Steering disconnect

[4jh1zz]

Thanks David. I will take your advice. It's just that I am taking my new toy to the lake for the first time tomorrow and want something to make do until I can get some experience sailing. I am very new at this. I have already suffered one setback. As I was preparing for my maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago I discovered the throttle & shift control cables were broke. I believe the previous owner left the motor connected to the rudder control bar all the time and the turning of the motor in the up position caused the cables to break. My thoughts are to leave the motor connected to the stationary bolt all the time and steer with the rudders. (don't plan on any high speed motoring at the present) Is it reasonable to think I can maneuver into a fairly accessible slip with just rudder control?
Thanks for your help
James

[Hardcrab]

If you can set up your approach "line" early enough, then fine.
Don't forget that there is no rudder authority until the boat has some speed, so if you take the idea of "take it easy" to easy, you may not have enough steerage for the task at hand.

Cross wind will complicate the process with the freeboard we have.

[TAM]

I think you'll find the added maneuverability of motor steering well worth connecting it. At least while coming in/out of a slip or trailer. Try it both ways, but I wouldn't think of moving in/out of our slip without the motor connected to the steering. Out in the open it's a different story. I sometimes leave it fixed if I need to drop the motor (wind dies, tanker bearing down, etc). Keep in mind, (with a 26M) the boat will pivot around it's center if you connect the motor and drop the daggerboard about a foot. Almost like having a bow thruster, almost...

[Hardcrab]

I'm with TAM.
We never dock without connecting the motor, even thought it might not be needed each time.
I want all the steerage I can get in those conditions if something goes sour.
Full rudders and daggerboard too.
Just in case.

And like TAM, once we're away from the dock, the lowered motor gets disconnected and pinned to the center where it stays until breaking out the rags, then we tilt it up.
Sailing with a raised and disconnected motor is pure joy, but then, the Pacific Ocean is quite a big place.

[4jh1zz]

Thanks everyone. I took "Southern Smoke " out for my first test drive yesterday. I tried the rubber washer between the "L" brackets and it worked fine. It will certainly do until I get the BWY link. Also, I tried to put her in the slip with just rudder steering. I played with it in open water and thought "man , It handles grate." It can be done. However. I will never try it again. Like y'all said; when you get in a tight spot with a little breeze you want all the maneuverability you can get plus a few deck hands with boat hooks. It,s too easy to connect it back to the steering rod now that I have the rubber washer to give the "L" bracket some play. I love my

My bone head move of the day: I forgot to tie the mast to the crutch. Somewhere on the way to the lake the mast jumped out of the crutch and road with with the entire weight on the spreaders setting on the life lines. Didn't bend or break anything. I am still in amazement that I didn't sling the mast into on coming traffic or something.

Thanks again
James

[c130king]

My bone head move of the day: I forgot to tie the mast to the crutch. Somewhere on the way to the lake the mast jumped out of the crutch and road with with the entire weight on the spreaders setting on the life lines. Didn't bend or break anything. I am still in amazement that I didn't sling the mast into on coming traffic or something.

Yikes!

[J.Teixeira]

Hi

I also have the BWY system.

I love it...

The best thing on that, is that we can lock the engine and it does not tilt freely ...

But remember that there is another use. If we need power while sailing we can lower the engine start it and use it on slow speeds (to get out from a failed tack or so...).

The engine goes down and if the bolt is on the correct position it will point the boat in a strait line.

We can steer with the rudders (at slow speed)...

Cheers

Jose

[c130king]

Now that I think about it some more I do have one other issue with the steering connect/disconnect system on my . There is a "bolt" going through the steering bar that is coming out of the starboard side of the transom. The connect/disconnect "L-Bracket" thing-a-ma-jig connects to this bolt when the steering bar is connected to the motor. But the end of this bolt rubs on the smooth/rounded edge of the motor well. Proabably over halfway through the fiberglass.

How does the BWY quick disconnect motor arm connect to this steering bar on an ? Does it use the same bolt that is already there or is there something new that might prevent the rubbing?

Thanks,
Jim

[4jh1zz]

In the photo that "Duane" put in his reply it looks like there is a "C" bracket that attaches to the bolt coming thru the deck that has a little ball on top. The BWY link would snap on this I think.
On mine, the bolt/pin that you attach the "L" bracket to ( when you are steering with both motor and rudder) was too long. When you had the motor hooked in the fixed position, that bolt/pin would sometimes hit the motor steering linkage when the motor was in the up position. I made another bolt/pin that is about a 1/2 inch shorter and has a quick release pin. It works very well and makes the changeover from fixed to motor steering much easier.

James

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

The C shaped bracket with the ball on top is where the steering rod connects.

There are no bolts or pins involved in the BWY solution. There is nothing loose to drop over the side.

A ball is mounted on the fixed bracket and on the boats steering yoke, as well as on the motor. Each end of the BWY steering arm has a quick release slide that is spring loaded. Just slide it back, lift the arm off the ball on the yoke, and place it on the ball on the C bracket. The motor is now fixed in place. It's quick and easy to do with nothing that can fall over the side and no tools required.

[c130king]

I have decided to go ahead and upgrade my steering disconnect system to the BWY system. I have been having more issues recently with my current disconnect system...which I use almost all the time when sailing. So I have been reviewing some old threads and this one seems to have some of the best info but I still have a couple of questions that I am hoping somebody can answer.

The picture of the BWY system (BWY Quick Disconnect System) shows the "C-bracket" with the "quick disconnect ball" mounted on top. But how is that "C-Bracket" mounted to the boat? Is it bolted on? And if so how do you get to the underside. I tried to get to the underside to tighten down the factory system but couldn't get to that bolt head.

And, how is the "quick disconect ball" mounted on top of the steering arm that comes out of the port side? I currently have a horizontally mounted bolt. I figure I can remove that and install the vertically mounted "quick disconnect ball". I think I see a horizontal hole in the steering arm in the BWY picture so I guess it is not a big problem to drill a new vertical hole.

Thanks,
Jim

[parrothead]

Hi Jim,

I installed at BWY quick disconnect 2 years ago, and it was a great improvement. The C bracket does bolt on, and in the case of my 2005 , it was a simple matter of using a socket wrench to reach up from underneath through an existing hole in the liner. All you need is a second person to hold the other wrench at the C bracket. As for the ball on the steering arm, it's already attached to the replacement steering arm that comes with the BWY kit.

I should note that I have the Nissan 50 for which BWY claims the kit was designed, and I have found that it is not possible to adjust the linkage such that the engine is centered both when attached to the rudders and when pinned in place to the C bracket. I've opted for straight ahead when pinned.

Doug

[1st Sail]

Jim,
On my '06 M the BWY was a quick install. Below is what I did last weekend:

I removed the bolt on the port side of the engine well and redrilled the bold hole dia. to 3/8". See your photo posted Sun Mar 28, 2010 2:32 pm
You will replace your existing steering arm with the new BWY arm with ball head. Attach the BWY quick release to the motor first.
Center rudders
Adjust quick release arm length (threaded on both ends) so motor is dead ahead when you lock the QR to the steering arm.
Insert C bracket with bolt into new hole.
Keeping your motor dead ahead release QR from steering arm.
Swing QR over to CBrack and then rotate C bracket until it aligns with QR ball and lock. ie. you can adjust (pivot) the C bracket so you can attach the QR to either the steering arm or the C bracket and the motor remains dead ahead.
Mark the position of the C bracket positon on the antiskid of the well.
Remove C bracket and apply 5200 etc. and bolt in place.
I would think your Merc would be no problem. My Etec has a tang that the old L bracket bolted to.

Hope this helps.
FYI steering under sail with out the weight of the motor is great.
This weekend I tackle the Uflex Rotech install.

Dave

[c130king]

Dave/Doug,

Thanks.

I disconnect all the time but use the "standard" (I think it is standard...came from the original owner) L-brackets (2 of them) and connect these to the bolt sticking up on the port side of the engine area. But once the engine is disconnected and locked straight (actually a couple of degrees off from straight but no issue) as the steering arm moves in/out as I turn the wheel the bolt that sticks through the steering arm to hold the L-brackets when engine is connected will "catch" on the locked in place L-Brackets and interfere with my steering. So that is why I am changing out. It works but is becoming more of a pain.

The bolt that is sticking up on the port side for locking the engine to is "loose". I tried my damndest to get a socket on that thing to tighten it down but just couldn't get my arm/wrist/hand/fingers to bend at the correct angles to reach back up under there to get to the underside.

Will be trailering the boat the 65 miles back home here in just over a month to prep for the Jax Mac Get-Together so this will be one more project for me to get finished before I leave on that trip.

Cheers,
Jim

[Highlander]

Hi Jim
Here my install
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010075.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010074.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010007.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010009.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010006.jpg

Hope this helps this set-up is the cats A$$ definatley worth the money

J
PS I beleive I had to cut the rod , run both nuts on to the rod ends before cutting then file down cut thread ends and then unthread nuts this will make it easier to start the nuts back onto the threads