Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Replacing Steering Cable

T

tbrodes

Regular Contributor
"Hey guys, I need to replace t

"Hey guys, I need to replace the steering cable on my sons boat this winter as it was getting unbareably stiff to steer, even after lubing. I figure it would be a good winter project. The boat is a 1996 18' Angler with an 85 Merc. on the back.

I know I will need to find the cable length and order. But I was hoping for a step by step instruction on how you guys do it. The wheel is making a grinding sound, and seems to slip, which must mean that the gear is grindng away.

Where could I purchase a cable and gear in the steering box??

Any and all help much appreciated!"
 
"Ted, Teleflex and Uflex are t

"Ted, Teleflex and Uflex are two of the biggest companies out there that deal with marine cables (control and steering).

Both have complete kits (even including the steering wheel itself if you want).

There is a couple different choices in (standard) steering.

There is "rack" style which is somewhat like rack and pinion in a car, and rotary steering.

In the rack style the helm moves a rack back and forth that pushes/pulls the steering cable. In the rotary system, the cable itself is wound around the helm mechanism to push/pull the cable.

Both work decently well. I have a Teleflex "rack" system on my 14' aluminum (turning a 15 horse) and have just installed a Uflex rotary (with planetary gears) on my 24 footer (turning a 140 horse).

Why did I go with those particular set-ups with those boats/motors? Just happened to get the kits at the time for super dirt cheap prices. It would have been just as practical to use the rack system on the bigger motor and the rotary on the smaller...

Personally though, if you want a rotary style system, I do prefer the Uflex - just find the gears superior to Teleflex's system - but really love the feel of Teleflex's "Rack" system and would definately install it again without hesitation....

Either "kit" which normally includes the helm, bezel, mounting hardware and the cable. They will sell for about 200 bucks or less depending on the length you need (which is almost of the price of a cable alone, making a total new install viable).

Both styles also come in a No Feedback (NFB) version. These have a clutch gear that deals with engine torque so that if you let go of the wheel it will usually stay where you left it or alternately, you don't have to "fight" with the wheel to keep it on course, especially during a turn. The NFB version obviously add a few bucks to the price tag.

Andrew who runs this site sells them at very competitive prices - see lower right of this page under "steering/control" and then mechanical steering - starting on the second page.

Doing a search for either Uflex or Teleflex Marine and reading on the companies websites will give you all the "propoganda" on how great their systems are
"
 
Back
Top