Steering Binds

[Lou Adams]

Just purchased a 77 Catalina 30.Moved up from a 79 Hunter 25.She sails like a dream but a few days ago had a shutter in the wheel and now she is very hard to steer.Had a diver friend look under for anything that may be jammed but did not find anything.He did say the rudder is loose.The cables going from the edson wheel to the rudder seem to in place and tight.Any advice would be great.

 

[Bob Camarena]

Steering Quadrant

My guess is that somethings amiss with your steering quadrant. The quadrant is the pie-wedge shaped "pully" that's attached to the rudder shaft. You said the cables from the Edson wheel to the rudder seem to be in place, but did you trace everything all the way back to the quadrant?

 

[Allen]

Wire caught in pulley or steering gear?

Lou,This is just a guess, but there are a few wires & shift/throttle cables that run through the pedistal. I'm especially thinking of the wire for the compass light. Mine got caught in the gear at the top of the pedistal that connects directly to the steering wheel shaft.It takes about 15 minutes to remove the compass & look down the pedistal for a possible fouling of the gear, cables & internal pulleys.Another possibility is that the steering wheel brake is malfunctioning. All of these can be seen once the compass is removed. If you want to diagnose before pulling apart the compass assembly, turn on your running lights...does your compass light turn on? If not, you're probably going to want to fix that anyway.Good luck,Allens/v DrambuieC-30 Hull #632

 

[Bob Chapin]

Remove pan in quarter berth

I had a similar problem last year. In fact my steering locked in place just as I made the turn into my slip. Prior to that I had noticed some excess play and jerking. There are nylon fittings under the cockpit which are used to adjust the tension on the cable. One of these had broken off and jamed in the steering quadrant. I obtained replacements from Edson and installed them with very little difficulty.If you remove the drop down well that is directly above the quarter berth in the center of the boat you have easy access to them. The only tool you need to remove the well is a screwdriver so it is worth inpecting it.