silly question time (regarding outboards)

[kendall]

Neww to me sailboat has an outboard, and the pivot pin is corroded or just extremely tight. been playing with it off and on since I picked it up to get it so it was easier to turn. (two hands from outside the boat, won't try the tiller)

I've never owned a sailboat with an outboard before, every one I've owned has had an inboard, or no motor at all.

Several people have mentioned that there is no need to turn the motor, (because sailboats have that nice big rudder) which when looking at the outboard well, it would only allow a very small range of movement with the tiller down, making the rudder steering sound plausible. Complicating the issue, is that I've found a few posts where people are using a tie bar to allow turning the outboard with the tiller, because the outboard tiller is too hard to use.

So the question is, when steering under power do you use the motor or the rudder?
The boat is a portager 22, and the outboard is a chrysler 10hp longshaft 'sailor'

Thanks
Ken.

 

[Tom Atkins]

Tillers

Hey Ken,

I have a 21' w/outboard and 'yes' one needs both the motor tiller and the boat tiller at the same time, (2 hands), for tight places, (docking/reversing/etc). Most outboards have a 'tension control' to keep the motor on track when powering. Look for yours and adjust. I don't like the tiller to motor shafts on small boats. They really are not needed and a pain when sailing with the motor out of the water.

 

[CalebD]

This is always a problem

With smaller sailboats with a transom mounted outboard and rudder. A friend of mine has a MacGregor 26' with this setup and if you turn the tiller too hard without also turning the motor you will chop up your rudder and potentially hurt the OB prop; neither result is desirable.
Get some PB Blaster or better yet Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) to try and clean up the pivot pin. MMO is a great rust inhibitor and eradicator as well as a lubricant that should not hurt any rubber while PB Blaster can hurt hoses, or so I have heard.
Mechanical cleaning with strips of #240 wet/dry sandpaper cant hurt either to smooth out any rusted spots.

 

[Dave D, '94 H26]

I have an E.Z. Steer

which has a connecting pin on each end which in turn pop into quick connects on the rudder and the motor. I don't like the resistance when steering or the torque it puts on the whole assembly, and I really don't think it's necessary when you are making way enough to have good steerage. The only time I use it is when I'm putting her back on the trailer or if I'm docking in a really weird cross current with a breeze. It gives you some control over your stern with out have to get a running start onto your trailer/ into the slip. check out the link

 

[porsche]

rudder and motor

I use both, rudder for large motoring and just the motor for tight spots like docking etc. My OB has a tenstion screw to hold it in any position, straight ahead for rudder cotrol. Alan

 

[kendall]

darn!

was hoping to get out of a teardown!

Already resorted to drilling the tension screw, frozen and stripped when I got it, and has to be released to dissassemble so drilling it out was a needed step anyway.

May just build some nice long oars for tight work and leave the pivot repair for a winter project.

Thanks all!

Ken.

 

[JungleJetJock]

Penetrating Oil

I'd try lubing it up with some penetrating oil such as PB Blaster that was mentioned earlier. Soak it down with that a couple times a day for a couple days to give the oil a chance to draw up in there and it might just come loose. Drilling it out is a pain in the ass at best. If it is a screw and it is stripped out, they do make bits that will bite into a stripped out screw head to remove it. Go you your local hardware store and look for one. If there is enough of something sticking up out the top you could try and grab hold with some big channel locks and rotate that puppy out. Either way I think drilling it out would be my last option because that is also going to require re-tapping the hole or helicoiling it.

 

[Benny]

I guess it depends wether the pivot screw is accesible

from the cockpit or not. If it is you can hae the best of both worlds by loosening it for manuevering in close quarters and tightening it for cruising in open waters. If it is not accesible it would be best to leave the engine in a centered locked position. A little turn may be necessary to help steering on those boats where the motor is offset to one side. When reversing the boat with a swiveling motor you need one hand for the engine and one for the tiller. Practice making sure you turn both the rudder and the motor in the same direction. As far as a tie bar I could not say as I have never used one but it seems to me an unnecessary complication.

 

[kendall]

Looked into it,

I dislike destroying things when I need to take them apart, but the screw was a slotted panhead that sat down inside a recess that was just large enough to put the screw into. no way to get a grip on the head, and the head wasn't large enough to use any sort of easy out on, would have had to go into the shank and it is about a 3/16 or smaller screw.

Asked the guys at the Chrysler group on yahoo, and consensus is that it's corrosion behind the nylon bushing that's snugging up the bushing too much, only recourse is to diss-assemble and clean out the corrosion.

Thanks again
Ken

 

[Landsend]

I had the same outboard motor on my 23ft Grampian

It came with a ss locking bracket to stop the motor from swiveling. Thus, I never had to steer with the engine...always used the tiller.

 

[caguy]

Ken, have you ever tried an impact screwdriver?

Its a great inexpensive tool to have in your box for loosening or tightening stubborn screws. When you hit it with a hammer it will drive the bit into the slot, twisting and shocking the bolt loose all at the same time without strippntg the slot.
Frank

 

[Ross]

If your impact screwdriver fails you try a

bit brace. For you guys that don't know about hand driven tools that is the hancle that carpenters use to turn large wood boring bits. With such a tool you can easily drive a number 18 screw, four inches long into a properly drilled pilot hole in oak.

 

[kendall]

Thanks!

Thanks, but I already drilled the head off the screw, it loosened it up a slight bit, but not enough that I would try to turn the motor using it's tiller. Still takes two hands to turn, but at least now you don't shake the boat around while doing it.
When I tear into it this winter (maybe sooner) I plan to use a hex-head screw that's a bit longer and turn a spacer sleeve to move it out from the body enough that if it ever seizes up again removal will be easier.

Thanks
Ken.