Locking steering wheel in place ?

[oldrider]

I've never ran across what I'm looking for, so I'm open for ideas. Most of the boats I've owned had the same problem. After getting a hook up, and having to take care of it while the boat continues on its way, the boat won't stay on a straight course. It would be great to find a way to lock the steering wheel in place until I finished taking care of the fish. Having others on the boat hold the wheel works, but when fishing by myself, it becomes a pain to keep it headed straight. Looking for some ideas signfishin

 

[SuperD]

There are several expensive solutions out there like auto pilot and TR-1 steering control. I love the auto pilot function of my Minn Kota for this exact reason. I can set up the downriggers and put rods out without ever looking over my shoulder. Simply locking the sterring wheel won't solve directional problems as wind or current will still play havoc with you.

 

[lowe1648mt]

Cheap fix. Look on the pivot shaft of the motor. There may be a friction control screw on the shaft. Some steering systems have a friction control knob on the steering wheel. Niether is a good as an Auto-pilot, but they are cheeper. What kind of motor is it?

 

[SuperD]

Do you have an outboard or an I/O? If you have an outboard, can I see a picture of the front of it, I might have a solution.

 

[madbaddad]

this is a common occurrence when using what called a feedback type steering system be it rotary or rack steering. you can upgrade to whats called a non-feedback system that's available in a rotary or rack style. pending on age and condition of your steering cable you can just replace the steering helm unit and still use your original cable and steering wheel. a non-feed back allows you to set your turn and the engine torque will not feed back any movement to alter your set helm position. you can tell your running a feedback style by being able to make your helm steering wheel turn port/starboard by simply moving your outboard or outdrive port/starboard by hand. you would not be able to move your helm steering wheel using this same test on a non-feed back system. i hope you find this information to be of some help.

 

[bob r]

I'm using a small (4hp) outboard on a flatback canoe so any auto pilot system won't work, the tension tightening bolt on the shaft is just for tension control, overtightening can easily snap the tensioner. I'm trying a couple of bungie cords, seems to be o.k to keep tiller straight while still allowing boat to be steered easily. One on each side, I'm using small ones, may need to go to larger size for larger boats.Good luck, bob r

 

[SuperD]

You have us (me) confused. In your first post you mentioned "locking the steering wheel" and now state 4 hp ob on a canoe.

 

[oldrider]

You have us (me) confused. In your first post you mentioned "locking the steering wheel" and now state 4 hp ob on a canoe.

That was a post by Bob r with his canoe.

 

[oldrider]

Cheap fix. Look on the pivot shaft of the motor. There may be a friction control screw on the shaft. Some steering systems have a friction control knob on the steering wheel. Niether is a good as an Auto-pilot, but they are cheeper. What kind of motor is it?

It's a 50hp Johnson 1998 model. It drives my bass style boat, but I use it to troll with using a trolling plate. I'll take a look at the motor to see if there is a friction control screw.

 

[SuperD]

Look at the steering rods at the front of the engine. A simple spring clamp like used for wood working or a routed block to drop over the steering rod should prevent the motor from turning.

I was thinking about something like these at the pivot point of the steering rod.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-heavy-duty-spring-clamp-91838.html

 

[Bduck]

A cheap way of doing it is using a rubber bungee at the wheel. I have done this method several times using my main motor for trolling. The torque of the engine always turns the outdrive. Since I have added on my kicker with a remote troll setup, this issue doesn't exist. I still keep the bungee available.

 

[bob r]

Like I said, BUNGEE!

 

[oldrider]

Like I said, BUNGEE!

BUNGEE,,,, OK,,,,,,,I think it's worth a try thumbsup

 

[grant]

A cheap way of doing it is using a rubber bungee at the wheel. I have done this method several times using my main motor for trolling. The torque of the engine always turns the outdrive. Since I have added on my kicker with a remote troll setup, this issue doesn't exist. I still keep the bungee available.

I'll try that!

 

[Bogey]

NOT a cheap way, but I sure enjoy my I-Pilot for issues like this.