Steering quadrant

[dhagen]

I have  a 2001.  I checked my steering and the quadrant seems to be about an eighth to a quarter of an inch lower than the turning sheaves for the steering cable.  As a result, the cables are rubbing on the top portion of the groove in the quadrant.  Is the quadrant bolted through the rudder post or can the bolts be loosened and the quadrant raised a bit?

Thanks,
Dan Hagen

[Craig Illman]

Dan - Yes, it's through-bolted. I think it would be extremely difficult to drill another hole without a drill press.

Craig

[Steve Sayian]

Dan,

Here are a few pictures I took of the steering quadrant when I was working back there last winter.  In picture #1022 just below the cable track towards the right side,you can see a large nut with washer behind it.  That's the bolt that goes through the rudder post. 
Hope this helps.

Steve

[Craig Illman]

Steve - That's interesting that your engine control cables drop aft of your water tank. Mine come down through that slot in the front of the tank. It looks like yours have a pretty extreme bend just as they pass through the bottom of the pedestal. Is there significant friction?

Craig

[Steve Sayian]

Craig,


No friction at all.  The cables are routed towards the starboard quarter after the tank and then down the starboard side to the engine.  There is a lot of cable and the bends are very wide and unobstructed.

Steve

[dhagen]

So if it is through bolted, is there a way to adjust sheaves to get the cables to line up better?  Do I have to get smaller ones? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Dan

[Roc]

Dan,
Could it be the pulleys on the other end where the wire leads up to the wheel that need to be aligned?  Maybe those can be adjusted to get the cable to line up better in the quadrant.

[Bob Kuba]

Dan,

My issue is similar but opposite.
My quadrant seems a bit high on the rudder post and the steering cables rub on the lower portion of the groove. I check it every other year, keep it lubricated as per Edson's guidelines, and so far it doesn't seem to have any unusual wear on the cables or quadrant. From the cockpit everything is just fine, no binding or chafing is detectable.

I just chalk it up to Catalina's construction techniques at the factory. I don't think they are using an automated laser-guided jig to assemble these boats. What's considered to be "in-tolerance" seems to be a debatable topic.

Bob

[search keys: steering quadrant flix]

[Ken Juul]

Can't tell from the pictures, can you insert some washers or a spacer between the sheave mount and the bottom of the pedestal?  That should lower the sheave enough to give it a straight shot.

[Fou Du Large]

Hello

I see two solutions

1 - Lower all the rudder by machining the top stopper in the cockpit and add a washer between the hull and upper side of the rudder
May be it should be ok with just  machining the top stopper. The weight of the rudder holding it in place??

2 - Raise all the pedestral. Add a shim under in the cockpit and reinstall.

Big job!