Dual station controls

[ruggit]

What do I need to steer and control my 250 Yamaha from the aft station?

The forward helm has Sea star hydraulic, and the routine Yamaha side mount control.

My aft station presently has a cable wheel for the kicker, and another side mount for the kicker.

I can rig the kicker a lot of different ways, but the main motor controls have me a little confused.

Can I just replace the aft wheel with a hydraulic one tapped into the existing system, and then rig cables from the forward control to the aft control to the main motor, or is there more to it?

[reel hungry]

quote:Originally posted by ruggit:
What do I need to steer and control my 250 Yamaha from the aft station?

The forward helm has Sea star hydraulic, and the routine Yamaha side mount control.

My aft station presently has a cable wheel for the kicker, and another side mount for the kicker.

I can rig the kicker a lot of different ways, but the main motor controls have me a little confused.

Can I just replace the aft wheel with a hydraulic one tapped into the existing system, and then rig cables from the forward control to the aft control to the main motor, or is there more to it?


All you have to is tap into your existing hydrolic lines with another helm.When connecting cables from front to back you will need different controls other than a single control.You will need need twin controls your single side mounted control will not work,and yes you run from the front control to the back control to the engine.I suggest useing morse supreem cables there made better with less friction drag,I believe there teflon coated inside.JMO

Tim,25'SkipjackFB,Diesel
Reel Hungry

[ruggit]

Thanks Reel.

Do I just need to get a standard Yamaha dual control, or is it a special unit?

[Reel-Rascals]

STEERING: As stated for the hydraulic steering, you need another helm, steering wheel, and set of outboard hoses (FYI - that's what Searstar calls them) to connect helm 1 to 2, plus a "dual station" kit from Teleflex. See: http://www.seastarsteering.com/.

Note: the dual station kit has nylon hose and fittings that runs a "balancing line" from the main helm to the aux helm. You STILL need the heavy outboard (pressure tested) hoses that also run from the L & R port of the main helm to the aux one. You also need to place a non-vented fill cap on the hlem that is physically lower than the other helm, which gets the vented fill cap.

You can use your existing long "OB steering hoses to your main helm and plumb new shorter OB steering hoses to the aux one, further back on your boat. I just went through this whole ordeal rigging a dual station on a 25' Parker sport cabin.

Call 604-270-6899 for Technical Support on Seastar steering units.

CONTROLS: You need Morse-type controls that have separate clutch and throttle, like their old Twin-S series or their newer MT (I believe) series. FWIW I just bought a mint pair of Twin-S controls off of eBay for $160. Seafit also makes one for around $100 each (see www.surplusunlimited.com) that appears to be a direct copy of the Morse. I've had best luck getting support and parts from www.go2marine.com.
You will need a clutch detent kit, neutral/start safety kit, and throttle hold kit for the main helm, plus 2 dual station kits to rig the controls in series, and yes, use the supreme cables.

I've heard that Yummie makes a dual-station control to mimic the features needed for a dualy setup but hear its almost $2K - yikes!

Call 941-907-1000 for Technical Support on Morse controls.

Hope this helps , send me private message if I can assist you !

"Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..."

[ruggit]

Thanks for the reply. Does the forward helm control need to be replaced also?

[Reel-Rascals]

quote:Originally posted by ruggit:
Does the forward helm control need to be replaced also?

Yes, you need two identical single-function but dual controls. That means "single-function"; one lever at each position for gear and another for throttle, and "dual"; for there's 2 levers on each control. You can buy single controls that only control a single gear or throttle.

Your present control most probably is a dual-funtion, meaning it does both gear and throttle with one handle. It also most likely has a "lift" or "depress" button that you pull/push to disengage from Neutral so you can go into Forward, via the gear cable. Once done, that same control handle then moves and increase the throttle cable.

You can probably visualize it ... that you "can't depress that damn disengage button" from the other control - when you're 10' away got it?

If you buy the knockoff Morse controls figure on ~$100 per control, $40 for neutral start kit*, $50 for misc hardware kits, $16 for clutch detent kit*, and $45 for throttle creep/friction kit*. Otherwise each control can be from $200 and up ... and you need two. the kits marked by "*" go on the MAIN helm where you're ignition key is as you need to tie into that circuit.

Then there's cables, plan on 2 @ $65+ each and 2 @ $45 each to get the supreme series ... more if your runs are longer. ICheck out those sites I referred to, I've bought hardware and parts from both and the quality and service has been excellent !

"Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..."

[reel hungry]

This is not a hard upgrade,it does not take any special tools.Any one could doit.The hardest part is makeing a place to mount the control to if you have to.JMO

Tim,25'SkipjackFB,Diesel
Reel Hungry

[ruggit]

Thanks again reel and Reel.

Finding a spot for the controls will be a challenge, but we like challenges.