Antique boat steering wheel (Aquabird) question

[shoestringmariner]

Hey all, I thought I’d post this question here as I know some of you are into old boats
I picked up an old plywood runabout built back in the 50’s. It came with an Aquabird steering wheel. Its wobbly as hell and I cant figure out how to tighten it up….is there any way to take the slop out of it? I don’t want to pry on the center cap for fear of damaging it. (I tried that but I didn’t want to force it)
Any ideas?

[amuller]

Is the wheel loose on the shaft or is the shaft loose in it’s bearings? I presume from the age you give that this is a cable steering system. Usually but not always the wheel is mated to the shaft with a taper and there may be a nut to tighten under that cap. If the shaft is loose in it’s housing there may be some replaceable bushings, or you might need some machine work to make it right.

[billw]

I had one that the bushings were all worn out on, on an old Boston Whaler. The bushings were hard to find, for some reason; but I finally did find some through MSC Industrial Supply.

Long live American manufacturing!

[shoestringmariner]

quote amuller:

Is the wheel loose on the shaft or is the shaft loose in it’s bearings? I presume from the age you give that this is a cable steering system. Usually but not always the wheel is mated to the shaft with a taper and there may be a nut to tighten under that cap. If the shaft is loose in it’s housing there may be some replaceable bushings, or you might need some machine work to make it right.

Thanks, it is a cable system. The wheel is sloppy on the shaft and very squeaky. I think I will pull the entire thing off and do a full teardown. That cap has to come off somehow

[shoestringmariner]

quote amuller:

Is the wheel loose on the shaft or is the shaft loose in it’s bearings? I presume from the age you give that this is a cable steering system. Usually but not always the wheel is mated to the shaft with a taper and there may be a nut to tighten under that cap. If the shaft is loose in it’s housing there may be some replaceable bushings, or you might need some machine work to make it right.

Thanks, it is a cable system. The wheel is sloppy on the shaft and very squeaky. I think I will pull the entire thing off and do a full teardown. That cap has to come off somehow

[shoestringmariner]

quote BillW:

I had one that the bushings were all worn out on, on an old Boston Whaler. The bushings were hard to find, for some reason; but I finally did find some through MSC Industrial Supply.

Great to know thanks

[1aquaholic]

I just went and looked at my Aquabird steering wheel. Mine has a center cap that is glass. If yours is the same as mine, be careful not to break the glass, as I’m sure they are hard to come by! It is held in place by a spring loaded circle clip. (I took the clip off awhile ago, and I can’t seem to find it) Pop that clip off, and it should come out. My steering wheel is not in the boat, so I just turned the steering wheel over and it came right out. On mine, behind the glass Aquabird center cap it looks like they welded a nut on the steering bolt. It’s all rusted and there’s no way to grab ahold of it.
I’ll try and post some pictures to this response, but if for some reason I can’t attaché them, PM me your email and I will send you the pictures of my steering wheel.
I hope this helps!

1Aquaholic

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Attachments:

[jw-in-dixie]

Now you know why those are called s*** clips! That’s the first thing you say after it flies into obscurity, never to be seen again. 🙁

[shoestringmariner]

quote 1Aquaholic:

I just went and looked at my Aquabird steering wheel. Mine has a center cap that is glass. If yours is the same as mine, be careful not to break the glass, as I’m sure they are hard to come by! It is held in place by a spring loaded circle clip. (I took the clip off awhile ago, and I can’t seem to find it) Pop that clip off, and it should come out. My steering wheel is not in the boat, so I just turned the steering wheel over and it came right out. On mine, behind the glass Aquabird center cap it looks like they welded a nut on the steering bolt. It’s all rusted and there’s no way to grab ahold of it.
I’ll try and post some pictures to this response, but if for some reason I can’t attaché them, PM me your email and I will send you the pictures of my steering wheel.
I hope this helps!

1Aquaholic

OUTSTANDING! Thanks very much
Very glad I didn’t keep prying

[shoestringmariner]

worked like a charm, the clip was disguised inside a white nylon jacket. I thought it was a seal or glazing or something.

I tightened up the wheel and the wobble is gone. There’s a small amount of play in the keyway though, so there’s a minor delay in the shaft rotation before the wheel catches. If it bothers me enough, I’ll see about replacing the pin that sits in the keyway

Thanks again for the help

[Author]

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