Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
We recently purchased a 1981 Catalina 25, swing keel, standard rig. It came with a Yacht Specialties Y600-001 Mini Steerer pedestal steering.
It would appear that the push rod controlling the rudder was installed in the wrong position on the transom so that the wheel can be turned to allow plenty of port helm but less than 10 degrees of starboard helm. I have spoken with Catalina Direct tech support who suggested I speak with Edson. They were very helpful and were the ones who informed me, after I emailed them photos, this was a Yacht Specialties Pedestal Steering System and thankfully they were able to email a scanned image of the page for the item from and old catalog. I have searched the internet for installation instructions and have come up empty.
I am new to this forum and am hoping someone might have this same pedestal steering system and either a copy of the installation guide or could let me know how far from the centerline the push rod mounting bracket is on their boat.
Cheers, David
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"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" Sea Fever
You could mock the bracket up at different locations on the rudder with like tape or something then turn the wheel to find full-lock.
I could be wrong, but that kit was probably "universal" and installed special to the boat with the installer figuring it out as they go. The vast majority of C25s do not have wheel steering but the 1% who do would probably be on this forum so you're at the right place.
If you were able to measure all of the geometry of your setup I could put it into CAD to try and find some working angles and locations.
Captain Rob & Admiral Alyson "David Buoy"-1985 C25 SK/SR #5053
You could count how many turns of the wheel from lock to lock then set the wheel half way. Center the rudder then hold the mount against the transom. Hold the mount in that spot and turn the wheel lock to lock to check it's operation and if it's satisfactory then mount it
Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688 Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound
Thank you all for quick and kind responses. I believe I will start with finding the center of the steering, lock the wheel, set the rudder at midships and then figure out where the bracket should be. It might require a little bit of measuring but I believe it can be done. I appreciate the feedback. I'll keep y'all posted. I would put pictures but as I am new to the forum, I haven't quite figured that out yet. Cheers, David
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" Sea Fever
I must confess the thought of giving it the float test had crossed my mind and I would even gain a nice little cockpit ventilation hole for the berth below
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" Sea Fever
I must confess the thought of giving it the float test had crossed my mind and I would even gain a nice little cockpit ventilation hole for the berth below
Then you can put a recessed cockpit table socket where the wheel used to be. Lemonade out of lemons.
Captain Rob & Admiral Alyson "David Buoy"-1985 C25 SK/SR #5053
so the shaft pulling gives your starboard rudder. this cant be a matter of the exit placement. there must be a cable adjustment somewhere. or an adjustment for the center. it looks like you have plenty of pull. it must be traveling all the way to the end of the worm gear ( i assume this is what it uses) on starboard. post a pic of what you have below the cockpit, and maybe inside the pedestal.
Tried making adjustments but not enough to make a difference. It is a sealed system, there is a chain that controls the cable, which is not unlike a bicycle brake cable, there is a slight adjustment that can be made to the end where the bracket exits the stern by not enough to make a big enough correction. The last owner had it for a couple of years but never sailed it, my guess is that he did the install and never had the chance to figure out it wasn't quite right. When the helm is hard over to port we are getting about 70 degrees of rudder, and when it is hard over to starboard we getting less than 10 degrees of rudder. We have full range just unbalanced.
quote:Originally posted by dasreboot
so the shaft pulling gives your starboard rudder. this cant be a matter of the exit placement. there must be a cable adjustment somewhere. or an adjustment for the center. it looks like you have plenty of pull. it must be traveling all the way to the end of the worm gear ( i assume this is what it uses) on starboard. post a pic of what you have below the cockpit, and maybe inside the pedestal.
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" Sea Fever
Some boats have cockpits that are amenable to wheels, and are big enough that a wheel is easier to use than a tiller... I never felt either was the case with the C-25. But we have to suppose you bought this particular boat because you felt otherwise. Are you still convinced? It's a really nice boat to sail with a tiller, the tiller can be lifted out of the way to open up the cockpit when not under way, and all of these mechanics can be eliminated. It's a boat, not a ship.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
It looks like you adjust the length of the shaft by twisting it on a threaded rod ? Is that correct ?? If that's the case merely center the helm and then adjust the length of the rod until the rudder is centered. Am I missing something ? I also agree with those who said a wheel on a Catalina 25 is a suboptimal installation. The Catalina 25 does not have a "T" cockpit. I usually sail alone, and the last thing I want to do is have to jump over the wheel and seats in the cockpit in order to adjust the sails.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. As always, my free advice comes with a double your money back guarantee.
"Lady E" 1986 Catalina 25: Fin Keel, Standard Rig, Inboard M12 Diesel, Sail No. 5339 Sailing out of Norwalk Cove Marina, Connecticut
That rod is two different diameters. You have to look close in the photos. When the rod is retracted the outer larger section hits that lock nut on the transom fitting and acts like a stop. I don't think the rod length is adjustable by turning it. I think you would have visible threads showing if it could.Id like to see what it looks like on the interior, Maybe a clue there.
Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688 Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound
Tried adjusting the rod thinking it might adjust like a turnbuckle but it does not. The smaller rod slides in and out of the larger one as the wheel turns. There is a slight adjustment that can be made where the rod connects through the bracket but it did not make much if any difference at all.
quote:Originally posted by SKS
It looks like you adjust the length of the shaft by twisting it on a threaded rod ? Is that correct ?? If that's the case merely center the helm and then adjust the length of the rod until the rudder is centered. Am I missing something ? I also agree with those who said a wheel on a Catalina 25 is a suboptimal installation. The Catalina 25 does not have a "T" cockpit. I usually sail alone, and the last thing I want to do is have to jump over the wheel and seats in the cockpit in order to adjust the sails.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. As always, my free advice comes with a double your money back guarantee.
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" Sea Fever
I'm thinking the cable or chain (what ever you called it) was either installed with the wheel not centered or it's slipped on whatever it's connected to.
Imagine a sprocket and chain setup and having the wheel slightly off center. When you install the center of the chain on the sprocket and spin the wheel it's going to go farther to one side than the other.
I'm thinking the small rod has some means of clamping itself inside the boat and the rod has slipped farther outside the boat putting the rudder off center. Maybe someone put to much pressure on the wheel when turning to port driving the rod out if the clamp slipped. It might also be that nut on the transom fitting that locks the small rod in place.
Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688 Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound
With a tiller, center is straight, port is starboard, and starboard is port. What could be simpler? (Having learned that at about age six, I could never figure out why it confuses people.)
Back to reality: What is the mechanism from the binnacle to the rod at the transom? (Cable is most common on smaller boats; chain on somewhat larger ones; hydraulic on the big guys...) It sounds to me like the adjustment might need to be made there.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
BTW, Todd: To prevent a long URL from stretching a whole thread horizontally, in your post:
1. Change Format Mode from Basic to Prompt. 2. Type some words that describe what you're linking to. 3. Highlight those words, click and paste the URL into the box that appears.
The words will be highlighted in your post, and clicking on them will follow your link.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
At this point without more photos and info on exactly how the system works I think you need local help. I would suggest finding a good marine mechanic to locate the problem and fix it. With limited internet info and and it being an old system that I don't think any of us has experience with the best we can offer is wild guesses.
Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688 Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.