heavy steering

[jim wiltshire]

is very heavy steering under sail (light to moderate winds) common on macs if not what are the causes (steering head and cable are new) thanks jim w 96 mac

[Moe]

If the rudders aren't tied down fully down and forward so they can't angle back steering effort can get very high, very quickly.

Disconnect the cable from the rudder mechanism and the outboard. Try to turn all three separately by hand to find where the binding is. If it's in the cable, you may have to reroute it.

The rack and pinion steering on our 26X had a tension adjustment on the other end of the shaft from the steering wheel. It was a spring you could tension by tightening a nut threaded into the end of the shaft. You can't put much tension on that spring.

[jim wiltshire]

thanks moe for the tips rudders and cable operate freely does mast angle and stay tensions have any bearing on the heavyness of the steering jim w

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I think every sailboat has heavy steering when just the right wind wave and current combinations present themselves. This should not be confused with heavy steering at dock of course. When I had my auto pilot rebuilt almost 3 years ago, I put the steering back together without the A/P so I could sail for 3 weeks. At this time, the steering was 1 finger easy (again, provided it wasn't getting whacked by a current). When I put the A/P (sportpilot+) back on, then there was friction again.

Make sure to grease that area where the cable exits to the motor (take it apart and shove grease into there) or else moisture is going to get in and rust your cable to the point where it freezes. I try to do mine about twice a year. After 7.5 years in humid salty Florida conditions, my stock Detmar steering still works fine. After reading all the reports of failed steering here, I take my maint very seriously on this part of the boat.

[jim wiltshire]

thanks for your tips.....jim

[Catigale]

G'day Jim..