Updating and Upgrading My Skeeter F-80 Strada

If you look at the location of the Splashwell rigging location and where the Tilt Tube is located because of the Jackplate you can see a mechanical steering cable would never make that bend and survive. Newer boats have a wider Splashwell but this is a 1986 15ft Skeeter, real small Splashwell. If I use the boat for more than a rebuilt engine break in platform it will get Hydraulic Steering. I have been using the Vents for years instead of cutting holes. Surprisingly when I have ask customers did they want another hole or pass the new steering cable thru the Vent almost every one chose the Vent. This steering cable I'm using is a little long but remember I'm pulling parts out of my stash, all used for now, till I decide what I'm going to do with the boat.

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Originally Posted by Rojo

If you look at the location of the Splashwell rigging location and where the Tilt Tube is located because of the Jackplate you can see a mechanical steering cable would never make that bend and survive. Newer boats have a wider Splashwell but this is a 1986 15ft Skeeter, real small Splashwell. If I use the boat for more than a rebuilt engine break in platform it will get Hydraulic Steering. I have been using the Vents for years instead of cutting holes. Surprisingly when I have ask customers did they want another hole or pass the new steering cable thru the Vent almost every one chose the Vent. This steering cable I'm using is a little long but remember I'm pulling parts out of my stash, all used for now, till I decide what I'm going to do with the boat.

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I see that now. I did not read through the whole post and look at all the pics. I have done the same thing oddly enough, my issue was that the steering cable was so frozen we couldn't get it back out of the rigging hole. We needed the boat up and running so we used the vent hole.

So I had a OEM Yamaha 703 Control a "PUSH" control for 50hp and smaller. I realized since I had several Hot Foots in my stash and a control cable that works with them too I would install the 703 "Push" Control since all I will be doing with it is shifting.

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I pulled this control cable from the spare parts and used electrical tape to attach it to the control cable I was removing to pull it thru.

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The trim for the control cable opening in the Cockpit was toast. I thought the hole was a bit on the oversized scale so I made a new trim hole smaller. Only the one control cable, the 10 pin harness, trim gauge harness, and oil tank wires were going thru.

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Now that that's done I can install the 703 control.

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First off is the back/bottom cover of the 703 control. Once off you can land the control cables. before landing the control cables first you install the EYE on the cable end. To adjust this end correctly you thread the Eye on till the cable threads are flush with the inside opening in the Eyelet.

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After that is done you add a little good grease on the eyelet pin before landing the Eyelet and securing with the retainer.

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Since I'm using a Hot Foot only one control cable is passing into the 703 control. To prevent movement in the cable I add a extra wedge in the control area that secured the control cable housing.

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Once the control cable was installed I could mount the 703 control to the hull.

Got the Steering Cable and Control Cables connected on the engine side. Can't connect the engine to the Steering Cable itself just yet. The only steering wheel I had in my stash is over 15 inches in diameter. I need a steering wheel to feed the steering cable into the helm. one should be delivered tomorrow, a 12.4in diameter wheel.

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You do do some good work, that's for sure. :highfive

We can only put this boat on a trailer on high tide. This is the boat I rebuilt the hydraulics on in a previous thread. Now the engine on the other side is leaking down and won't lift the engine much. Apparently another hydraulics rebuild is in my immediate future. Working on boats is fun, having everyone's boat available for use, Priceless.........

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rojo

We can only put this boat on a trailer on high tide. This is the boat I rebuilt the hydraulics on in a previous thread. Now the engine on the other side is leaking down and won't lift the engine much. Apparently another hydraulics rebuild is in my immediate future. Working on boats is fun, having everyone's boat available for use, Priceless.........

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Now I understand you a little better.....lol

Yes, a fleet of 24ft Center Console boats are at my disposal. I grew up catching speckled trout & redfish. Flounder, drum, & sheepshead too. Started catching Redfish on a fly, total gas. That started me down the road of Technical Poling Skiffs and fabricating Poling platforms and Sight Fishing platforms. The really hard gems to find is the small 1 man fiberglass boats that are not completely rotten like the Blazer I built and the boat you are doing now. The Skeeter is really solid. I didn't realize how well Skeeter bass boats were made. I'm not impressed with their saltwater offerings at all. Did T-Tops on them, every one of them was stress cracked across the forward Transverse Bulkhead. It is a designed in stress point. I had a couple of customers as me to fix it but I passed. I went here on the Pearl one day with a couple of fly rods rigged with jigs to see if I could catch a Crappie and slowly the passion for playing Tug-of-War with saltwater fish diminished to point I don't care to go. Now when the big Suzie's start running I will be out there this fall, I am looking to hang a monster Flatfish in the Louisiana records book.

One thing most can say about my shop, I have a STASH. In it is always 2 Hot Foot Throttles, one for Yamaha & one for Evinrude. I pulled out the Yamaha unit and hooked up the engine.

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I keep the boxes for when I put them back up when swapping engines around.

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As always you wish there was more threads on one side or the other. Here I have the Engine side cable adapter eyelet threaded on about 2/3rds to 3/4 quarters of the way.

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The Hot Foot side cable connector doesn't quite reach or align with the anchor point and when I screw it out to where it does only a couple of threads remain engaged.

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By removing the Engine side eyelet from the throttle linkage I can turn it out to a little less than half then reinstall the eyelet to the linkage. This gives me room or slack to thread the Hot Foot eyelet further up the threads and align the retaining bolt properly.

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Hot Foot Throttles have a fine Idle adjustment. Right now I have it putting a bit of pressure on the throttle stop but still opening the Butterflies perfectly square with the carburetor bore.

I will anchor it down after getting the steering installed.

Now that the Hot Foot is done I switch to Steering.

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I received the steering wheel, it is a adjustable type allowing adjustment for centering. For the moment I just need it to turn the Helm so I can thread the Steering Cable into the NFB Helm. The Wheel is just tacked on with two screws for now.

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I always regrease steering cables recycled with this Extreme Grease. Good stuff.

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After getting the steering cable started into the helm I slowly turn the wheel guiding the steering cable core centered into the helm till I have to put the protective Liner on the upper cable exit point. Then I continue turning the wheel.

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Once the steering cable housing goes all the way in a cotter pin is installed to lock it in place. A cotter pin is also used to lock the protective liner in place.

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This cable is 1 foot too long. If I keep the boat it will have a 115 on it so Hydraulic Steering (the good one) will be installed with the final install of the engine. I will re-gelcoat this boat if I keep it too.

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I mentioned earlier that the steering wheel is adjustable well I have centered the engine well within the allowances of the steering wheel and now am rotating the mounting holes in the steering wheel to straighten the wheel up.

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Everything is aligned and ready to continue on.

P.S. that is the "Bat Mobile" the Caddy sitting next to the Skeeter. It is fixin' to get it's new Air Shocks & Brakes.