Outboard Control

[Giblets]

As some of you know I have a little Leisure 17 yachtette. I have a Tohatsu 6HP saildrive outboard hung on the transom with a cantilever type bracket. When the engine is down on the bracket in the running position and I am motoring I tend to use the o/b swivel screw to hold it in the fore and aft position and steer with the rudder. However, there are times when it is very useful to actually swivel the motor itself, usually when backing into a berth. The motor manual states that the swivel screw should not be used for locking the motor position on it’s bracket and, in fact, it sometimes vibrates loose and the motor turns of it’s own accord – not good!

I was wondering if anyone has devised a way of fixing their similarly mounted outboard other than using the swivel screw, ideally being able to move the motor if required by hand without performing contortions to release said screw which is located on the rear of the engine below the powerhead. I did think of using some heavy duty bungee cord between the motor carrying handle and two uprights of the pushpit which are sited on each quarter which would normally keep the motor pointing ahead but would enable me to turn it if need be.

I think I can arrange some sort of cabling/lever arrangement to control the F-N-R lever. The throttle is of the twistgrip type on the steering handle and that is not too much of a problem to reach.

Any thoughts or solutions would be much appreciated.

Pete

 

[DownWest]

Hi Pete,
Visualising your setup. Might you be able to use a sort of pinrail for the steering arm? When in the down position, the arm rest between some stops on a wooden cross piece?
Or, if too low, something attached to the casing that does the same? I saw one linked to the tiller so even at low speeds, one had good turn control/thrust, without needing three arms.

Edit: not much use if you need to turn it for reverse..

 

[ProDave]

Well I've never looked in detail at my motor but I'll tell you how it is.

I have a Mariner 4 2 stroke short shaft on probably a similar bracket.

It "stays where I point it" It normally points backwards and I steer with the rudder, but like you for manouvering it can be handy to swivel the motor.

So I just turn the motor. it's stiff to turn and stays where you point it.

So either I am doning something wrong and turning it without slackening something, or you are slackening something you don't need to.

So for the benefit of both of us, should I slacken something before turning my motor, or should Giblets not undo something before turning his.

 

[VicS]

I have a 6 hp Evinrude on my "yachtette"

The screw which adjusts the steering friction is to all intents and purposes inaccessible from the cockpit, certainly when the engine is lowered to its running position. It also requires a screwdriver or a spanner to turn it!

I keep it tight so that the engine does not turn and I use the rudder for steering.

The instruction book does say not to do it up tight but that is because of the obvious danger in a boat without a rudder which is therefore steered purely with the outboard.

One thing that can be done in a boat with a transom hung rudder is to link the outboard to the rudder ... but IIRC the Leisure 17 rudder is not transom hung.

Another thing I have seen is a little fitting on the transom/aftdeck into which the outboard tiller can be located to hold it in the straight ahead position... but that was with Seagull which of course does not have the complication of twist grip throttle control.

You may be able to make a simple extension for the gear shift lever. Lakesailor will be along shortly to show how he did just that.

( a proper set of remotes would be nice but after 30 odd years I can continue to manage without )

 

[onesea]

I have a trident 24 with a similar set up.

The throttle /tiller control I extended using a piece of 2" drain pipe this I slip through a loop of line to keep it straight (the outboard only wonders one way due to the torque or what ever of the engine turning).

When I have to manoeuvre I position myself in good position to reach gears and throttle and tiller. Slip pipe of and operate outboard/ gears as required.

Its cheap, simple and works well...

 

[Lakesailor]

I have a Tohatsu 5HP and had a Mariner 4hp on my last boat (all the same motor as yours). I found just the same as you that the friction device was not enough to stop creep. I used to just live with it. But one way to position it securely would be (as suggested) to have a U bracket you could lower the tiller handle into. However, there is the down side that you may find that vibration and the clip on the handgrip alters your throttle setting under way. It may be that it also interferes with your use of the throttle.
A better idea mat be to use the holes in the engine front bracket that you attach the remote steering gear to. Make up a push rod with an adjuster at one end to clip to a bracket on the transom and onto the front bracket on the engine. You could either just use nuts and bolts or get proper ball-joint connectors. The rod doesn't need to move. It's just to lock the motor in place. You do need adjustment in it though as you will find that the motor angle will need fine-tuning to avoid having to apply rudder correction all the time (and waste fuel).

These holes are where you fix the rod.( just in front of my red cut-out tag) You need to be able to remove the rod easilyso that you can adjust the bracket height. (Unless you manage to fot the rof to the outboard clamp bracket at the other end.)

 

[William_H]

Outboard control

I have like Vic an old Johnson 6. It also is on an adjustable transom hung cantilever bracket.
I had extended the gear shift some time back because the gear shift became stiff but this also had the advantage of making it more accessible when the motor is adjusted to low. (when someone is on the bow)
I also found a piece of rubber hose that was just the right size to be forced over the throttle grip steering tiller. The hose is stiff enough to give me another 20cms of tiller length.
In use I discovered that there is a suitable sized gap between the upright of the stern rail and an HF aerial whip. (27mhz) So it is convenient to just drop the tiller into the gap for straight ahead. If I am manouvreing I just lift the tiller arm to get full steering of the engine. Yes the boat will turn very tightly with large rudder and o/b both turning.
So for OP,extend the tiller (rubber hose) then fit a crutch of suitable size for the tiller to drop into.
good luck olewill

 

[Giblets]

Very many thanks for all the suggestions, folks. I will need to get Booby popped back in the water and have a look at the various options. The Leisure 17 also has a split backstay joining into one at about six feet above the cockpit sole so getting to the o/b controls can be a bit tricky squeezing between the tiller, backstays and pushpit especially when togged up in oiles and l/j!

 

[stevebrassett]

I have a Leisure 23 with outboard, and with the tiller flipped up I can sit at the back and operate the outboard and the tiller (action reversed) at the same time. This makes the boat extremely manouverable. Only problem is I can't see forward - still, we can't have everything, can we?

 

[ReggieK]

I'm with ProDave, I have a Johnson 4HP sail drive. I tighten the swivel screw which holds the engine in place. However, the engine will still swivel to whatever position I put it in and stays there. I don't have to loosen the screw to do this.
Maybe if you don't fully tighten it, it may still hold in place and you can then swivel when required.