Broken steering cable

[Beechaser]

The steering cable on my 1994 175 yamaha broke and i am looking for advice on replacing it. The motor is a 175 txrs 2 stroke mounted on a 1977 22 foot olympic. I purchased the boat 3 or 4 years ago. I have removed the cable and it is either an 18 or 19 foot cable. I stear my 8 hp kicker with the main engine off when troling slow to save fuel so im not sure a hydraulic system would work . I noted an earlier post stating that a 200 hp motor should not use a single cable steering syste. Anyone have suggestions

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I have a single cable on my F150, 20'4" CC, 1997 hull, original cable.

Never had an issue but I have a sealed greasable nut on the end of the steering shaft.

As your 1994 hull has used a cable, (original?) and lasted, I wouldn't think twice about replacing it- if you were good with it before...

I would add the cable nut end which keeps water out...

The hydraulic systems are really smooth and feel very different than a cable.
But, you have much more cost, (more moving parts).


There's an o-ring inside. Grease it once in awhile and it'll last a long time..

[throrope]

SeaStar Solutions is a good place to start. They offer both mechanical and hydraulic steering systems.

When ours froze up, I did some research and found three product levels in ascending price:

• Mechanical
• Mechanical with anti-feedback
• Hydraulic

I recall your hp is still on the mechanical side of the fence, but nobody regretted getting hydraulic.

Depending on the condition of your steering hub, a cable replacement is possible.

IMHO the questions are:

• How long you plan on keeping the boat?
• How much do you use it?
• How much do you want to spend?

With all things BOAT, regular annual maintenance avoids repair costs, and that's spelled Break Out Another Thousand.