Broken steering linkage

[esc]

I was out sailing my '96 yesterday, the helm was a little heavy but everything seemed OK. Then the helm started to get heavier and heavier, then there were a few clicks and it seemed like the wheel was slipping. All the sudden I heard a SNAP and no matter what I did with the wheel I was turning hard to port. I looked back at the steering linkage and the boomerang was not where it was supposed to be. I dropped the sails and the anchor and went to investigate.

The bolt that connects the starboard rudder to the boomerang had snapped. I disconnected the steering cable from the boomerang and connected it directly to the motor and motored home.

It was not immediately obvious to me and I have not had a chance to do an autopsy yet, is that just a regular bolt or is it something else?

I'm thinking about replacing my 16 year old system with the later style rudders, but it would be nice to be able to take the boat out again next weekend and I won't be able to get all that ($$) or install it before Friday. So I'm planning on trying to patch it up tomorrow. If anyone has recommendations for things I should watch out for I would appreciate hearing about them. I suspect that the mechanism behind the wheel (I've forgotten what it is called) slipped a little before the bolt broke, but I'm not positive that is what happened. I was not at the wheel at the time. How quickly do those things tend to deteriorate after the first time a slip is noticed?

I would also like to rig some kind of quick release for the motor and the boomerang. Has anyone posted a good write up of something like that?

[Catigale]

Welcome aboard esc

A 15 year old bolt breaking isn't that unusual i think mine was regular steel bolt iirc.

If you have damaged the teeth in the rack and pinion steering, it womt last too long. Losing steering in a boat isn't fun, so I would deal with it sooner rather than later.

[c130king]

esc,

Don't have much comment to your broken bolt. But it is possible that things were "tightening", up if you will, putting stress on that bolt...and possibly putting stress on your rack & pinion gears inside your pedastal. Could have some broken gears/teeth in there.

Happened to me back in 2007...Steering Broke

A new R & P is less than $200 and not too difficult to install...at least on my ... can't really speak to the

Good luck.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[esc]

Thanks Jim. That was very helpful reading.

So if I understand correctly the UFlex Accura Rotary steering system is a direct replacement for what originally came in my 1996 26x? It will bolt in with little or no modification?

http://www.go2marine.com/product.do?no=159309F

And a 9' cable is what is recommended?

Will it work with the factory wheel?

[c130king]

If you do a search on rotary steering and maybe on steering cable you will find lots of threads with info on rotary systems and length of steering cables. I do not know what is used on an . I had a Detmar R & P system and I replaced it with a Teleflex R & P...not identical but close enough for government work. And as my Dad always says about any mistakes..."can't see them from the road".

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[wallville]

Anyone seriously considering the Teleflex Marine hydraulic option?

[c130king]

David,

Hydraulic steering has been discussed and has been done. Do a search on "hydraulic steering".

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[ROAD Soldier]

After my stock set up broke I bought the Universal Planetary system with a 10ft cable and I am very pleased with it.

[esc]

After my stock set up broke I bought the Universal Planetary system with a 10ft cable and I am very pleased with it.

What kind of boat do you have? Is it an X?
How was the 10' length?

I spent the last 2 days reading over all of the posts I could find on steering replacement and the uflex accura(also called rotech?) sounds like an easy swap for an upgraded part. I think I want the no-feedback system as I would like to be able to occasionally let go of the wheel for a few seconds and I have yet to sail my boat in ANY conditions where that would be possible.

[nedmiller]

The PO put a Teleflex "no feedback" 4.2 steering with a 22" wheel on SILK and it has advantages and disadvantages.
Pros: You can let the wheel go at anytime and it sticks right where you left it. If everything is balanced, you can go a long time with little or no input.
Cons: No feedback. I mean NO feedback. The boat we sailed before had tiller steering and I found it very hard to sail this with wheel steering and no sense of how much pressure you were applying or how much 'pushback' you were getting from the force of the water on the rudder. It might have been a lot better if I had gotten a lot of experience with the Mac first and then been introduced to the no feedback steering. I think the no feedback system made it harder to learn to sail the boat.
Even with the upgrade, I am really not happy with the way the steering feels and since I've not sailed a mac with regular steering I don't know if it is my system or Roger's crazy boomerang arrangement....

SILK

[esc]

The PO put a Teleflex "no feedback" 4.2 steering with a 22" wheel on SILK and it has advantages and disadvantages.
Pros: You can let the wheel go at anytime and it sticks right where you left it. If everything is balanced, you can go a long time with little or no input.
Cons: No feedback. I mean NO feedback. The boat we sailed before had tiller steering and I found it very hard to sail this with wheel steering and no sense of how much pressure you were applying or how much 'pushback' you were getting from the force of the water on the rudder. It might have been a lot better if I had gotten a lot of experience with the Mac first and then been introduced to the no feedback steering. I think the no feedback system made it harder to learn to sail the boat.
Even with the upgrade, I am really not happy with the way the steering feels and since I've not sailed a mac with regular steering I don't know if it is my system or Roger's crazy boomerang arrangement....

SILK

Food for thought...thanks. I get LOTS of feedback from my current steering and its all bad. It is VERY sloppy and almost impossible to control under power without the rudders down.

I'm hoping to make it a season or two before being forced to upgrade to the late X style steering. My rudder brackets are all bent up. They work but I know the geometry is not right.

I found some Zinc plated 3/8 x 3" pan head bolts, to replace the S.S. part that actually broke. I would have used S.S. if I could have found it, but zinc plated will probably last a year or two with the occasional use I expect. It will also be more likely to bend, rather than break, so that may be a benefit. I figure that by the time it is rusting out I'll be replacing the whole mess anyway. But I got a couple of spares...just in case.

I'm going to try jamming my steering linkage in various positions and pushing hard on the wheel. If nothing happens, I'll try keeping the current steering box for a while. I think I'll also work on a "plan B" in case it fails. If it "clicks" when I stress test it, I'll have to replace the steering "box". Despite your warning, I'm still leaning towards the zero feedback, I think that being able to leave the wheel for a few seconds will be a TREMENDOUS help. I have a "friction screw" that the P.O. purchased and never installed, but that just seems so cumbersome by comparison.

I suppose I'm, still weighing my options...

[Divecoz]

ESC Your avatar says your in Texas.. Ace Hardware Home Depot Menard's all have S.S. nuts and bolts single unit purchase..
Zinc Coating is just that , and it will, do to application and use rub off ..

[Retcoastie]

esc,

I would think a short bungie cord would allow short trips away from the helm.

Ken

[esc]

ESC Your avatar says your in Texas.. Ace Hardware Home Depot Menard's all have S.S. nuts and bolts single unit purchase..
Zinc Coating is just that , and it will, do to application and use rub off ..

Yes, but they DON'T have pan head 3/8" x 3" S.S. bolts. Home Depot didn't have ANY kind of pan head bolt over 1/4".
The True Value Hardware I found the Zinc Plated bolts at was the 4th place I had tried and the only one that had the rights size bolt in ANY material.

The smallish Pan Head is necessary to keep the bolt from digging into the deck.

I didn't try Menard's, but I have never seen any of those around here.

I agree that the life expectancy of a Zinc plated bolt is MUCH less than a S.S. bolt in a marine environment. But since everything will be replaced within the next 2 years anyway, I think it will be good enough for now.

[esc]

I put in the replacement bolt yesterday. The steering works, but it doesn't feel right (not that it ever did).

The helm is a little harder to turn than I think it should be and it feels "notchy" when turning, especially under a load. I jammed my foot into the rudder mechanism and pushed on the helm REAL hard in various rudder positions and nothing "gave." I suspect that it will work for now, but I don't feel very confident about it.