Steering cable on Mac 26X

[hvaldezz]

Quick question for the group: My steering (see previous post) has a small dead spot and have found that it's probably the assembly that controls the cable.

My cable has a red sheath on it, I think it's a Teleflex but don't know for sure.

I spoke to BWY and they're selling UFLEX now and suggest the 12 foot cable. I doubt my existing one is that long, I think it's 10 foot max.

Can anyone ascertain if the red one is Teleflex? Could it be something else?

Is the UFLEX easy to install and does it work well? 12 foot ok? Can the cable be installed without taking the steering wheel off? I'm not the most mechanically inclined sailor so you can understand why I need the easiest way to fix the problem.

As always, all help is truly appreciated. This board has been a tremendous help to me.

Henry

[Phillip]

Does the cable have printed on it in white a series of letters and numbers.
(not sure which end).
I recall taking that number to the shop, and they cross referenced it in a mannual with all other cables available that were the same.
If my memory serves me correctly, my worker (ex mechanic) reckoned next time he did one, he wouldn't remove the old cable first, but try to attach the new one to it, then pull it thru.
We removed the old one completely, then it took him a long time to get the new one in. I seem to recal he had to remove quite a bit of flotation in the starboard-stern area.
Might pay to get others opinions first.....could make the task easier.
Cheers
Phillip

[RickJ]

I replaced the whole steering on my '97 X back before Xmas. The original was a Detmar, I wasn't sure about being able to get the correct cable, and I decided to upgrade to a Teleflex NFB unit anyway.

Is yours the earlier rotary unit like mine, or the later rack & pinion?

I don't think you can replace a Detmar or Teleflex cable with a Uflex, and given your description of the problem I think BWY are recommending changing the whole thing - helm and cable. You have to take the wheel off to do this of course, in fact I found that the hardest bit! The main problem was the black plastic cover in the hub, I spent ages trying to remove it carefully, but it was so stuck I ended up having to destroy it to get it out. It's purely decorative, so I just made a replacement from a piece of white plastic board.

I would think a 12' cable is too long. My original cable was 8' which is tight, I went for 10' with the new unit, which lets it route through the aft bunk area without such sharp bends. I think with 12' you'd have too much cable to fit comfortably.

I didn't have any trouble feeding it through, mine goes from under the transom seat straight into the aft berth space, no fishing around in hidden corners. It may depend on the year though, the X steering was changed a bit over its life, and I don't know if this affected the cable routing in later models.

HTH, Rick

[Uncle Jim]

I had plenty of room for routing without streching or extra with a 11 footer

[Ron]

I replaced my steering two years ago. I remember the cable being 10 ft. for my 97 26x. On the Teleflex website they had information and told you how to measure it.

I also replaced the rotary unit, and I also broke the damn, black plastic cover. But, I found another black plastic cover for the hub!

I like the idea of not removing the existing cable, but using it to pull through the new cable. It took me a long time (2 hours) to route the new cable. Getting it through the transom was difficult. I think every boat is slightly different so some might be routed easier than other (since isn't it the dealer who installs the engine and steering?).

[Craig LaForce]

Just a few tips that might help you.

The black plastic cover has a small set screw on the side that makes removal easy.

The steering wheel is easily removed with a small 3 pronged gear puller.
I took mine off several times messing around with installing my autopilot.

The original 26X had a Morse Detmar helm and many had casting voids in the helm gear. Sounds like what you have, so I would replace the helm unit and cable. 10 feet should be more than long enough. It is an easy swap job. I installed a second inside helm unit and put in a Safe-T QC helm and cable assembly. Price was less than $200 about 7 years ago. A rack and pinion type is too large to fit in the 26X pedestal (without modification anyway).

Its not a difficult job if you are used to working on stuff in general.

[hvaldezz]

Thanks guys for all the help. By the way, my black cover for the steering wheel was not that difficult to remove but it is brittle. Will probably have one made out of wood of some type.

As always, all the suggestions will be a tremendous help.

H.

[RickJ]

The black plastic cover has a small set screw on the side that makes removal easy.

Even after removing the set screw mine was still seized in. I think the plastic had degraded from UV exposure which may have made it expand. It was certainly brittle.

Cheers, Rick

[Randy McCotter]

I put in a UFlex 11' in my 2002X and love it. the stock detmar was a 2 fisted, white knuckled ordeal. The UFlex is now 3 turns from full port to full starboard and it's easily done with one finger. I recommend it !! the worst part is putting on the template and gathering up the courage to drill a hole in your new baby. Other than that, it's a piece of cake.

fair winds.......... Randy 2002