Aftermarket steering wheel

When i got my 80 Barefoot the wheel was a dodge ed/orange color rubber marine one, i don't think it was the original but am not sure. anyway it look real bad. I ended up buying a 'fake' momo wheel of Ebay from Japan. it is a classic, understated design from there 2005 range and looks slick and matches the dash perfectly. and yes it is a fake and that was on purpose as firstly it was less than half the price of an original and looks identical and is of almost equal quality but the main reason was instead of being leather it is closed cell foam and so holds up to the constant wet-dry-wet cycles much better.

You are right about the fitting though as the holes did not match up. quite easy though i just drilled and tapped new holes in the correct location on the original boss.

I would add a pic but the boat is at the dealers having the engine rebuild and has been all winter.

I also own an 81 SN I think the steering wheel is in better condition than on the 77 so Im going to swapem. Man Im lucky to have found a parts boat. Jbear that is lucky to find such a bad ass boat, one day I will have mine in that condition, I was thinking of doing some custom work on mine but I would hate to ruin the classic look. So Im going stock on everything except a few mechanical upgrades for better usability. Im taking lots of pics and will have a detailed list of what Ive done when I finish.

Marine steering wheels are unique to marine use. Therefore, I doubt a non-marine steering wheel will fit. Most of the older boats use a tapered shaft. Most cars, if not all, use a splined shaft. Many of the newer marine steering shafts are splined but PROBABLY not the same size as automotive shafts.

Hey rmcdonald, how about some pictures of that old 68?

yeah you guys are right,it would look funny with a crazy steering wheel and gauges from the late 70's . Whitewall cleaner and a SOS ? how did you come up with that combination. Thanks for the help guys Ill leave it stock.

PS jbear's boat incredible

jbear wrote: coreytread; This is only my .02 so don't be offened but.........no way on the fancy wheel. Keep it original. All of it. Shine up the dash and it'll all look good. Those wheels just don't "fit" on an older boat. john

    Agreed.. I used some whitewall cleaner and a SOS pad. Make her shine, save the $$!!

                             Jeff...

Im currently having my boat restored , I love an old nautique, but one of the worst looking areas in my opinion is the faded black dash on mine atleast and the steering wheel. I have a good feeling about getting the shine back on the dash but my question is will after market steering wheels not made for marine use fit an old nautique. here is a link to the list of steeringwheels I like any help will be much appreciated. Billet specialties