yacht specialties steering
- Thread starter blunt
- Start date
i am contemplating if it is worth my time and effort to put in a edson pedestal or just stay with the y/s pedestal.in the long run i will be able to have the replacement parts available on the edson.
I have the same boat that you have. Although Yacht Specialties is out of business the pedestal is quite robust and should serve you well. You can adapt certain parts from other manufacturers to your YS pedestal. The top plate on mine was made for a Lewmar pedestal. I have a guard bar and instrument enclosures made by Navpod, a cockpit table made by Zarcor, Ritchie compass, and an Autohelm wheel pilot. The mechanical steering portion of the original pedestal appears bullet proof to me. Why would you want to take on such a formidable task?
thanks roy.i was thinking out loud and wanted to see if it was worth it.you have enlightened me.appreciate the info.
One major defect in the pedestal is the engine controller, at least on mine it was. The original two lever pedestal controller had the throttle backwards; you pulled it back to open the throttle. I recently abandoned that system altogether and installed a single lever, dual function controller on the deck next to the stern locker. Easy to reach from the helm, better for the transmission and intuitive for the operator.
I replaced my y/s pedestal with an Edson about 3 years ago. The aluminium base of the pedestal had deteriorated to the point that the bolts wouldn't hold it solidly to the cockpit floor. I was able to find a salvaged Edson at Monkey Fist in Green Cove Springs, Fl. and did the install myself. Not a difficult job. That said, if you are not having any problems with your y/s, I would stick with it. The internal parts are very robust and should very rarely need replacing.