Houseboat Steering and Shift Levers - hard to steer, forward and reverse

A problem with the houseboat steering, shift levers, and hard to steer. The forward and reverse sometimes shifts the motor opposite.

We are newbies, and have a 1972, 45 ft steel Stardust Cruiser houseboat, in a fair condition. The hull has little surface rust.

My question is, when I steer right, the wheel is very heavy or hard to steer. Then I steer right, and the boat almost steers itself.

When it comes to the shifter lever, sometimes when you pull from foward to reverse, the motor will still be going foward. Or it will do just the opposite, I think it's just worn out?

Any ideas, and thank you for a great website!

From a newbie family of houseboaters, West Georgia.

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Reply - Answer
Well, I want to welcome you to the houseboat forums, and congratulations on your house boat purchase.

As to your questions about the steering, I don't remember if a 1972 Stardust Cruiser has hydraulic steering. If it's a hydraulic system, have you checked the fluid level at the helm pump? (steering wheel)

The helm pump may need to be serviced. You could always disconnect the pivoting arm at the rear, and verify if there any blockage between the piston and the connecting arm on the outdrive?

As to your shift levers, the cable travels from the helm, and winds it's way through the boat, and ends up controlling the shift linkage in the engine room. You most likely have either worn out cables, sticky binding shifter linkage, or a badly adjusted shift mechanism.

If you find out that the cables are old and sticking, you can follow the tips in this article on how to lubricate and save the throttle and shifter cables.

You may want to get to know some of the local boaters in your marina, as some of them may be able to help you in doing some quick diagnoses and send you in the right direction.



Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their houseboat steering and shifter experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN from all-about-houseboats

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