Wheel Steering tension adjustment

[Stephen Ord]

Is there any way to adjust the wheel steering on a Hunter 30? It would seem to consist of a large wheel attached to the rudder post and connected to the steering column by a wire endless loop cable. Mine is too stiff for my autohelm to move.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Some work involved here.

Is there a knob on the side of the pedestal, a wheel brake? It could be dragging. If not the next check is much more difficult. You will need to remove the steering cable from the rudder quandrant. I can't think of any other way to determine if the "binding" is in the rudder or the helm.The link below is a useful sketch. I guess you could get under the cockpit sole and make sure the sheaves are not corroded. Every spring I grease the cables and liberally oil those sheaves. There are also oil holes for the wheel spindle inside the pedestal and the chain needs to be oiled.Finally you can get on the Edson website(http://www.edsonintl.com/edson_marine.html) for a parts breakdown. If you write them they will send you the exact diagram with part numbers of the original H30 installation(assuming the H30 was Edson like my H37C).

 

[Roland]

Stiff steering

Is the steering stiff when you are manually steering? If so, I agree with everything Ed has mentioned. If the cable is too tight, it is easily loosened at the quandrant. But not too loose. You will see how the ends are fastened when you get to the quandrant. It's not a big deal on our 30's. But first, take a look at the rudder and post. Is the rudder post rubbing too hard against the wooden support under the helm seat? Your rudder post may be misaligned or the pressure of the water while underway knocks the post too far out of alignment. A sympton of another problem. Does the rudder clear the hull and is the space between the rudder and the skeg clean? Start checking from the outside in and eliminating possibilities. If the steering is fine manually you may need to upgrade your autohelm. You don't mention what you are using. I have an Autohelm 3000 on my '77 h30 and find it to be quite adequate. Good luck and keep us informed of what you find. Others, myself included, may run into this problem one day. -Rolands/v Fraulein II

 

[Roland]

Afterthoughts

Is the steering also stiff at the dock or just while underway? If the latter, the problem may be with the rudder and/or post and not the cable tension. Hope all this is of some help.-Roland