Tension on Steering cable

[mickmeck]

I have a 2003 Jeanneau 43DS. Recently it seems that to sail straight I need about 1 degree of left rudder. I examined the steering cable and all looks fine. I am wondering about how much tension there should be on the cable. Does anyone know where I could find this information?

[sitara]

My guess is that there should be just enough tension to eliminate all slop in the system, or at least leave an acceptable degree. Too much tension will put unnecessary strain on the components, too little risks the cable jumping off the quadrant. I suggest holding the quadrant steady, or the rudder if out of the water, and have someone move the wheel to see how much movement there is.

[Trevor]

I agree with Sitara. I would be near the rudder quadrant able to adjust the cables and get someone else to rock the steering back and forth and tighten until just tight enough to have no slack. Lock it off at that and go sailing.

Regards

Trevor

[Mistroma]

I remember being tied up beside a larger and a smaller DS in Campbelltown late in 2009 and talking about this. The owner of the larger (49DS possibly) had a recent steering problem and needed to be towed in the Pentland Firth. Not a good place to be in trouble. I remember that his steering had jammed hard over to one side and that made the tow very difficult. Movement was so bad that nobody could work on the problem. He discovered that the cable was very loose and had jumped off one of the pulleys. The cable pulled into a groove and the whole thing jammed solid.

I have been careful to check the tension every single year since 2009 and have not needed to make any adjustment yet. I was tempted to see if I could fit some sort of guard on each pulley to prevent the cable jumping off but never got around to it.

It still comes to mind in bad weather and I try to remain aware of any change in steering. I hope I'd be able to stop winding it full over but probably not.

[johannes]

In a situation like that it is good to know your system and have a plan. If he had been able to have quick access to the mechanism he could have cut the cable and used the emergency tiller.

[mickmeck]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am aware that it needs to be cinderella tight - not too lose and not too tight. I was just wondering if someone knew the specs for it. I looked in the manual and it provides no information. I have always used 1/4" deflection for fan belts and I was wondering if there was a specific amount of flex I should expect. 

In the mean time, I will monitor it. 

Thanks for the input. Unless someone has a very specific answer we can close this thread. 

[jy51]

Jun 5, 2020 16:26:04 GMT mickmeck said:

Thanks everyone for your input. I am aware that it needs to be cinderella tight - not too lose and not too tight. I was just wondering if someone knew the specs for it. I looked in the manual and it provides no information. I have always used 1/4" deflection for fan belts and I was wondering if there was a specific amount of flex I should expect. 

In the mean time, I will monitor it. 

Thanks for the input. Unless someone has a very specific answer we can close this thread. 

Obviously the main criteria is to have it so it doesn't slip or jump off a pulley and not too tight that you introduce strain and wear.  

Personally I would have though the sideways movement would be with 1 to 2 inches maximum at the point between the longest run of cable, (probably a meter length).  If you go by the ¼" movement in a fan belt I believe it would be far too tight!

[mickmeck]

Thanks. I am within that tolerance so all is well.