Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
When you make the switch from using the tiller on an outboard to using a steering wheel to control your boat, you're no longer trapped at the stern steering station. Instead, you can sit forward in the cockpit with friends and family. Installing steering on a small boat requires you to mount the helm (the under-dash component of the steering system), run the steering cables from the helm to the rear of the boat, and attach the steering cable to the outboard.
Antifouling paint is also known as bottom paint, and is a necessary tool to keep the buildup of living organisms on a boat's hull beneath the water line. However, antifouling paint loses its effectiveness when there are several coats applied over the course of a few years and therefore it should be removed. There are three ways that you can remove antifouling paint: scraping it off by hand, through the use of paint-removing solvents or by sandblasting.
There's surprisingly little that can go wrong with your boat's cable steering. The steering system's problems can be traced back to the cables, the helm--the mechanical "box" underneath the dash that the steering column protrudes from, which connects the steering cable to the steering wheel--or your motor or its mount. If something should go wrong with your steering, or if your steering begins to "feel funny," bring your boat to shore and start troubleshooting. Ignoring steering problems can be a fatal mistake.
