Steering Cable replacement

[Merbesfield]

I own a 1996 Super Sport. The steering is easy to turn to the port side and very hard to turn to the starboard side. Does this mean I need a new steering cable. The boat has 994 hours and to the best of my knowledge has never had the cable replaced. I bought it from the original owner and he said he never changed it. I was quoted $817.00 from Watersports Center to R&R the steering cable. Does that sound fair? I have watched a couple of videos and it doesn't look very difficult, though I am sure if I were to do the job, something would cause it to "be difficult". I do have a terrible back so I am sure it would kill me to DIY, but I also don't like to pay for things I can do myself. Let me know your thoughts. TIA Mark

[SilentSeven]

Yes. I think it's a decent bet it's the cable as it's likely never been changed. However I would pull up the rear hatch and shine a light back to the rudder arm to see if anything might be blocking it. Who knows what could be back there...some old ski glove..a pool noodle...you name it.

Does the quote include the cable? Looks like required cable sells for $400 at Nautique Parts so $817 seems really reasonable if it includes the part. IIR, when I did my cable, it took a few hours and I needed a helper at times to help pull and feed the new cable. It's one of those jobs that goes a lot faster the second time you do it. A wonky back would likely be a no go to do it yourself - you have to wiggle under the dash and work back under the fuel tank to reach the rudder arm bolts.

If you do farm it out, I'd ask your vendor to scrub the bilge while they have it all opened up. Its usually pretty grimy back there and this is a good opportunity to get stuff cleaner.

I couldn't believe how much better my steering was after I did my cable. Loved the outcome!

[bturner]

Dang I've been getting ripped off, I've been doing that job for a case a beer and a steak dinner. Then again, steak dinners are pretty expensive these days.

I agree with the above. At 30 years old and a thousand hours the safe bet is a cable. Depending on the budget you might want to consider doing the helm assembly as well. At my rates I insist on it and it transforms the boating experience. No more wobbly tilt and zero slop from a worn pinion or wobble from a worn steering shaft bushing.

My experience has been that straight inboards are the easiest as long as you can get to the tiller arm. vDrives (which you have) are a wild card as most have restricted access to the tiller as well as the cable mounting block and also require a considerable amount of flexibility to contort yourself into the rear lockers or stand on your head (sometimes both) to get at the tiller arm and steering cable mounting block.

Typically where I get myself into trouble is trying to shortcut the process by not removing the driver's seat. While this wasn't a problem when I was in my 30s or 40s getting myself to bend or contort myself in a position to work under the dash with the seat in these days is pure torture. That and doing the job on a lift, in direct sunlight when it's 90 degrees out.... because when or where else would you do it?

The videos are pretty accurate on the process and difficulty and there's several write ups on this site which may actually address your particular boat. Expect to be poked and cut by fiberglass shards and difficult access to things that shouldn't be but it is without a doubt a very doable project that would be a 2-3 star difficulty project on the 5 star scale. This is especially true if you're younger or can enlist the assistance of someone that is for the areas that require that flexibility.

[Merbesfield]

Thanks for the advice. I know I’m capable, but as I get older and my back gets worse, I’m trying to “not be cheap” and hire a professional to get the job done. I will call them and ask questions about what parts they are using, but yes the $817 includes the part.