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I just purchased my first fishing boat and got it for a steal of a price. It is a 2004 Tracker with a 50 hp Mercury. We took it out on DC for the first time on Saturday and the steering was extremely stiff. We bought the boat from Action Power Sports in SLC and everything in the motor and trailer had been serviced. The boat ran great except for the steering. It took a considerable amount of pressure to steer. I could do it with one hand while really cranking on it but it took both hands to get it to move with any speed. .
Have any of you had stiff steering issues and what did you do to fix it? What would you recommend?
The mechanic at Action Power Sports has been helpful and wants me to bring it in for him to look at, but it is an hour and $30 in fuel away. I will do it if I can't figure it out but any advise would be appreciated. I am an inexperienced first-time boat owner.
Thanks.
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There should be a couple of grease zerks on the cable . One on both ends , lube them . If you are still having trouble , you can remove the cable from the housing and clean it and reinstall . Hope this Helps . Curt G.
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You didn't say if it's a tiller steer or wheel & cable. If it's a tiller steer, there should be grease a zerk(s) on the motor leg / transom mount bracket and somewhere on the stationary part there could be a tension adjustment that will have a spring either under a nut or bolt head. Try loosening that and greasing it. If it has a steering wheel up front, I'd check on the wheel mount for a tension adjusting knob. I hate to admit it but I had the same problem with stiff steering until one day when I noticed this knurled knob below the wheel. I loosened it & --problem solved. If none of this helps & it's a wheel & cable setup, it about has to be in the cable. I have seen a cable setup that had a sort of collet like device on the end the shaft that hooks to the motor comes out of. It will be a nut on the stationary end of the cable housing right around the rod that goes to the motor. It that is too tight, it'll make the steering too tight too. Good luck.
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It is a wheel and cable with a racj and pinion system.
Thanks for your replies. I have tried greasing the zerks on the motor but that didn't help. Is there a specific type of grease that I should be using?
I will try to look for the zerk near the sterring wheel, and the tensionary adjustment. Thanks for your advise. I will see if I can figure it out.
If someone knows what their doing that lives near Provo wants to come take a look at it, I would be more than happy to take you out on it when it is fixed.
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I once had a cable that got rust inside of it, which made it quite stiff. Also, there apparently was some water still in there because every time I took it to Bear Lake, in freezing temperatures, it would freeze solid -- sometimes for a few hours. Really difficult to get where one wants to go when the outboard is stuck in permanent-turn! In order to fix it I had to have a new cable installed.
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Hey Kent, How much did the new cable cost you? Did you do it yourself or did you have someone else do it? Where would you recommend taking it?
It is really tight but I have no idea how to actually access the cable to check it.
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Sorry, but it has been too long ago for me to remember how much it cost. I had a guy on here do it for me. At the time he lived in SLC but has since moved up near Logan.
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Mine was very stiff too and it was due to moisture (rust) in the cable. I removed it and cleaned it, but had the same problem. I changed the cable (myself) and it was pretty easy to do. A new cable cost me about 75 bones from [url "http://www.overtons.com"]www.overtons.com[/url] I have a 16' aluminum boat with a 35hp motor and steering wheel. The best thing to do is remove the cable and then compare the end fittings you have to those in a catalog or on line. They typically tell you how to measure the cable for a perfect fit on the replacement.
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Thnaks for your help. How do you remove the cable? I know that will probably sound like a bonehead question, but again this is a my first boat.
The cable looks to be behind all the paneling. Do I need to remove the paneling to install and remove the cable?
Thanks.
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You'll just have to play it by ear. On mine I was able to use a large wrench on the fitting near the motor. On the steering wheel side I unbolted the cable with a ratchet. I was able to simply a pull a new on right into place, but I didn't have panels that hid the cable. It shouldn't be too difficult to remove the panels. Anyway, good luck. It will surely save you quite a bit of cash. Most marine stores are up to about $60-$75/hr for labor. Plus you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
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Just throwing out an idea -- why don't you disconnect the cable from the motor and see if the cable is still stiff to move. Then grab the motor and see if it's difficult to turn by hand - that way you can be sure if the cable if the issue or the motor is set to tight to turn....
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