an Allen head socket machined in them (if you can buy them). I'm thinking moving the cylinder will be a PIA - as you'll have to mod the rod/tiller setup, too.

If you have a hydraulic shop, a good machinist, or a good welder around, you could take them a few pictures of what you have and get their two cents...stretching the brackets wouldn't be hard; i'd just be cautious with the whole linkage arrangement"
 
"Mako its not just the clamps

"Mako its not just the clamps that interfer but also the engine bracket that the clamps screw thru. I've taken one of the Teleflex arms down to a welding shop that I use, they say it won't be hard to extend them. Looks like 2 to 3 inces is all I need to keep it clear. Then make an extended bracket to bolt the cylinder mount to the engine. I'll take a pic before and after. They figure doing it on Friday."
 
When the local shop cuts off t

When the local shop cuts off the parts neccesary to clear the cylinder the 9.9 looks like any big motor's mounting bracket....nothing left from the pivot point down. You have to use 4 bolts to mount after this is done. Just limits who might buy it when I'm done with it
 
post some pics

i use my mai

post some pics

i use my main motor as a rudder
its a grady so she floats good

if i need to u turn i just fire up the main
 
"We fish in some big tides and

"We fish in some big tides and strong afternoon winds (20-25 knots) and it is desired to have both engines involved with steering to get a better/quicker response or to hold a better line. The Teleflex liquid tie bar allows you to have just the main turn when running to the fishing grounds then once you want to troll on the kicker, turn the valve and now your helm turns both engines...without a mechanical bar joining the 2 ( a bar that will rattle from engine vibration and drive you nuts after 10hrs fishing) So with power tilt on the kicker engine...arriving at the fishing spot involves pushing the tilt button, once kicker is down turn the helm until the main and kicker are in line with each other, turn the valve and way you go. Will post pics after Friday when its finished"
 
"If you're convinced you n

"If you're convinced you need both motors to turn, I wouldn't hesitate fabricating a new bracket to relocate the cylinder. It's not like you're trying to control 300 hp at 60 mph. You might be better off starting from scratch with the brackets versus modifying those cast aluminum ones.."
 
"We all fish up here with both

"We all fish up here with both engines involved in steering together. On busy summer weekends we fish in crowds of over 100 boats all jocking for the same patch of water. You need responive turning to get you onto the spot when an opportunity presents itself...or to get out of the way quickly to. Here are a couple of before pics showing the clearence problem.
249844.jpg
Cylinder just about to touch
 
"that pics worth a thousand wo

"that pics worth a thousand words...stretching those brackets to move the cylinder forward will get you the clearance but, because the cylinder's stroke is fixed, you will loose some angular travel - if full turn to port used to provide 45 degrees, after the mod it may only be 35 degrees. the further the cylinder moves forward, the smaller the resulting angle will be.

if that's not acceptable, time to see the hydraulic shop and see what they can provide in a cylinder with a longer stroke. expect a weld on mod for the link attachment point, too."
 
"The job is done, except appli

"The job is done, except appling some black paint. We extended the side arms about 1.5 - 2 inches but didn't have to modify the centre link at all. It swings inward enough to mate up with the same pivot point on the engine. Still have full lock to lock on helm. Had to buck off the very end of the screw clamps themselves (handles are gone) but that was the extent of the butchery to the engine. The transom clamps are still functional. I'll post a pic tomorrow after I get a daytime pic. It was a $400.00 bill but now I have the modified parts and the next kickers I buy will bolt right up."
 
Rollie:

how much of a '

Rollie:

how much of a 'spacer' did you get put in each arm? Looks pretty clean overall.

Would another 1/2" of extension 'saved' the handles on the clamp screws?
 
"Spacers are 2 thick on starbo

"Spacers are 2 thick on starboard side and 2 thick and a medium on port side. Had spares from old cylinder from main engine. Not sure about if another 1/2 inch would have cleared the handles. I wasn't concerned about that anyway, just didn't want to buck off the entire essembly. I'm going to drill a hole thru the ends of both clamps and use a piece of stainless rod as a handle. Just have to attach hoses and tidy up all the lines/hoses from engine into transom. Installing a new Furuno CV-585 sounder and 1kw transducer as well. The transducer weighs 18 pounds and I mounting it on a bracket that alows me to raise and lower it off the transom. Raised up when cruising and lowered to fish. Have another sounder/chartplotter that I use while at cruising speeds."
 
you may want to safety wire th

you may want to safety wire the clamp screws just to make sure. nothing like the professional finishing touches to a unique mod.

congratulations!!
 
"Thanks Mako, yep had the old

"Thanks Mako, yep had the old handles tie strapped together so they couldn't back off. The engine is also bolted to the bracket with a couple of stainless bolts. They along with a cable and lock make it a less desirable engine to steal. Now if only the crazy weather would cooperate, its been below freezing day and night and had a couple inches of snow here on the weekend. Not the right conditions for spring boat work."
 
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