CONTROL CABLE QUESTION

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:47 am

okay fellow trojan owners, i have a question regarding my control cables.
i spoke with terry at intercoastal marine in middle river yesterday (his company did my winterizing)and he said he ''had more bad news'' for me about my beloved 1976 f-32. he said that mike his mechanic noticed that the throttle and clutch ''felt stiff'' and because of this, ALL 8 OF MY CONTROL CABLES WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED ASAP at the modest price of 8 grand. now, i have had no trouble with the throttles or the clutch in either station since i bought the boat in september. they always had the right detents and felt no different than my dads f-36 tri cabin. while i know eventually they will probably need to be replaced, does anyone out there think that i am being spooked into something? he said that the cables are anywhere form 75 to 150 bucks apiece, but i have been looking online and found new cables for around 50. any thoughts or suggestions? besides finding a new mechanic? at this point, i'm at my ropes end with this nonsense of his.
aaron

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:31 am

Run and run fast . all 8 bad I don't think so . compare your boat with others that have twin station cable controls. Is this the same clown that did not know how to free up a stiff seacock and broken the handle ?

Rember a duel helm will be stiffer then a single

Funny thing happened a few weeks ago I fired up my boat useing the lower station ( never run it from there ) went to kick it in and out of gear it was real stiff . So I check it out and determan it must be the upper cable or control . So I go up to the flybrige and what do I find ? My canvas guy finely got the helm cover done ! I removed the cover all is well .

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:51 am

hey paul, i can always count on you for keeping me centered..... i just cannot believe that terry would pull this crap on me... i am not stupid, and i guess that he thinks i am so gullable (after all, his mechanic broke one of my sea cocks). and he actually thinks he is going to do the work for their replacement... i dont think so. it just bakes my cookies when i feel like i am being taken for a costly ride. on another note. any luck on the mast and light assembly? just need to let my other half know if a package shows up from southern virginia.....
keep intouch.
aaron

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:55 am

I added to my last post . I haven't sent the light yet was going to send photo first will do this AM.

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:06 am

you just keep me laughing buddy..... i hope we can meet sometime. i am going to take a pic of the aft cockpit cover and post them when i can. it might be a few days, but i will eventually get to it. what type of cover was added to your flybridge? i have a full enclosure, and to be honest, i think it's a pain in the tuchas..... i want a fly bridge cover with a hood to go over the ladder to keep water from running into the cockpit in a rainstorm. while i am sure the flybridge cover is the thing to have, i prefer to just cover the bridge with a water proof cover and not have to deal with the massive panels for the enclosure. any thoughts? do you leave your bridge cover on over the winter and shrink wrap the bridge or just use the cover?
keep intouch my friend.
aaron

rossjo · Post by **rossjo** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:19 am

$8,000 is highway robbery. Its about 12 hours work to do all 8 + Cables = about $1,500 max!

http://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/viewt ... o+controls

I replaced the old (grey = Std 33C cables and red = 33C Supreme) cables with Teleflex's top-of-the-line TFXtreme (Black) CC633xx cables:

1974 Trojan F32 with Twin Cummins 6BTAs (should be similar length for gas engines - perhaps 1 foot shorter on the lower to engine cable?):
> STBD upper to lower throttle cable - Teleflex TFXtreme 19' cable CC63319
> STBD lower to engine throttle cable - Teleflex TFXtreme 10' cable CC63310
> PORT upper to lower throttle cable - Teleflex TFXtreme 19' cable CC63319
> PORT lower to engine throttle cable - Teleflex TFXtreme 13' cable CC63313

Still need to do my shift cables, but they're not shot yet.

The old cables were NOT the same length as the new cable (total amount extending from fittings), so they MUST be replaced together.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:56 am

Aaron , I have a full enclosure ( see phot of boat ) thats stays on year round . The helm cover is just to cover the helm and keep the sun off the eltonics and if I pull off the full enclosure for a cat 1 storm to keep the helm dry . it only covers the helm not the full brige . the boat stays as you see it in the photo year round .

LandVF36 · Post by **LandVF36** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 12:33 pm

I agree. $8 grand is nuts!. On our F36, I've replace a throttle cables from the upper helm to the junction box below the solon floor at the lower helm. In a previous life, the boat was shipped afew times and they had bent back, cracking the sleeve and water eventually worked its way in and corroded them up. Anyway, took no more than 2 hours.

Undo at the lower end. Undo at the top. fasten the ends of hte new and old at the top together with a tie wrap and a little tape over the joint so it does not get hung up. Gently pull from the bottom while your 2nd mate feeds it to you from the top.

The worst part was crawling back out from under the solon floor! I couldn't reach it from the access pannel in the solon floor. I had to crawl in from under the steps (and someone relocated the water tanks to that area years ago....

Either way, sounds like it's time for a new mechanic. Question, what does he have for a boat? Must be one of those million dollar + jobs that he's trying to aford based on the quotes he gives you

Mitch

Mitch

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:24 pm

All f32 owners I will replace all 8 cable for the discount rate of $4000 . parts and labor !!!! I am jokeing of course but if your realy want to spend 4 grand how could I say NO ??

duchess · Post by **duchess** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:17 am

the other owners are correct get away from this mechanic Duchess had her entire bottom re done with for less than that.

gjrylands · Post by **gjrylands** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:20 pm

Hi,
I am new to the forum, but have owned Trojans for 35 years, and presently own a 1979 f36 footer.
In all those years I have only had to replace 3 control cables. 2 of the cables were throtle cables, the other was a trans cable.
Operating the controls should be smooth and easy. If thay are not try disconecting the bridge cable from the salon station, and see if the control levers operate smoothly. (at both the salon and bridge stations) The salon station will still be operating the throtle or trans, depending on which control lever you are working on. If one or both control levers are not smooth and easy, the cables should be replaced. An important thing to look out for when installing new cables is the radius of the bends. The cable will have the minimnm radius the cable can be bent. In most cases a standard 8 inch radius works fine, but check that the routing of the cable hasn't caused the cable to become over bent. Sometimes by pulling some slack from from one part of the cable can ease the bend in another spot.

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:28 am

Okay folks- maybe this will help. It has been requested many times and this author's throttle/shift cable lubrication has been a very popular remedy for those stiff cables. If you can follow some simple steps, it'll be the difference between night and day. Credit to Oldhouseboater on Boatered.com -Below is a link which explains the procedure.

http://www.boatered.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=95043

Here it is if the link doesn't work.

Once in a while a request comes up for information on how to lubricate control cables.

You need a foot and a half of 3/8 ID reinforced plastic hose from Lowes, a tire valve, three hose clamps, a tire pump or small 12 volt air compressor with a gage, and MMO.

Shave the tire valve down and clamp it in one end of the hose.

1. Remove the fittings from one end of the cable.

2. Put 3 inches of Marvel Mystery Oil in the hose for every 20 feet of cable length.

3. Double clamp oil filled hose over cable.

4. Apply and maintain 50 PSI of air to the tire chuck. DO NOT EXCEED 50 PSI.

5. It will take 10 to 30 minutes for oil to appear at the other end. then your done. Have rags to catch the oil if your in a sensitive area.

I suggest safety glasses just in case somethings blows apart, but I have never had a problem. My save rate on cables is about 75%. I did all my cables every 2 years as PM but I was not on salt water.

Lookout · Post by **Lookout** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:36 am

You kindof gave the answer yourself, you said they feel fine. so, if you think the guy knows your boat better than you, go ahead and spend the money, I think times are tuff and marinas are trying to find creative ways of paying their bills. I just got a bill for winterizing the 2 air conditioners on my f-36, and I asked them to show me where the second one is. 2 years ago, I got charged for winterizing my genset (never had one) I told them to call the police and file a report, cause its not there now.... You know your boat, and you know when shes not feeling good. If they feel fine, there fine.

guglielmo6160 · Post by **guglielmo6160** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:30 pm

did you say 8 grand?????
ya gotta be kidding me, Run away fast

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:07 am

yep. 8 grand... that's what he ''quoted'' me. as a matter of fact, after i finished my trip yesterday, i dropped by the canvas shop next door to intercoastal marine and terry saw me and mentioned this subject again. he said, that 8 grand was 'only a preliminary' quote. he said it could go as high as 10 or 12. now i know something is up. however, this guy will NEVER get any business from me. he also asked if i wanted to schedule my sea cock replacement work for spring....needless to say, i declined his request.

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