Tight steering 2014 SN 200

[mbabiash]

Just put the boat in the water for first set of the year.

Steering was perfect to idle to the course and through first pass.

Subsequent passes got surfer and stiffer until it was super hard to steer.

Any ideas.

Not sure where to grease if possible or if it even sounds like a grease prob.

[oldjeep]

Take the boat out of the water and disconnect the steering cable from the rudder. Then see if it turns easily. If it does then check the rudder by hand.

[mbabiash]

Disconnected cable from the rudder.

Rudder is good. Cable is still the same.

Any way to grease this cable?

[swc5150]

Time for a new steering cable. Sometimes they last for years, and sometimes you get unlucky. I have to do mine this spring too. Not a fun job, but not horrible either.

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

@mbabiash I have a 2014 SN 200 as well, not every boat has it as it's an option. If yours has one there's a grease fitting under the floor board behind the engine cover, its on the left side of the rudder shaft. The grease fitting has a line connected to it that goes to the back of the boat.

[thager]

@mbabiash Give up. Once they start to seize up it is shot! Replace with a new one. Contact Tim White @Inboardfix, Jody Seal, or SkiDim to hook you up. Not a tough job at all.

[Kelvin]

That's the single easiest repair that can make a boat feel like new again.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

I average about 600 hrs on a steering cable. Sometimes they go out sooner and sometimes can last longer if the bilge stays very dry. This is a replace, not repair operation. Not difficult, but can take a while the first time you do it.

 

Call any of the guys thager mentioned.

[dbutcher]

It's worth a try to grease the rudder before giving up and installing a new cable. A friend of mine has a 2012 SN 200 that steered great until one day it didn't. I found out that he hadn't greased the rudder for a long, long time. Three or four shots of grease, and it drove great again. The rudder should be greased every time you change oil, or more often if your bilge is wet. A dry bilge is a huge key to long life of a lot of boat parts.

[dbutcher]

I just noticed that your cable is still stiff with the rudder disconnected. It may be time to replace. It still doesn't take long to squirt three shots of grease.

[igkya]

I agree with @dbutcher , try greasing the cable 1st. Turn the wheel all the way in one direction, so that most of the cable is exposed near the rudder connection. Rub some grease on it. turn the wheel from side to side. We had to do this a few times last season just to get us through the season until we could replace it, but like most others said, it probably needs replaced.

[mbabiash]

I'm going to replace it myself.

Any tricks to getting things lined up properly i.e. Rudder steering wheel alignment when putting the rack back on?

[oldjeep]

All I did on the LXI that I replaced the cable on was to feed the new cable and first attach it to the rudder - make sure rudder was then straight and that wheel was straight then bolt the rack to the helm. Just make sure you don't move the adjuster barrel when you are removing and reinstalling the cable.

[PBD]

After you get the new cable installed whenever you're done with the boat for awhile and you're about to put it on the trailer or lift, put the wheel into the left-most turn possible. This should retract the cable all the way into the sheath which I found prolongs the life of the cable significantly.

[skiinxs]

If you want to try to shoot some grease first, it is really easy to get to. As mentioned earlier the zerk fitting is at the end of a hose that goes to the rudder log. You can find it by popping the round cover out that provides access to the shaft packing. Feel through the hole to the left and you should feel the hose and fitting attached to the stringer about even with the cover. There is usually a little rubber cover over the zerk fitting that you will want to remove before attaching the grease gun. A short extension hose on the grease gun makes it a really easy job. I prefer synthetic grease as I feel it reduces friction, but is not necessarily marine grease. If you want to change the cable, you can reach the connection to the tiller arm from the bilge under the gas tank, but it may be easier / quicker to pull the gas tank for full access.

 

[mbabiash]

Thanks for the info.

Cable is out and just waiting for the new one to get here on Friday.

 

[LeonL]

Cable out, huh? I always use the old one to pull a rope in as I pull the old one out. Then I use the rope to help pull the new cable in.

[mbabiash]

I pulled a rope through with the old cable. Hopefully that works for me.

[LeonL]

It will. It's easier if you have someone help. One pulling and the other pushing. Some jiggles back and forth at tight places and you'll have it in no time.

[mbabiash]

Great. Thanks.