Opening morse control SO37

[maxsydney]

Has anyone opened up the morse control box like this one on a SO37? My throttle cable broke (luckily I was able to launch sail) and now I'm trying to have a look. I tried removing the six screws in front, grub screw and two acres in rear but it won't budge open. Any advice?

Thanks!

Max

[MalcolmP]

I opened one the same on my previous 34.2, you must remove the lever entirely, double check all the bolts ate out. The two cases are joined with a sealant. Carefully prize apart, maybe try a bit of LOW heat to soften the sealant. The cases are very thin alloy castings so go very slow. You might be able to use a Stanley knife in the join, I can't remember if the casting edges overlap or not. Mine was very rusty inside.. The alloy pole does not go right through, but joins the casting top and bottom. Please take some photos for others going this in future (sorry I didn't...)

[MickeyB]

I didn't have to remove everything - only the 6 bolts and then prize apart - the sealant they use is really good glue!  My cable broke about 2 years ago, out of gear, in a crowded anchorage - doing about 3 knots.  Great fun.

Also for my boat, 34.2, the cable replacement was really long - even the shop owner was amazed.

Good luck.

[Deleted]

Make yourself familiair with the engine so that if the cable breaks and you're not alone on board somebody can operatie it directly on the engine.

[heatherina]

Opened this up on Heatherina a couple of days ago. Seems to be made of a cast Alloy. Used a good quality penetrating oil on the screws first, be patient and allow penetrant to work. 
Ours was spotless clean inside, no corrosion.
best of luck
Ian

[sleighride]

I have the same control box on my 43DS and the throttle cable broke two years ago when I was about to anchor deep in a remote anchorage in Glacier Bay, Alaska. The control panel came apart easily after removing the six bolts and minor prying by hand. Be sure to take a picture of the assembly mechanism for the cable at the top of the control panel after you get it apart. The assembly is a bit tricky if you do not have a diagram or cannot recall precisely how the parts go together. The most critical part of the process is to order a new cable the correct length. The numbers on my cable where it attached to the engine did not match the numbers on the new cable; and the numbers on the original did not appear to be metric either. I ordered a cable that was almost two feet too short after I taped it and pulled it through the hull, beneath the aft berth, and then up into the control panel in the cockpit. I then stretched  the old cable on the dock and measured it precisely, and then reordered the new cable based on the measurements I took. You do not want to remove the old cable first, at least not in my boat, since to pull it out through old zip ties, and around corners and other equipment, including the steering quadrant is most problematic when you then  need to install the new cable. I was able to use the throttle on the engine for my fifty mile trip back to Hoonah, Alaska, and cell phone coverage for parts, by taping a wood paint mixing paddle to get the engine to hold at 2,000 RPMs. It took two persons, of course, to remove the jury-rigged tool to reduce speed back to the dock (and to avoid whales on the way.) 
Good luck, but remember what the old adage "Measure twice and cut once."  My advice is to Measure twice before you order the new cable, and if in doubt, order a foot or two longer as you can always add more to the size of the cable loop, but too short does not work!  

[dbostrom]

As long as one is at it and practicing deep "boga*", and given the kind of horrible situations where a cable fault will inevitably emerge, buy and install a second cable alongside the working copy. 

This is the kind of deep defense we charter boat owners are forced to do in order to improve dispatch statistics but this one in particular has general applicability. 

* boga (n): non-therapeutic hyper-extension of musculoskeletal anatomy while upside down and gripping a flashlight in teeth, installing a fastener around a corner and out of sight. cf. "extreme interrogation." 

[vsergio]

When opened the Morse control last year, found heavy corrosion of all stainless parts and brass. The control box is made of pewter, an alloy that is made of tin and copper, very resistant to corrosion but soft and brittle.

If you decide that the internal parts are not in too bad shape, when you clean the stainless parts, do not allow the cleaner to come in contact with the pewter, it will dissolve it if you're using an acid.


I replaced all the Teleflex cables with Volvo equivalent (more expensive but better quality) and the morse box.

It is an easy afternoon job if you have all the parts available. 

[maxsydney]

Thanks for all your valuable feedback. There was good quality sealant so, after removing the six screws, I had to pry the plates apart (by inserting a screwdriver around the top seal) and then use a box cutter blade to break the seal.



Insides were ok - looks like end of cable has separated from rod.