Critical Steering System Upgrade - C310 2004 and earlier

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

I don't know how many of you other C310 owners get the Catalina Direct emails but a very important was sent last night. This just jumped up very high on our list of upgrades and I will probably order mine soon. But this doesn't look to be an easy or cheap project. The replacement part is $359.00.

Here is the text of the email, I have attached the pictures from the email as well. If you are not signed up to get emails from Catalina Direct I highly recommend you sign up. They don't overwhelm you with emails and you get important notices like this.

Cross Wire Idler


The thin mild steel plate can corrode to the point of failure.

Form vs. Function
Many of the parts we carry are impressive in both form and function. They help your boat operate smoothly and look great at the same time. However, we also carry parts that are hidden from view but which are absolutely essential to the functioning of your boat.


Though seldom seen, the cross wire idler is vital to the steering of your boat

A Hidden Workhorse
The adjustable cross wire idler is one of the latter. It is mounted underneath the steering pedestal which means it is seldom thought of and almost never seen. However, this part is vital to your steering assembly. It leads your steering cable from its vertical run within the pedestal to a horizontal run under the cockpit, then aft to the radial drive wheel on the rudder shaft (see drawing below). Failure of this part would be disastrous, as it would compromise control of your boat.

The factory supplied assembly had a mounting frame fabricated from mild steel. This steel assembly was attached to the aluminum pedestal with aluminum mounting bolts. This combination of dissimilar metals led to serious corrosion of all of the components, making them weaker and more prone to failure.


The cross wire idler (highlighted in blue)
is mounted beneath the pedestal

Robust Replacement
Depending upon which Catalina model you own, we have several different retrofit parts available that fix this problem. They replace the mild steel plate with a machined aluminum frame that is compatible with the other aluminum components of the system. This eliminates galvanic corrosion keeping your steering assembly strong and reliable even in the most violent of seas.

We highly recommend this upgrade to protect you against the sudden loss of steering. The most important time to have reliable steering is in times of high stress. Unfortunately it is during these times that the corroded plate on your original assembly is most likely to fail. The old mild steel design was used on the Catalina 27, Catalina 270, Catalina 310, Catalina 320, Catalina 34, Catalina 36, and Catalina 42.

Depending upon your model choose one of the three different cross wire idler assemblies we offer. For the Catalina 27 (when equipped with an inboard engine), Catalina 270, 310, 320, 34 and 36, choose #Z3102. If you own a Catalina 28 or 30, explore additional detailed information found here. For Catalina 42 owners, choose #T2007.

If your boat was built with a stock mild steel bracket, please consider making the upgrade to one of our stronger, safer aluminum replacements.

 

[woodster]

I would contact Edson and ask about this mine is 36 years old and the only thing that was negative about it when I pulled out was the paint one small area you can also use dielectric grease on the bolt to plate connection with good results .... It it a nice up grade but a little inspection from time to time will ease your mind

 

[c130king]

I got it. What is the best way to get at this thing?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

I would contact Edson and ask about this mine is 36 years old and the only thing that was negative about it when I pulled out was the paint one small area you can also use dielectric grease on the bolt to plate connection with good results .... It it a nice up grade but a little inspection from time to time will ease your mind

I am going to start with the inspection. But I get leery of galvanic issues like this. I have been planning to dig into the steering system as a whole next weekend to do a good maintenance event and look for issues before we head out on our cruise. We shall see how it looks.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

I got it. What is the best way to get at this thing?

Thanks,
Jim

You drop the fiberglass cover that is hanging down from the ceiling in the rear berth.

 

[c130king]

Thanks. Will add that to the list of things to check this Fall when it cools off some.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Update

So I dropped the fiberglass cover over this area this weekend.

I did not see any outward signs of corrosion. I also checked the plate with the penetrating dye kit I got from Amazon. This kit would help show any signs of cracks or weak spots.

As of now I am pretty confident in this plate. There was some kind of thread/metal sealant all over the aluminum bolts. I suspect that Catalina saw this as a potential issue bye 2001 and were taking steps to minimize it.

My plan is to watch this for a couple of years and see how it progresses.

Here are some photos I took of the area.

 

[Meriachee]

Got the same email. The 270 is a 1996, and there's no signs of corrosion at all, and at some point in it's former tenure, there was leakage from the binnacle posts.
The email looked like a possible "must have" upgrade, until we got to the price. Convert that to Canadian with the exchange and it's about 37,000.

 

[Alansails]

Thanks Jesse for your guidance!
As we sail in freshwater, I am NOT even going to try to take apart my system.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Alan,

Don't be so quick to not get into the steering. During the course of developing my maintenance schedule I downloaded the Edson steering manual and inspection check list. (I have added these to "The Boat" section of my blog if you want copies).

According to these manuals, which Catalina did not include in the owner's manual for some reason, there are annual maintenance tasks that are likely being ignored on your boat. I know my boat has never had these done going back to 2001.

So next weekend I am completing that maintenance. Last big project before we head our cruising.

Fair winds,

Jesse

 

[Clydo]

Thanks. Will add that to the list of things to check this Fall when it cools off some.

Dropped cover on my 2003 yesterday and looked like new. I too had
some white "grease" under nuts so maybe this was Catalina's fix?
Will keep eye on it.


Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
ILEAN TOO
San Jose, CA

 

[rpwillia]

OMG

my hair is on fire!!!

Yawn, another attempt at a sales/snow job.

 

[pk104]

My 2001 had the crimps at the roller chain to cable connection fail on the starboard side while under full sail in about 20 knots of wind. Not much fun spinning in circles trying to get the sails down and the boat under control again. Lesson one it isn't easy to remove compass and check those connections but you need to take a look occasionally. Lesson two make sure you know where your emergency tiller is and that you know how to use it. I suggest you actually try steering with it. Lesson three I have an extra cable on board now, I didn't then.

Gary

 

[Tom J]

Thanks for the alert, Jesse. I had received the same email from Catalina Direct. I had periodically checked my steering gear, so I know there is no corrosion issue yet. As you have probably found out from the Edson manual, it is a good idea to wipe the cables occasionally with a rag soaked in straight 30W engine oil. I would also recommend checking the cable clamps. My steering developed a lot of slack at one point, and I found that all the cable clamps were loose on my almost new boat! Apparently, the assembler at Catalina did not use two wrenches on the locking nuts of the cable clamps.