Association Forum - Hard Link (OB to rudder)

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

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.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Hard Link (OB to rudder)

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

superbob
Navigator

Member Avatar

USA
200 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/24/2009 : 14:05:55

I found this DYI on a hard link (OB to rudder) on You Tube with a reference to a forum here (which I can't find). Can someone please advise where the hardware can be had to link my Yamaha 9.9 OB with the rudder on my 250. Much thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF0Maskf8q4

Bob
Redding CA/Whiskeytown Lake
SPARKLE PLENTY

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 15:34:28

Hi Bob,

There have been several discussions and attempts at producing a hard link. I'm not sure any great successes have resulted. The soft link is so simple, so cheap and so easy to use.

[url="http://pages.suddenlink.net/arlyn/sailing/softlink.html"]Soft Link[/url]

Edited by - on

superbob
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
200 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 15:48:13

Thanks. After posting here I continued my search and came up with this link to a forum discussion several years ago.

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?whichpage=0.56&TOPIC_ID=15649#109587;

I don't think there's a rube goldberg solution out there that's satisfactory.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 16:02:33

Bob,
There are a number of completely satisfactory hard link solutions to be found on the forum. I used to have one until I had to buy a new outboard and motor mount which threw off all of my geometry and I've struggled to get a working one together for this engine.

Is your boat a tiller or wheel? Tiller is more straight forward than wheel, but neither is overly difficult. Here's a link to [url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15749"]my original finished product[/url]. If you want the pictures larger, let me know, I'll have to go back out to Shutterfly & refresh them.

Arlyn's softlink is also a good solution, a lot of guys here use that as well. It's up to you how you'd like to go.

Edited by - delliottg on 07/24/2009 16:03:48

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 18:27:27

Although it may be sacrilege among some -

- I have opted to go without any link between the rudder and motor. I have found that I can steer and control motor speed without a link. I come into my slip in neutral at idle. If I need to put the outboard in gear or tweak the throttle I am able to do that without much problem. With my "classic" Honda 9.9 I can shift between gears with my right foot and the throttle is well within reach of my right hand. It helps that I always sail with my wife and she is adept at hitting the slip-end cleat with a spring line.

If you opt for a link I suggest you go with the soft link a la Arlyn and see how you like it before trying to engineer a hard link.

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 20:41:13

I've always thought that the link is not needed for a tiller boat. I, too, have the motor in neutral as I turn into my slip.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2009 : 21:35:48

If you're motoring in a no-current situation, then you don't really need the link (hard or soft), but if you have cross currents, tight quarters, wind pushing on your freeboard, etc., it's <b><i>really</i></b> nice to have the link. Currently I'm using a tiller extension on my OB to allow me easy access to turn the engine as necessary. However, when I had my old hard link on my old OB, it was wonderful.

I'm hoping to gin up something later this summer that's a hybrid of Arlyn's softlink and a continuous linked system. Essentially a pull-pull system that's currently only in my head. I think I can rig it with some low stretch Dyneema a couple of micro blocks and possibly a bungee/idler assembly to absorb changes in dimensions as it rotates around the "box" formed by the Dyneema strung from the front of the OB to the front of the rudder to the back of the rudder to the back of the engine. We'll see.

You can get away with more with a lighter boat. On my San Juan 21, I could shut my engine off about 30 yards from my slip and easily glide into the slip with a bit of sculling with my rudder (also a tiller boat). That was also on a lake, not in a river like I am now. I've tried to scull our 250, and it just sort of laughs at me.

Edited by - delliottg on 07/24/2009 21:39:10

AADIVER
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2009 : 13:56:35

My '05 Tohatsu 9.8 is mounted directly on the transom and can only pivot a few degrees to starboard, almost zero to port due to the gas can well. So I doubt a soft link would work on 250's with 9.8's. Arlyn...?

Edited by - on

superbob
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
200 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2009 : 14:25:47

AADIVER - note on the Youtube video link above that the handle on the outboard with the hard link is tilted up so as not to hit the gas can well......

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

Members Avatar

USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2009 : 16:11:12

We have the hard link between the rudder and our 2nd outboard (Nah! we only have one engine, I replaced mine last year

)

I only disconnect the hardlink when I raise the engine, otherwise it's allways connected.

Since we fixed our Edson steering, the hard link has proven to be even better (now that the rudder can move a greater arc.) (LUBE the Rudder beam/Swivel pin!!!)

Paul (Heading out for a 5 day 5 night cruise around biscayne bay tomorrow, Sunday July 26th.)

We're gonna get the boat wet! and not because it's raining!!!!!

(Of course, we have lived on JD for the past 13 nights due to home connstruction work. Now I wish I had Tom Potter's WK! can you say 'head room'!)

Paul

Edited by - britinusa on 07/25/2009 16:11:39

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2009 : 16:22:58

Frank, the lack of turning ability is why I moved my Tohatsu out onto a Garelick scissors mount. That's also what killed my hardlink design since moving it further aft screwed up the geometry I'd set up for. Out on the mount, I have full turning ability, which is important in my marina.

Edited by - on

zebra50
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2009 : 08:10:22

I see two discussions here which I have had similar problems. First, my original motor a Nissan 8 would not turn much as mounted due to its width even after the tiller was off and remote Edson was attached. When I changed it for a 07/08 Tohatsu 9.8 that all changed and turning is full in either direction. It also had a longer shaft.

I had purchased the EZ Steer system for a hard link and it works great even on the new motor, but I have not yet figued out an easy way to disengage link from motor when I pull it up to sail.

this is a picture of EZ steer on the old model while on the hard

any suggestions on where and how to attach when unhooked??

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

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.