1992 Hunter 33.5 Folding Wheel?

calvin

.
Jul 30, 2019
12
Hunter 335 Port Orchard
Has anyone put a folding wheel on their 33.5? Am considering doing so on mine and wondering if anyone has any tips and/or feedback on their experience doing so. Main issue seems to be confirming if the shaft is tapered or not. Anything else I should be looking for/concerned about?

Thx,

Calvin
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Nice feature, particularly if you enter/exit the boat from the stern. No concerns, just decide what diameter fits your cockpit. My Hunter 46 has a 40 inch diameter Lewmar folding wheel with a comfortable leather wrap (just replaced the wrap) Suggest removing the wheel and taking it to a chandlery or West Marine (link below) to confirm shaft size.


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Jul 5, 2005
217
Beneteau 361 Sandusky Harbor Marina
When I bought my Lewmar folding wheel (40" or 42", can't remember), I remember it being shipped with the ability to be used with both tapered and non-tapered. that was probably around 2014.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
I have had a folding wheel on my boat since new. It is a great feature and I would recommend it highly, with one caveat. When the wheel is in the folded position the hinges fold into sharp points facing away from the hub. People can be injured by those points if they are not aware. One night on our boat we had the cockpit full of "imbibers" and one guy had a nasty cut just above his eye from the top point, which is right about seated eye level, as can be seen in Sf Bay's post above. Right after that I had a custom wheel cover made with padding over the points. In harbor the cover is always rigged.
 
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May 1, 2011
4,187
Pearson 37 Lusby MD
Doesn't look like there would be sufficient room to attach the wheel pilot to the folding wheel.
 
Jan 22, 2008
68
Hunter 30_88-94 Ipswich, Ma MA
We have a 32” Lewmar folding steering wheel on our 1992 Hunter 30. No problem attaching a wheel pilot. We originally had an ST-4000, then two years ago we upgraded to an EV-100. Both wheel pilots fit with no issues. Highly recommend getting one.
 
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