Converting from tiller steer?

[bochmann]

Hey guys I have a 1984 25 HP mercury 2 stroke and am thinking of converting it from a tiller steer. My motor is also only a pull start but has a mounting bracket for a starter on it, is there a way to make it an electric start buying a starter and flywheel for it? My idea is to Get a CMC power trim for it and have it be remote steering and build an aluminum console but I am kinda lost on the steering setup I would need. Any info you guys can share would be greatly appreciated. And the Boat is a 14' if that makes a difference. Thanks
-Ryan

 

[JMichael]

I have no doubt that it's possible, but have you considered how much you'd be willing to invest in order to do this conversion? It's not going to be cheap even if you can find all the parts you'll need.

 

[bochmann]

Yea i have looked at the cost, looking about $150 for a rotary steering setup, $60 for a steering wheel, $600 for trim, still looking at throttle and shift controls, they are looking to be atleast $200 from what i have found. still looking for what I am going to need for the electric start, need the starter and ring gear for sure, will I need a solenoid for it as well? and a few hundred in materials...all adds up fast lol. I think it is doable but for the bracket on the motor, would I be able to fabricate a bracket and linkage to connect to the cable?

 

[JMichael]

Yes you will need a solenoid, possibly a rectifier and stator if you want the motor to recharge your battery, a wiring harness for the motor, and another one for the boat (last motor harness I priced was $184, boat harness was more). If your motor doesn't have electric choke already, you'll need the parts to set that up as well. Unless you are a machinist with access to a shop, I wouldn't plan on fabricating my on controls/connections. My last motor was a victim of a DIY remote steer/shift before I converted it back to tiller control and it was a mess.

 

[MOE]

Have you considered trying to find and old junk boat that has a console and/or all the controls that you need? Might even be able to find a parts motor for a decent price.

 

[Kismet]

What Moe^ said.

Or...for that kind of money and effort, might be worth your while, if it that important to you, just start shopping for a new, used, boat equipped the way you want it.

Selling season's ending up here, might just get a perfect fit.

Good luck.

 

[JMichael]

Kismet » Today, 11:09[/url]"]
Or...for that kind of money and effort, might be worth your while, if it that important to you, just start shopping for a new, used, boat equipped the way you want it.

That's the route I'd probably take considering all the cost and trouble locating the necessary items for the conversion.

 

[bochmann]

Thanks for all of the input guys, I really dont want to get a new boat, i love my current boat, would it be more feasible to just make it remote steer for now and just deal with the pull start until i purchase a new motor that is already set up for remote steer? She fires up on first or second pull so I dont think it would be that bad to have to pull start it every time. Then all I would really need would be the rotary steering, the power trim, and the controls for the motor. Would a modern control unit work with my motor or would I need to get one for that era, The motor is a 1987 not 1984.

 

[bochmann]

So I am still looking at parts for this project and have decided to scrap the electric start idea an just pull start it until I come across a motor that is already set up, but I am wanting to go remote steer with my current motor, found everything that I will need besides throttle and shift cable. All the ones I have found do not have the ends that mine has on it, the ends I have are just barrel ends like on a bike. Is there a way I can just extend my current cables or would I need to make or have made a custom cable for it? And I am not sure what kind of ends I would need on the controls side? Can someone help me please?
-Ryan

 

[PATRIOT]

When I converted my current rig to remote . . . I bought complete controls and steering off a donor boat and had to fab the brackets for the motor and had to get creative with the linkages inside the motor. I let the cables determine the bracket and linkage style I had to make. I'll post pics when I can find them . . . some are probably buried in my earlier posts.
It's basically a case of just running all the cables to and inside the motor, mocking them up, seeing what throws you have on the cables and what throws you need on the carb and shift lever and making the two come together. I did mine to try and leave a "stock" appearance.

 

[bochmann]

Please do the only part I am having a hard time figuring out is the throttle and shift cables, I am thinking I am just gonna have to get a custom made cable or buy a motor that is already set up for remote.

 

[PATRIOT]

This is the best I can come up with on a moments notice. My goal was to have remote controls but still leave all the tiller controls intact which comes in handy if you are standing in the water and starting the motor. Basically, what I have is throttle, shift, and remote kill switch. The motor is a 1987 Nissan 15HP recoil start. Maybe this will head you in right direction. The most drastic step was removing the plastic shift lever and replacing it with an aluminum lever I made to go on the original shaft. Some of the stock control arms have extra holes you may be able to use, like I did for the throttle, without having to disturb anything else.
The steering bracket on the motor was easy, I just attached angle iron to the underside of the lifting handle.
Good luck.

 

[bochmann]

Yea you sure got creative on that one! I dont think I need to go that extreme, my throttle controls my shifting, I think I am just gonna have to make or have made a custom cable that will work on my motor, its got barrel ends and adjusters on the motor end and Im not sure what the control end is gonna need, I guess it just depends on the control unit I get. My goal is to be able to put it all back to stock in the event that I want to sell it. But thanks for your help I will post a picture of my throttle linkage on the motor tomorrow.