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T22 Steering requires way too much effort


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My T22 has become increasingly difficult to steer. Both directions. Anyone know where to lube the cable? I haven't had any time to look at it, just figured I'd ask here before heading to the cottage this weekend.

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Did you try greasing the rudder? There should be a zerk on it somewhere. Usually it points to the bow of the boat

Nope. I will try that this weekend. Thanks for the idea.

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Nope. I will try that this weekend. Thanks for the idea.

You will probably need a flexible hose to attach to the grease gun. Make sure you use marine grease as well.

Also, when you pump, have someone turn the rudder side to side. This will help. And don't force too much grease into the zerk. 2-3 full pumps max.

I forced too much in my LSV and it took a while for the steering to loosen up. It got REALLY tight after I did that.

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You will probably need a flexible hose to attach to the grease gun. Make sure you use marine grease as well.

Also, when you pump, have someone turn the rudder side to side. This will help. And don't force too much grease into the zerk. 2-3 full pumps max.

I forced too much in my LSV and it took a while for the steering to loosen up. It got REALLY tight after I did that.

Ok will do. I was looking at the boat on the hoist on Monday and I couldn't move the rudder by hand. Do you think this is an indication that the rudder is the issue?

Edited by Raimie
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I'll support the Doc here also. Since your boat is pretty new, I'd start with one pump while someone is working the steering wheel and see what that does, then if it's still stiff, give it another one. I can't imagine your cable is bad given the age of the boat, but it's possible I suppose...idk.

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I have driven a new T22 recently and it too is very hard to steer. Throttle is also very stiff.

There should be a way to adjust the tension on the throttle as it is throttle by wire.

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Have you ever had a lot of water in you bilge? Happened to me one time due to busted ballast fitting that I didn't catch right away. Cable must have gotten wet, then rusted. First trip out the next season could not turn the boat without popeye forearms!

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Have you ever had a lot of water in you bilge? Happened to me one time due to busted ballast fitting that I didn't catch right away. Cable must have gotten wet, then rusted. First trip out the next season could not turn the boat without popeye forearms!

Nope. At least not that I am aware of. My bilge hardly ever runs

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A mechanic I trust says that the extra weight we put in our boats for surfing leads to shorter lifespan on the steering cables. I would bet a steering cable replacement would make it butter again.

A link about steering selection with an interesting note about displacement hulls:

https://www.cpperformance.com/products/Controls/mechanical-steering-selection.htm

Check out #7

"Larger boats with displacement hulls and inboard rudders can create steering loads that exceed the capability of mechanical steering systems commonly used on runabouts. Hydraulic steering systems are better suited to function under high steering loads."

When surfing we are loading our boats up and displacing as much water as possible, seems like the cable might become a weak link. That being said replacing cables is inexpensive vs a hydraulic steering upgrade.

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Good info from the Axis forum...

Axis (2011) is an unserviceable rudder box. No zerk fittings to grease it, and no grease is used to lubricate it. It is lubricated from the lake/river/ocean water. The bottom seal of the rudder (the seal that touches the water surface) is not a true seal, it is a porous one that is supposed to immediately allow water to enter into the steering box, keeping the rudder nice and slippery, but on mine, the rudder shaft got so tight in there that it almost seized… got worse and worse as the weeks went on.

I am going to look into switching it out.... more to come...

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Those are zerks for grease. Read my post again...says mine looks just like this but no grease fittings. I didn't get a pic of mine, figured to make a point I would reference that picture and say mine looks just like it but without the fittings.

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^^^ oh, that makes sense... I also misread your post. You should not be having steering cable issues on a 2014 boat. I say take it to your dealer and let the warranty take care of it. How many hours are on the boat?

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