TOPIC: Cable Stearing tension spring Question

What is the best way to adjust the slack in the
cable,on my Glass Magic the spring and 2 screw holder
that the cable goes on either side of attach above on top of transom
well,looks like a simple loosen the screws and pull the cable
tight,on my Lake&Sea the spring is screwed to the transom
under the well inside the boat,a real pain to get to.Can I move
this set up to the outside,on top of the well and secure spring
to the outside in the well of the stern of boat?

Rick

Rick,on the ones I've had, I had to tighten up both cable ends where they are anchored to the transom to keep the steering wheel in the straight ahead position. Don't see why you can't move it as long as it don't bind up anywhere. Got pics?

I remove the springs from the boat. Compress them with cable ties. Put one end of the spring in the vice, put a large screwdriver through the other end and pull. A second person threads the three cable ties through the spring and tighten same. Reinstall springs in boat. Thread cable, centering steering wheel and motor. Tighten cable clamps when you get everything centered correctly. Then cut cable ties and you should be all set. Your cable will be nice and taunt.

Greg Anderson
Wisconsin

gdanderson wrote:

I remove the springs from the boat. Compress them with cable ties. Put one end of the spring in the vice, put a large screwdriver through the other end and pull. A second person threads the three cable ties through the spring and tighten same. Reinstall springs in boat. Thread cable, centering steering wheel and motor. Tighten cable clamps when you get everything centered correctly. Then cut cable ties and you should be all set. Your cable will be nice and taunt.

Greg Anderson
Wisconsin

Greg,not kicking your way of doing it,but I have a question about your method. If you install the spring already compressed and run cables tight and secure them that way, what happens when you turn your motor to full right or left? I've noticed on my system that the springs only compress when I turn to full left or right,but always have just a little tension to remove loose motion.

When you cut the cable ties the springs release by 3/4. That is to say they are 1/4 compressed +/-.

Greg Anderson
Wisconsin

Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing your setup at the transom. I do All my adjusting back there by loosening the clamps and pulling the cables tight.

That seems to be the way I will try first,loosen and pull keeping wheel and motor streight
Thanks to all for the tips

Rick

gdanderson wrote:

When you cut the cable ties the springs release by 3/4. That is to say they are 1/4 compressed +/-.

Greg Anderson
Wisconsin

That sounds like a great idea ,Greg.

Make sure you've got three turns in each direction around the steering wheel bollard. Bungee cord the steering wheel to the side of the boat so it's doesn't move and of course center up the steering wheel if it matters, mine don't. Tilt the motor up. Install cable clamps but do not tighten very much. Tilt the motor down to the run position and see how the tension looks. If tight, loosen. If loose, tighten. Do not force the motor into the down position if the cables are holding it back. I like to see the springs pulled about half their length of travel. Double up the wire clamps for added security. A steering failure could end tragically. Check the steering system before every boating adventure. It's always easier to make cable adjustments with the motor tilted up and the tension taken off of the system.

Ditto on the springs half way comment. Generally never squish springs like these more than 1/2 of their relaxed length, ever. They will take a set and loose a large percentage of their 'spring' I have seen though on 'larger' installs (sail boat), turnbuckles in both runs, back in a long straight section were they could not hit any thing lock to lock. This is admitting it is really hard to get two things to converge, the steering centered, and the tension right, by just fiddling the clamps. Later when the tension and centering needs tweaking turnbuckles make it a piece of cake.

Also another thing I have been corrected on is the springs go at the end of the cables not at the motor. At the motor they take all the force of steering and torque. At the dead end the force is divided evenly between the spring and the cable run to the wheel. It looks better and there is more room under the deck for them anyway.

This is the set up that's been on the aristocraft since new that was installed by the outboard dealer.

The crestliner I had used this set up.

Sorry,only pic I have of the steering. The aristocraft turns easier,but the crestliner turned slightly quicker.

The reason for the differences are that the AristoCraft steering has a 3:1 mechanical advantage and your Crestliner has 2:1 M/A. A 3:1 may need more turns of wire rope on the steering bollard as it pulls more cable to move the motor the same distance as a 2:1 set up.

Adding. The 3 to 1 helps control the torque of the bigger motors cutting the steering pressure by 3. In both cases the spring is at the dead end. You want the cables to go in as straight a line as possible and parallel. Not up or back to the motor if you can. This will reduce the change in length while turning, keeping the change within the length the springs can handle, keeping the tension up. The 2nd pic is not as optimal as the first, running the cable ends back through the front fuel line and control cable holes, geometrically speaking. You have to check if you are going with the 3 to 1 that the steering capstan can handle the extra cable length. Also check that the steering rig on the motor does not foul on anything when the motor is at full tilt.