Steering Problem 1992’ SN

I'm LUCKY ENOUGH TO OWN A 92'SN. The only problem I have had has been with the effort of steering the boat to the right. Having had the boat for only a few months, my first thought was to change out the steering cable. With the new cable, I am still having to use more effort than necessary to turn right. The boat will turn slowly to the left when let go and requires a full hand to turn back to the right. I'm not getting the one/two finger turns that i would expect with the new cable. The rudder hasn't been filed down to turn left either. From the back of the boat on the trailer the rudder can be turned either direction with about the same force which is weird. Iv'e done basic engine maintenance but have little experience with rudder ass'y and wondered if anyone would have a suggestion b4 i haul it to CC dealer???

Call Woody or Art at SECC 407 851 1965

Thanks. That was going to be my next step.
I'll post what i find for anyone else that might have a problemo but i'll tell you one thing...my kidneys have fully recovered after giving up the jolt from the 87'MC i used to own.
I cross my wakes intentionally now cuz it's a heck of a lot softer ride!

What ended up being the problem with the boat not steering to the right? I've got a 1992 Ski Nautique that I just purchased that has the same problem....

I think I read somewhere that the position of the rudder and the prop in the 92' vintage is creating the resistance we experience. When the boat is on the lift, I can turn the wheel either way with my finger. The previous owner replaced the steering cable and I have since greased the rudder. When the boat is at a healthy cruising speed, it is difficult to turn starboard (I'm also guessing that the prop rotation contributes to why starboard is more difficult than port). Good thing I use the boat to ski, and straight is the optimal direction to be going!

I have encountered the exact same thing on my '68 Mustang AFTER I installed an OJ prop (with a lot of rake). With the OJ prop installed a LOT of heavy effort is required to turn the boat to the right. Also, my RPMs drop when turning to the right - go figure. I think it's prop wake that is being applied to the rudder. As soon as I get my original prop back from the prop shop it is going back on my boat. Does anybody want to buy a perfectly good 12 x 12 1" bore rebuilt OJ ptop?

Looking forward to their diagnosis of the problem. Hopefully they will be able to come up with a solution, the winter months will give me a chance to put it right.

The dealer felt as though it is not uncommon for a 10-12 year old Nautique to have its steering tighten up. Attributes this to the decay and shreeding of the steering cable due to condensation and rust brought on by the cable being so low to the water line...especially the closer it gets to the rudder. He's gonna replace my cable in the spring, so I wont know if this actually fixes it for at least 6-7 months.

Hi All,

I bought a '93 Sport Nautique, that have the same steering problem. Would like to know how if anyone have solved the problem and how it was solved. Thanks

~onsse

My '92 SN had the same problem, but the original rudder was trimmed to pull the boat slightly to the left for tournament skiing. The boat had 1500 hours on it. I noticed the rudder had a small amount of play, ie. hold the bottom of the rudder and push from side to side. So I replaced the rudder and rudder port with the new trim tab rudder. I also replaced the stearing cable while I was at it. BINGO - 90 percent of problem solved. Note: I also have the 4 blade OJ prop . That may be the other 10 percent of the problem. I will let you know when I change props...

My 97 sport has the same problem, figure it is just prop torque. I was just looking for the grease fitting and can't it, do all Nautiques have them?

Yes , that is what I eventually did, it seemed to ease the problem for a couple of months but it was not a long term solution.
The long term solution was a 02 SN with FCT, drives like a dream and the wife can handle it easily. It is a bit drastic to say you wuold never buy another Nautique based on this experience. I do agree though that CC must know about the issue and probably the longer term solution.
Stick with CC they are without doubt the best in the business (arguably).

I forget to tell you to first try a prop that is smaller in diameter first

I think I have advice for getting that last 10% back: I just reinstalled my Teleflex tilt helm last night. Upon checking it over before installation, I noticed I could barely turn the stub shaft by hand...it was extrememly tight (no steering cable attached). So, I removed the C-clip and tried to push the shaft out of the bore by hand...no go. I had to hammer the shaft out where I then found that the original grease was more like glue than grease and the nylon bushing totally dry. Upon cleaning the old grease remnants and apply new high temp grease, the shaft spun freely.

So, some of the stiff steering many people complain of on the older Nautiques has to be a partial result of the helm stub shaft lack of lubrication.