shift & throttle cable dilemma

Hi guys, among too many other things I'm replacing all my shift & throttle cables. They are stiffer than I like and although I made a gizmo for oiling them it did not help much. The old ones appear to be the standard red jacket Morse cables 1990's vintage.

Shift from lower helm to engines is 19ft & 22ft, throttles 10ft & 16ft. Port engine throttle has the syncro on it. These numbers seem to make sense given the engine spacing.

My problem is several of the cables have no markings and is near impossible to measure while they are still in. Needless to say I would rather not remove them until I have replacements in hand. I know this seems to be a stupid question but should not the cables for each control set from the lower helm to it's bridge counterpart be the exact same length if they take the same path to get there?

Can anyone recommend a nice smooth replacement cable they are happy with? I don't care about the cost but don't want electronic controls, I'm sure they are great but they are not for me.

Capt Kangeroo said:

Can anyone recommend a nice smooth replacement cable they are happy with? I don't care about the cost but don't want electronic controls, I'm sure they are great but they are not for me.

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Glendinning Pro-X. You can buy them directly from the manufacturer. Made in USA, superb quality, flexibility and smoothness. The imported junk doesn't even come close.

Larry
M/V Boomarang

Cables in all lengths are usually readily available. So I would not be to worried about taking them off to measure.

The standard Morse cables are very good and stay smooth for years. But Morse does make upgraded cables that work smoothly even with tight bends. So you might take a look at those. So do others like SeaStar Solutions XTREME cables. Which may actually be Teleflex/Morse cables.

I second the Glendinning cables. I replaced mine with the best Morse cable and still had issues. They were good about taking them back. I went to the Glendining Pro-X and they worked great. I did have very long runs to deal with which Morse thought was the issue for them.

Thanks guys, I looked at the Seastar extreme & liked what I read. Would like to hear from someone who has bought some. Love my glendinning sync and did not know they made cables. Will check them out.

LarryM said:

Glendinning Pro-X. You can buy them directly from the manufacturer. Made in USA, superb quality, flexibility and smoothness. The imported junk doesn't even come close.

Larry
M/V Boomarang

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Thanks for posting that.I will have dual stations on my boat with the longest run of close to 25 feet.I been leery of Morse cables,from past experiences on smaller boats and runabouts.

Ask Glendinning but I don't believe they make their own cables.

And I believe Morse/Teleflex/Seastar are all the same company.

Crap, I just looked at Glendinning, anyone know the specs of the older standard morse cables so I can cross reference? Glendinning wants to know
Stroke Length: 2, 3 or 4 inch
Threading: #10-32 or 1/4-28
End Fittings: Bulkhead / Bulkhead or bulkhead /clamp or clamp/clamp
Core Type: Do I care?

If by end fittings they mean the cable clamps to the lever mechanism & motor brackets then I have clamp/clamp but whats a bulkhead fitting? I have no idea about the other specs.

I'm 2500k from the boat but would like to order now & have waiting for me. Help anyone?

Never mind, luckily I wrote down the type, they are 33C. If West Marine is right??? they are 10/32 clamp style 3in travel.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Ask Glendinning but I don't believe they make their own cables.

And I believe Morse/Teleflex/Seastar are all the same company.

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Per the Glendinning brochure:



cost efficient yet made of the highest quality.

I'm pretty sure that Morse/Teleflex/Seastar cables are imported, as are Uflex.

Another highly regarded brand is Felsted, which I think are manufactured in Canada.

I know that Glendenning cables are preferred by many of the go-fast and sport-fish crowd. I used them on my Donzi and again on my little trawler when I installed Kobelt single-lever controls. Smooth as silk. As for price, they are competitive with Teleflex TFXtreme cables.

Larry
M/V Boomarang

I checked Felsted, they are not Cannuck but have plants around the globe two of which are in India and China. Looks like Glendinning is still the preferred choice for made in North America.

Wait, I just noticed as I write that Felsted is a trade name for Orschein and Orschien "owns" Glendinning. Now I'm not so sure Glendinning is being entirely truthful because the Orschien India site says they make the push pull cables. I suppose they could have two lines of cables. Still given Rogers actual experience with both Glendinning and Morse, I'm still leaning toward toward Glendinning. Would be nice to hear from some TF members who have recently installed the Teleflex/Seastar cables.

I would also take a look at Panish they're pretty popular in the sport-fish world and heard good things about them.

I used Morse extreme. They are super smooth, affordable, and showed up two days after I ordered them

Conall

I too used Morse extreme 33c. Dual station in series, both are smoooth as buttaahh after 7yrs, 1950hrs.

Some engines like detroits have a lot of throttle pull force needed, so those (Hatts) usually use the 43 or other larger cables.

Panish specializes in single lever controls the sportfish guys like for chasing fish backward and for hotdog docking.

Cable length should be marked on one end of the cable. Sometimes hard to see, and might not be right at the bitter end.

CK, I provided the part no of the old morse cable that I had to Glendening and they crossed it to theirs. The Morse extreme that I first bought were good cables. My problem is I had one cable that was 41 feet long and then up to the flybridge it was another cable that was 15 feet. Very long lengths. The Glendening worked smoother but in most installations either would work fine. If I remember correctly the Glendening was less expensive but I would compare to be sure.

Best cables on the market bar none: Cablecraft (green). Made for industrial and aircraft industries. Can be tied in a knot and still smooth as silk operation. Roses machine shop in Gloucester , Ma has them as well as other places.

Another thing that I would think about is to go to electronic control with the cable as a backup. I wish I had done that and just kept my old cables. After I installed the new I found out that I think it was Glendening that had the electronic control with you old cables hooked up and as a backup. More bucks but I would assume it would resolve any cable issues.... So much to consider....

I replaced my throttle cables a year or so back. My control levers may not be the same as yours, but the approach is otherwise the same. I posted my experiences here - could be helpful.

It is worth taking time to see if you can improve the routing of the new cables to eliminate or smooth out any tight bends. An extra 3ft of cable will not increase the heaviness of the controls, but a tight radius made gentle will improve matters a lot.

It will save a lot of time if the length of the old cables is marked on the end - mine were not. It is really worth while measuring the cables accurately. A cable that is 1ft too long can be really hard to accomodate. A cable that is 1ft too short may not reach at all, or may require bending through too sharp a radius.

IMHO, the best, and sometimes the only, way to install a new cable is to join old and new together and use one to pull the other. For this reason removing cables to measure them may not be an option, unless you are prepared to disable your boat until the new stuff arrives. I used heavy grade weed-eater line pushed through the constricted spots as a sort of measuring tape. Patience and a notebook helped!

I opted for Morse series #33 cables. nothing wrong with the higher spec cables, but these appear to be made for harsher environments, or where continuous movement is involved (eg: outboard motors).

Would there be a problem with cables run unsupported through conduit.Then secured at both ends,and connected to the engine and controls.I could install the cables to the frames, before the deck and sole is laid and epoxied in.I'd play hell when it comes time to replace them tho.

There shouldn't be a problem with that that I can see.

Capt.Bill11 said:

There shouldn't be a problem with that that I can see.

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Thanks.The plan is to run cables in one conduit and wiring in another.I know cables can move enough to rub through wiring.I experienced that on a friend's boat.

ben2go said:

Thanks.The plan is to run cables in one conduit and wiring in another.I know cables can move enough to rub through wiring.I experienced that on a friend's boat.

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That's a good idea using conduit. I wish more boat builders did it. Just be sure to make it a bit over sized so you have room to add any new wires down the line.

ben2go said:

Would there be a problem with cables run unsupported through conduit.Then secured at both ends,and connected to the engine and controls.

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Excellent idea - don't use elbows or tees though:lol:.

Capt.Bill11 said:

That's a good idea using conduit. I wish more boat builders did it. Just be sure to make it a bit over sized so you have room to add any new wires down the line.

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I thought about that.

Shoalwaters said:

Excellent idea - don't use elbows or tees though:lol:.

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It's a straight run under deck from beneath the helm to the engine room.I'll be careful and watch my elbows and I'll leave the tee on the dinette.

Well I ordered the Glendinning cables, I'll post back in a few weeks how they work out. All told not bad pricing, 8 cables the longest 22ft just over $300 US, I hope they live up to their name, it's going to be brutal installing them.

Conduit is nice but the size must be large or the wiring de rated due to heat buildup.

Usually only done with pro built inspected boats.

The simplest for most boats is a simple tray , that the wiring gets laid into.

A couple of wire ties wont hurt and changes , lots of changes , become really EZ>

FF said:

Conduit is nice but the size must be large or the wiring de rated due to heat buildup.

Usually only done with pro built inspected boats.

The simplest for most boats is a simple tray , that the wiring gets laid into.

A couple of wire ties wont hurt and changes , lots of changes , become really EZ>

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Can do,but my boat won't have much in the way of electronics.At least not at first.

>Can do,but my boat won't have much in the way of electronics.At least not at first.<

KISS always works and with a tray you can change electronics sets week to week as the newest stuff comes out.

FF said:

>Can do,but my boat won't have much in the way of electronics.At least not at first.<

KISS always works and with a tray you can change electronics sets week to week as the newest stuff comes out.

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Fellows

I am entering a conversation unarmed so to speak. A recent conversation with a retired Gill-net fisherman who purchased and converted a gill-net boat to pleasure outlined that he installed electric controls. Seems you install a single lever control station at each of those you desire, He has one on the bridge, aft on-deck and the master at the wheelhouse postition. He ran the wiring to each and indicated the circumference of the wire harness is quite small in diameter but ample. He as an amateur installed the control boxes at the injection pump and on the reduction gear. The seller came aboard and connected the three sites to the master control. My acquaintance says the whole installation was a simple nuts and bolt operation. His only reservation is that one has to place the current station in neutral prior to moving to a second location and regain the control of the shifting and throttle. I don't have the name of the installation material however, it seems as I read this thread, a simpler solution to the complex of running all the gear mentioned.
Cheers,
Al-Ketchikan