Tohatsu 6: How fix steering position?

[gallilaw]

I have a Tohatsu 6 Sail Pro (extra long shaft) to which I added the remote control box and cables, so that now I adjust shift and throttle with a single lever in the cockpit, rather than using the throttle control arm and shift lever on the engine.

Sadly, because of normal vibration, the motor keeps working its way out of position. I can't keep it pointing dead ahead. There is an adjustment screw in the rear of the drive shaft enclosure. I thought the screw was there to lock the motor in place -- but then I read in the user manual that the adjustment screw is meant to adjust only "the friction load of the steering, but not to fix the steering."

The manual also says that "excess tightening of the adjustment screw may cause damage to the swivel bracket."

Before I read that, I had adjusted the screw pretty tight several times and it never stopped the motor from slipping and turning left or right.

So, since I can't use the friction screw to lock the motor in position, pointing dead ahead -- how can I do it?

Thanks.

[Faster]

Yeah.. we had a similar motor on a small sailboat and had the same problem.. Originally we were able to put enough friction on to prevent it under way, but it would still vibrate around in neutral without the prop load and with the increased vibration at low speeds.

Maybe you can fashion an arm that bolts to the yoke on the front that will rest on the transom and discourage the turning??

[Ulladh]

I have same problem with my 6hp Tohatsu. I use two bungee cords to hold in the motor in position.

The single cylinder motor tends to kick the motor to one side, bungee holds or pulls the motor back.

[gallilaw]

Thanks for the replies so far.

It seems strange that the user manual would tell me what NOT to do in order to keep the motor pointing straight ahead, while not telling me what I should do. It's like a car manufacturer telling me not to use the clutch pedal to steer the car, without including a steering wheel.

It seems every two-hour project on the boat ends up taking about two days worth of work spread out over four days.

[tommays]

The safety instructions were really written for a boat like a dingy that uses the motor as the rudder

So you gotta due what you gotta due cause the motor turning when it should not is less than safe

[brak]

I have the same motor and the same problem. I solved it by attaching a short line in a shape of a V with two ends of a V going to two edges of a handle on a motor (they are fixed through little holes on a handle), and the vertex of V clipped (with removable clip) to a U-bolt in front (in my case, it is in a side of a cockpit seat). Once clipped, the V is tight and will prevent motor from turning (too far anyway).

[kneb139]

I've had this problem as well with my Nissan(Tohatsu) 6 hp.
I too think it is unsafe for a sailboat.
I contacted Tohatsu and they basically said the way it will not securely clamp the motor in one place is by design and they won't do anything about it.
I basically said that is pretty sucky.

Brak's idea led me to think of perhaps making a continuous loop of line that attaches via quick-release to an eyebolt on the center of the front of the engine, said loop going through a pulley on one side of the boat and through a rope clutch on the other side so you can easily loosen off and adjust then lock down, kinda along the line that travellers work.

[kneb139]

I just was in contact with Tohatsu again about the poor steering tensioning device and how unsafe it is.

They say they now have a locking device for the 9.8 remote models and are working on one for the 4/5/6 hp models, available real soon.

Tohatsu fellow said:
It is a simple plate that locks the steering and bolts to the 2 holes in the grab handle.

That's all I know.

[tap]

That would be nice. I wonder if it can easily be engaged and disengaged? My Tohatsu 8 generally says straight when motoring but when it put it up it has a tendency to flop over from one side to the other when I change tacks.

[gallilaw]

I looked closely at the parts diagram, then noticed that the thumbscrew is not drilled through. I speculated that the leading threads on the friction band were "bottoming out" inside the thumbscrew before maximum tightness was achieved.

So...I just added a couple of washers in front of the thumbscrew. That increased the effective travel or "grab" on the friction loop. The motor was then locked much more thoroughly in place.

We'll see what happens in the real world in a few weeks.