Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: Steering Question
Posted by Tom W Clark on 01/09/09 - 6:36 PM
#2
Those tubes house the ends of the steering cable cores as they rotate around and out of the Teleflex helm.
Posted by wrangler on 01/10/09 - 5:49 AM
#3
That would be correct. You have 2 engines and 2 cables, a one engine boat would have one cable.
Posted by WhalerDan on 01/10/09 - 5:52 AM
#4
Is there any maintenance I should consider with my steering system?
Posted by wrangler on 01/10/09 - 10:21 AM
#5
The outboards have grease fittings where the steering tube (among other places) comes out of the motor mount. Lubricate these, I do it every 6 months. Get the old grease out, It can congeal (harden) and make it hard to turn. Also keep the tube that comes out of the motor when you turn it clean. Use the steering wheel and turn the motors. Do not let them freeze in place from non use. I armor-all the steering cable coating where it is in the sunlight. If it peels, it then exposes the cable inside to salt water corrosion.
Where ever the cable is rubbing against something (inside the console?) I use a piece of rubber for chaffing protection.
Posted by Tom W Clark on 01/10/09 - 10:29 AM
#6
wrangler wrote:
You have 2 engines and 2 cables, a one engine boat would have one cable.
No, that is not correct. The Outrage 18 was equipped by the factory with Teleflex's twin cable steering system. It matters not at all if there is one motor or two.
Posted by wrangler on 01/11/09 - 8:55 AM
#7
Sorry, my mistake. Teleflex makes a twin cable system for single or dual motors for boats up to 24' and speeds over 50 mph. Below 50mph, you can use the single cable.
It also states non powered meaning not hydraulic. most boats would use a hydraulic versus non feed back cable. in that size or speed.
Posted by Tom W Clark on 01/11/09 - 9:22 AM
#8
Whaler often equipped their boats far in excess of minimum requirements. This is one of the reasons classic Whalers are so wonderful.
The Teleflex twin cable system used on the classic Outrage 18s (and larger models) is a perfect example of this. Strictly speaking, Whaler could have gotten away with a single cable system as they formerly had but the twin cable system offered both smoother steering and redundancy in the event of a cable failure.
The twin cable steering was superb *if adjusted correctly* which it all too often was not, which is why you will hear some people bad-mouth it.
The beauty of the twin cables is they could be adjusted to almost completely eliminate the steering slop that any one cable had. Essentially one cable pushes while the other pulls. I had the twin cable steering on my own Outrage 18 for over the ten years I owned it. It was much lighter steering than the hydraulic steering in my Revenge 25.
The classic Outrage 18 was also perfectly set up to use the Teleflex twin cable steering with its wide open transom and transom mounted motor(s). Mechanical steering systems do not work well in situations where the motor(s) is/are mounted on setback brackets, jack plates, Whaler Drive, Euro-transoms or Gil brackets.
Hydraulic steering is well suited to these situations because the hoses do not much care care how they are routed to the cylinder. Because so many new boat use brackets or Euro transoms, the Teleflex SeaStar hydraulic steering systems have become very common. The cost has come down a bit too making hydraulic steering more attractive as an update to an older boats.
Do not confuse hydraulic steering with power steering, They are NOT the same. "Power steering" means there is an electromechanical assist to the steering input, usually an electric pump with hydraulic steering systems.
Hydraulic steering uses only the energy of you turning the steering wheel which turns a pump which pumps hydraulic fluid to the steering cylinder. There is no auxiliary power input.