Should I buy the 11 ft cable for my boat?

Question

My boat needs a steering cable. It was a project when I got it, but now it's turning into more of a headache than I bargained for...

What is the rule of thumb for measuring how many feet you need for a steering cable?

The boat is a 13 ft Bayliner and rough measurements (of the path the cable would take) are leaning towards 8 feet from the the motor to the steering wheel.

There is an 11 ft cable that I saw for really cheap on eBay. Would this work? And did I measure the distance correctly?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Your measurement should be: from the helm to the gunnel, along the gunnel to the transom, and from the corner of the transom to the tilt tube on the outboard.

If that measures 8 feet, and 11' cable will not work. They are too stiff to coil to take up slack. Any sharp bends or coils will make the cable too hard to turn.

Keep looking for nothing longer than 9'.

Answer 2

well why don't you measure the steering cable that needs replaced...........you don't say if it has one now that is broken and needs replaced or that is has no steering cable now.

if it has a cable in it that is broke ....take it out and measure it

Answer 3

Go to the bayliner website.  It should tell you what cable to buy.  There are more factors in how long a cable needs to be than just what you think the run is.  a steering cable can not bend more than 360 degrees in it's run or it will not work right.  The best bet is to run a string from the helm  to the motor.  The length of the string will Get you close.  The other factors are what kind of steering system you have, what side of the boat the helm is on, in board or outboard.  A lot of the time you can look up your boat on line and they have a complete list of parts for  the boat.  Including part numbers.  good luck

Answer 4

If I were you I would get someone to come and look at it with me and see what both of you together think.  Two heads are better than one, and a picture is worth a thousand words.

Answer 5

Go to your Local Boat dealer and ask A Marine Tech, they will be glad to help you. Take some measurement,s with you so they have a rough Idea as to what you have.

Answer 6

you have to establish what type of system you have,(rotary cable,or rack and pinion).

    To establish the length that you need,measure from the wheel to the (stb) right side of the boat,down the side and over to the motor,round up to the next foot and add a foot,that will be the length that you need.

   Also note that if you have an outboard engine you will have to lift the engine off of the transom to feed the cable through the tube.

   Good luck,if you need any further advise you can contact me through this site.

35 years as a marine tec.