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Replacing Edson chain and wire rope assembly

H

hdlEric

Member III
So, I recently replace the sheaves, pins that the sheaves rotate on, and the chain/wire rope assembly on my '87 E34. To my surprise; the wheel directions have now reversed; ie, when I rotate the wheel Starboard the rudder rotates so I turn to Port, and the reverse. I CANNOT fathom how this occurred!!! I have not called Edson back yet, but in one of their videos, it shows placing the (adjusting) eye bolts into the radial (I DO have a RADIAL NOT A QUADRANT) on the same side as the sheave the eye bolt/wire rope it exits the pedestal from (that piece is also called the idler assembly).
If anybody has had any problems in this area please help...........it has got me totally confused.............what's worse, is I thought the guy I paid to help me knew what was going on.........apparently not.
Thanks Howard
 
Christian Williams

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The cables need to cross inside the pedestal.

From my blog:

With the new Teleflex cables sticking out of the unfinished pedestal like Martian whiskers I decided to motor around the harbor to celebrate. The slip was very tight, no room for fenders, concrete barnacle wall on one side, other folks’ self-steering gear protruding off sterns on the other. But I am extremely good at this stuff and thought little of controlling shift and throttle by pushing the cable wire ends while steering backwards in a brand-new-to-me yacht. One learns, when as experienced as I am with some 20,000 miles offshore, many ahem dinghy trophies and a wonderful personality to boot, to take it slowly so the admiring crowds can get better photographs.

What the hell is going on? One inch from the barnacle wall! Now sideways across the lagoon, climbing on somebody’s transom to fend off! Could this boat have an offset prop shaft? Oh, torque—that’s it! Must correct. Get up some speed and then neutral—wait, not working, turning the wrong way again! Fend off!

Yes, I failed to cross the steering cables inside the pedestal. All helm commands were therefore reversed. At half-a-knot speed, I can tell you, that is impossible to deduce from sensory input. Only stuck crosswise in the tiny slipway did I start to laugh, realizing what I’d done. Idiot! I had studied an old YS diagram of the steering system which showed uncrossed cables. Later I saw that the quadrant in the sketch was installed facing forward. My radial faces aft. Well, I eventually figured it out.[/I][/SIZE][/SIZE]
 
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H

hdlEric

Member III
Edson pedestal system repair

Christian,
Thanks so much for your reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After I called Edson (for the 50th time........I will need to send those guys a Christmas gift for sure) they confirmed your experience.......and mine:esad::esad::esad:.

I did not see the cables were crossed when I took it apart, and did not EVEN think they SHOULD be......who would do such a thing??????

I hadn't gone that far when I realized SOMETHING terrible was wrong......thank God I had lots of room and not much wind blowing me around!!!!!

Now I just hope I have enough cable......and don't have to spend more money and time!!

THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN!!!
Howard
 
Christian Williams

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
It was one of the funniest things I have ever done to myself. But we're not alone:

attachment.php
 
Afrakes

Afrakes

Sustaining Member
Tiller Imprint

That situation would have been perfect for me. I have an affliction I call "Tiller Imprint" All of my previous sailboats have been tiller steered. My 28 has a wheel. I still find myself turning starboard to go port and vice versa. My wife on the other hand, who used to have to ask me every spring which way to push the tiller, has had no problems adjusting to the wheel. I'll overcome this illness soon I hope.
 
Alan Gomes

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Afrakes said:
That situation would have been perfect for me. I have an affliction I call "Tiller Imprint" All of my previous sailboats have been tiller steered. My 28 has a wheel. I still find myself turning starboard to go port and vice versa. My wife on the other hand, who used to have to ask me every spring which way to push the tiller, has had no problems adjusting to the wheel. I'll overcome this illness soon I hope.
Click to expand...
I can totally relate to this, Al. My previous boat, a 1987 Catalina 30, was the first boat I ever owned with a wheel and I had a heck of a time getting used to that. In fact, even after several years of owning it I'd still have an occasional situation when I had to make an emergency course change and would find myself turning the wheel the wrong way! It would happen particularly when I would sit on the coaming to the side of the wheel rather than standing directly behind it, as you would be positioned with a car.

When I decided to downsize I determined to go with a tiller-steered boat if possible because I never came to like a wheel. And so now all is well!
 
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R

RynnCP

New Member
Me too!

I've been sailing for years and our new to us E29 has a wheel, my first ever. I'm really struggling to adjust. Glad it's not just me.
 
olsenjohn

olsenjohn

John Olsen
Blogs Author
Shared Affliction

Afrakes said:
That situation would have been perfect for me. I have an affliction I call "Tiller Imprint" All of my previous sailboats have been tiller steered. My 28 has a wheel. I still find myself turning starboard to go port and vice versa. My wife on the other hand, who used to have to ask me every spring which way to push the tiller, has had no problems adjusting to the wheel. I'll overcome this illness soon I hope.
Click to expand...

I have the exact same problem. I am 52 years old and all of my boats have been tiller steered since my first boat 42 years ago. When I took the ASA classes in Florida to get my bareboat charter certificate I had the worse time with the wheel. It became a great source of amusement for the instructor and classmates during man over board drills. Whenever I got excited, I always turned the wrong way. When my brother and I charter a boat, I have the same problem. But none of the charter boats I have seen come with a tiller...... :)
 
G

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Wheel steering dilema.

Guys, I've heard this story before and it strikes me as odd that we all drive our cars to the boat and have no problem steering correctly to get there, then go aboard and steer bassackwards, go figure. Glyn
 
M

Mort Fligelman

Member III
How to cure Wheel/Tiller Syndrome

After steering for an extended period somehow my brain forgets that I am using a wheel......so, I grab the bottom spoke of the wheel.....try it....
 
Alan Gomes

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Glyn Judson said:
Guys, I've heard this story before and it strikes me as odd that we all drive our cars to the boat and have no problem steering correctly to get there, then go aboard and steer bassackwards, go figure. Glyn
Click to expand...
I don't think it's strange at all. For me the problem would happen especially when I would sit side-saddle to the wheel--something one never does with a car. That was my typical position when steering as it was often the most comfortable. When sitting to the side of the wheel the motion of one's arm involves pulling or pushing--similar to a tiller. And so my 40+ years of muscle memory would kick in and e.g., I would "push" the wheel into the sail to head up, etc.
 
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Alan Gomes

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Mort Fligelman said:
After steering for an extended period somehow my brain forgets that I am using a wheel......so, I grab the bottom spoke of the wheel.....try it....
Click to expand...
For me the definitive "cure" was to get rid of my wheel-steered boat and buy another tiller-steered one. :rolleyes:
 
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Afrakes

Afrakes

Sustaining Member
Frequency

I think that frequency has a big impact. I spend the majority of my working hours driving to and from customers. Boating occurs sporadically and for those of us who work and play in the northeast, weekends only for three to six months if we're lucky. I've never had the luxury of sailing for more than two days in a row. Doing something everyday becomes second nature. Also when I'm driving the van I don't have 20ft. of the vehicle in front of me like I do with the boat. The perspective is totally different.
 
Tom Metzger

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
Some years ago I took a couple sailing with me for an afternoon. They had a tiller steered boat on my dock. I first got worried when they were surprised that I went onto the fore deck while sailing. I guessed they never had hanked on sails. They next commented how hard it was to steer with a wheel. I took it as the same as going onto the fore deck and told them if they ever see me driving on the highway to stay away from me.

I am surprised to hear that many others have that problem.
 
G

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Popularity of tillers vs. wheel.

Fellas, The E31 had a slew of options, one being wheel steering. Said another way the base price of the boat was with a tiller. Oddly, of 73 hulls made only two were tiller steered and even more oddly, sequential hull numbers, #14 & #15. Want another little known fact about the boat? The base price featured an Atomic 4 engine and one of them opted for that, hull #20 the rest being different types of diesel. And now that you know that and have $1.75, you can go into any Starbuck's and buy a cup of coffee. Glyn
 
Rick R.

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Let me just say, if my steering cable breaks again ( it did on our sea trial), I will be calling sea tow ....lol
 
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