MacGregorSailors.com

I am a regular stalker on the Macgregor 26 Owners page on Facebook. One of the guys there was asking about the BWY Steering Quick Disconnect and so I since I moved my boat back to the house on Saturday I took a video to show him. And then RussMT, who also stalks there, said I should post it here.

So here it is...

BWY Steering Quick Disconnect

While I am a fan of the BWY system I do not represent them and have no financial interest...yada-yada-yada and all the other normal caveats and disclaimers for posting stuff like this.

Enjoy.

Cheers,
Jim

I second the awesomeness of the bwy system. Very fast and easy.

Got one last spring. Awesome effective product! Works as advertised.....

Thanks for the video Jim - very much appreciated - works perfectly on your setup.

Which reminds me of why I don't already have one of these.

I plan on making exactly one of these for myself from scratch, I've sourced but not purchased the parts (the two ball quick connectors) yet.

The reason being, if I make it myself I know for sure it will work perfectly (and everything is made from stainless materials) when I'm done. The kit, as supplied, apparently (as of one year ago) needs some modification (it is one size fits all I am told) to work properly on a new MacM with the Etec 60, which is different than your setup.

Of course I would much prefer to buy one already made if I could. To anyone with exactly the same setup as I have- how much modification did you have to do to make it work? And I mean perfectly, no interference throughout the steering range and with motor fully tilted up? Anybody?

Thanks- Brian.

I have one on Mental Floss - Love it

It's great to see this on video. I know I need one, but now I really know I need one. Thanks!

Brian, as concise a reply as I can manage:
The sleeve bayonet connectors at each end don't appear to be high grade stainless, though they haven't shown any signs of visible rust or wear after one season.
I was surprised to discover about a quarter inch play remaining after taking the two joints into account. That still translated into about an inch of additional 'play' at the wheel - discounting any other contributors to overall system play and realizing it is divorced from the action of the rudders when connected together.
I was hoping for zero, as would be expected with a Heim type joint, but to do so would exclude the quick disconnect feature of the bayonet coupling.
Overall, though, the reductions you get with this 'off the shelf' product is still far superior to the chromed angled linkage that came with the boat (my M). The original was still loose, and bound up easily, by comparison with this item. To fabricate an interchangeable piece of hardware at higher tolerances, would probably be equivalently beneficial to the steering responsiveness, which was significantly sufficient to justify the purchase in the first place.
Firmer tracking under power, let alone total freedom from flopping while sailing with a much lighter touch has been a welcome addition to the MacGregor engineering library in my case.
Ross

Thanks for the reply Ross-

With my particular setup, if the motor is left connected, I haven't gotten the flopping effect, but notice no real steering drag either, but can feel the mass moving. As you know, I have eliminated a multiple of small sources of play throughout the steering assembly. It's more a matter of preventing unneccessary wear and tear on the already marginal steering mechanism that is my goal.

It's particularly in following seas where the helm must be constantly managed and where I get the majority of the wear and tear on the steering system, that I would like to minimize it.

- Brian.

It's like the quest for the Holy Grail!

Yeah - or The Life of Brian!

For the life of me I cannot figure out how/why that little invention came to be. I have absolutely zero need for it since my '03 26M came stock with a quick disconnect from the factory. The mechanics are much the same as the BWY setup but the parts used are quite different. I don't have that big square horseshoe piece bolted to the engine well,just a bullet shaped prong sticking up with a hole drilled near the top. I have two pieces of flat SS that run from the engine to either the prong on the steering bar or the bullet shaped prong instead of that bid square thing. I just shove a quick pin through the hole on either prong to hold the flat peice on. Anyway, had the factory continued doing the same for all boats as they did mine there would be no need for the little invention. Sorry I don't have a pic handy but next time I am at the boat I'll be sure and get a pic.

PS some vegetable oil will eliminate a lot of that steering play squeak noise.

I am fascinated with this discussion about something that I have never given a thought to. I am in the US until mid March so I can't even dust the snow off the boat to check what the heck my setup is...

I bought my 2007 new at Dowsar and it just came the way it is: no need to disconnect anything and the engine lifts and lowers without a problem. Yes, the engine weight meant hanging on to the wheel at all times but it seems to me that would be the case anyway. I did solve that however with the Poor Man's Autopilot from the now historical Kelly Hanson store. I just tighten it it up when I need to leave the wheel.

Maybe someone else with a Honda installed from Dowsar has a pic?

Yes, the engine weight meant hanging on to the wheel at all times but it seems to me that would be the case anyway.

when the engine is disconnected from the rack&pinion the only thing the wheel pushes is the rudders. the engine stays stationary and still goes up and down so you can get it in the water as fast as it will go down in case of emergency, and you can still steer with the rudders. You can steer the boat like this in most any conditions with one finger. When sailing I usually have the engine up as high as it goes (until it hits the seat) to reduce drag.

Hey Rob!

I got mine new from Dowsar too. And as it came it didn't make it into the water (luckily, actually) before the bolt attached to the motor dropped off and into the transom well! Then I noticed that the screws holding the component brackets together were loose, and when I tightened them up, (not right tight, but with slight play) that it wouldn't work without binding, which I concluded was why they were left loose in the first place.

So I had to replace some of the hardware and add locknuts so there was just enough play to work until I can get a more permanent and quick-releasing solution.

Art did tell me that the motor did not need to be disconnected, and, as you point out, that is true.

As I mentioned, it's reliability and longevity of the steering mechanism, which we know is prone to failure as we have seen on older boats, that is my concern. Maybe for precisely this reason (?)

- Brian.

You could fabricate something like this easily. Mine works great as shown in the video.

I have a Suz 70 which is pretty heavy. If I don't unhook it from the steering to tilt it, the thing yanks the wheel from me as it flops sideways.

Generally, once I'm out of the marina, hook it to the center mount. Great little device.