Steering advice

[petrolhead]

have conflicting advice on the steering needs for the pretty little 9 foot single seater, Kelvin Dart. I have a cable steering and fitted a 10HP cracking jonny rude which is older than me I think
It is suggested I put pulleys on the motor and take back to the hull so as to gear down and reduce directness and twitch. However, this will leave little or no cable length, with a pulley on rear of combing and a pulley on the motor each side.....a spring was also mentioned and certainly no room for that.
I could go direct onto the motor, but it is thought that would make it too direct?
What confuses me is that I know in the day the motors often had a bar of metal bolted on and cable straight to that each side...that surely would be very direct and possibly more so depending on the width of the bar!
Any other thoughts appreciated, I do not wish to over complicate it but would like it to be safe.
I fancy trying it on Chi lake.

[floater]

My Yarecraft has always had the steering cables directly on to the motor, I can see no evidence to suggest that it was not like this originally. With the 40 HP Evinrude on the back the steering can fell a bit heavy but has never felt twitchy, and with the little 5HP on for the river fewer turns lock to lock is quite handy.

[Alacrity]

What Floater said ^^^. I would recommend a spring (only one) to keep it all tensioned, it can be anywhere in the system, one of the rear 'corner' pulleys is a favorite. Pull it together to compress it with cable ties when setting up the steering then cut the ties to tension the system when it is all done.

[Rapier]

Stacks of cable steering advice under search option.

The older I get the more I prefer ultraflex/teleflex/rideguide steering systems, fit and mostly forget (don't forget to grease the tilttube and ram). Most period steering wheels fit the taper too.

[petrolhead]

I cant see direct to the motor from the corner pulley will be any more twitch than off an old race style bar which I originally thought I would use, the previous chap said in the day they just bolted an angle iron on and took cables straight to them!
I look forward to hearing from anyone else too but think maybe I could try it direct to motor.
One spring will only tension one side I suspect with this hub......it is not the worm type for cable but a double spool with 2 holes, one on each part of the hub. The cable will not work the whole system I think, locking where it threads through onto the hub...difficult to explain.

[floater]

it is not the worm type for cable but a double spool with 2 holes, one on each part of the hub. The cable will not work the whole system I think, locking where it threads through onto the hub...difficult to explain.

Painting a picture with words

Sounds like my Yarecraft spool, a plain drum with a wall dividing it into two halves with a hole to pass the cable between the two. I took good few turns on each half to prevent slipping. I use a spring on the end of each cable to connect to the bracket on the motor

[petrolhead]

Floater your command of the English language is exemplary that's my hub/spool and that's how I was thinking of doing it.

Despite advice that two springs mean they cancel each other out and will be too much if the cable is locked to the hub through the holes preventing slip each side is isolated.

The other option is I use a bottle/rigging screw each side which would remove any give in the cable allowing the motor to "wobble" trying to steer of course.

what do you chaps think......springs or rigging screws? also can't get full lock on motor due to geometry and narrow combings but think its adequate for a 9 foot race boat.

[Alacrity]

One spring will tension the whole system. If you tension one side you will tension the other via the motor wont you.

[petrolhead]

ok, I got carried away and made a tidy looking ally bar that fits onto the front steering/carrying handle of the rude. It is cranked back so the cables attach in line with the pivot The bar width being just under the combing width of the boat.

The next part which will remove a little flex is to tie it back at right angles with rigging screws to perfectly placed mounting bolts on the leg, we then have a solid nice looking frame without any butchering or hole cutting to the lovely little motor.

I have rigged the cable steering initially with no pulleys on the bar so it is direct back from the sheaves in the dash, tied in with a pulley just behind the seat to keep cables off the driver and then up to the bar attached to a spring.

It works great, can get lock on the motor and has about 1.5 turns lock to lock on the 10 inch wheel.

Floater has confirmed his Yarecraft has even less lock to lock movement so I am hopeful that it is fine.

Adding pulleys on the bar end will reduce directness but perhaps to vague for what was a mini racer?

Could owners of hydro's and utilities give me their thought on this set up now.