Help, part needed

[Dale Wilson]

I need some help finding a part for my Merriman Yacht Specilities steering pedestal. It is the "cheap" plastic part below the compass that the throttle and shift levers pass through. Thanks for any help.

 

[John K Kudera]

If it's not beyond repair

Take the part off, try to epoxy the parts back together! There are no parts available.

 

[John]

Don't replace - eliminate

Mine broke on a trip and I had to do something. It is not worth replacing.Remove it and throw it away. Replace the cables too. The compass holder will bolt to the ped without the plastic shifter holder.I converted to a single lever shifter/throttle and it is great. Edson will help with the parts.The new shifter/throttle will come up from the cockpit sole next to the pedestal. Can be done in a couple of hours for about $300.Check the link below. Pictures of the replacement are at the bottom of the web page.Email me if you have any questions.This is one the best improvements I ever made to our h34. You can get a bracket from Edson that will hold an AutoPilot control or other instrument on top of the new shifter/throttle housing.It will also give you a chance to clean up the ped wiring.

 

[Ron Mills]

More info

John:I am a little confused about the cost. Did the $300 represent the labor cost or the cost of the cables and single control edson shifter. Looking at their price sheet it looks like cost would be around $900. Thanks for the info.

 

[John]

Additional cost info for Ron

Ron - I just looked at the Edson Catalog on the web and the single lever side mount shift/throttle (page 39) is changed quite a bit from 1.5 yrs ago. It looks like it changed for the better and mounts entirely on the ped guard. The one I purchased mounted on the ped guard and there was a pedestal bracket that I also had to purchase to support the unit.On this new model it looks like there is no place to mount an extra instrument readout. I put the AutoPilot control on top of the shifter. I had enough tools (drill etc) to do all the work. Edson tech (800#) helped pick out the parts and overnighted them to the marina we were staying.I don't have a price list for the current model.In the project I did, not included in the $300 were the ped bracket, a new pedestal guard (my old one did not go down to the cockpit sole), and highest quality new Morse cables. Grand total was under $500. Considering that the unrepairable plastic bracket was not a good design, every h34 owner that has one should be ready to come in dock at some time with someone down below shifting when it breaks.With Edson's help it was not a difficult project and shifting was as smooth as silk. If someone is going to make the change, a call to Edson tech support would be most helpful.And the big payoff, my wife has no trouble docking and taking out the boat.