Just wondering in any members install stick steering in their boats for kicker/trolling motors and if there is such a thing as dual controls in the stick form? I've been searching the net and have not had much luck. I would like to steer from in the cabin or the deck, throttle and shifting will be in the cabin.
Stick steering
- Thread starter beagleman
- Start date
I have an autopilot that once activated, from a FOB, I can steer, change speed and probably much more if I read the manual. I know it can do a figure 8 if I program it. It's from Garmin but the model# is out in the boat.
Hey Dave its kind of uncharted territory for me trying to get my boat set up. Are you controlling your main engine or trolling/standby? I have a new 20 hp 4 stroke Mercury I will be putting on so it is a fuel injected unit and I'm not real knowledgeable about these systems.
The kicker.
iofthetaiga
Well-known member
It's doable. The boat I crewed 30 years ago was all digital; electronic joystick steering and throttle control; multiple engines controlled from three different locations. I rigged my current skiff with old school cables and haven't kept intimately up to speed on the electronic technology, so can't give you a specific product reference without doing the same legwork you're going to have to do, but I know it's a lot more easily done now than it was 30 years ago.
iofthetaiga , there is much comfort in the old school reliability. I have trust issues with all the new technology, I know a lot of it isn't that new anymore. I too commercial fished 40+ years ago in the North Atlantic and haven't lost my respect for the sea.
There is an off-the-shelf stick steering product sold by Ezy-Glide. I considered it, but it just wasn't a good fit with my narrow fishing space, at least not without building a whole console anyways.
I ended up just making a simple, aluminum console out of square tube and 1/8" alum plate for the controls and wheel so I can troll and fish easily. I modeled the profile (~15 degrees bend) after the rear consoles on the river boats at Dewey's who also sell the steering kits/cables.
I ended up just making a simple, aluminum console out of square tube and 1/8" alum plate for the controls and wheel so I can troll and fish easily. I modeled the profile (~15 degrees bend) after the rear consoles on the river boats at Dewey's who also sell the steering kits/cables.
iofthetaiga
Well-known member
So, let's back up and let me ask for clarity; were you asking about mechanical stick/cable steering, or electronic joystick steering? I assumed the latter, but perhaps you meant the former.
Personally I've never used a mechanical stick/cable steering system, but don't see any reason a stick couldn't be employed with a standard commonly available dual-station cable setup. It's just a stick (lever), rather than a wheel...the rest of the cable rigging would be the same as if you had dual stations with wheels. You should be able to steer one or more outboards, individually or in combination without having to do any inventive engineering.
If you mean the electronic joystick option you can search "joystick piloting for outboards" and find some interesting reading. That will mostly net you to what Mercury is up to...very ambitiously fancy, and not especially interesting to me personally.
What I would do if my goal was a more basic, straightforward electronic throttle control with electric/electronic joystick steering: I would employ something like a SeaStar electric over hydraulic power steering unit and pair it with a simple left/right on-off-on toggle switch/joystick for steering, and Yamaha, or similar, electronic throttle controls. Technically that would not be terribly difficult to design and rig. You could have a wheel at one station, and a joystick at a second station, or electric joysticks and throttles at multiple stations, with no wheel anywhere.
So, whether mechanical or electrical, you otter be able to do it without much ado.
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I'm kind of the same mind set as you in keeping things mechanical. Because I don't have the space for a second steering wheel in the cabin I would like to put stick steering up there and a small wheel behind the cabin and start, shift, throttle, tilt and trim in both locations. I know it will be a little spendy and some of the hardware will be custom built. I'm pretty much searching for what others may have done. I'm going to have to contact some of manufactures to see whats available or where to source it from.
Let's back up even further. What kind of boat are we talking about?
I have a rear steering station for my main. But I can only shift, steer and increase speed. I can't start it from there.
My kicker runs off of a FOB. I can steer, change speed and set courses from anywhere on the boat. Again, I have a shifter near the rear steering station to shift and trim. Other than that, other adjustments I have to go to the motor.
I have a rear steering station for my main. But I can only shift, steer and increase speed. I can't start it from there.
My kicker runs off of a FOB. I can steer, change speed and set courses from anywhere on the boat. Again, I have a shifter near the rear steering station to shift and trim. Other than that, other adjustments I have to go to the motor.
Hey Dave I have a 27' fiberglass Sea Star. My main motor is a 6 cylinder Yanmar turbo with an I/O with all the controls in the cabin and I'm ok with that. My kicker is my issue. I'm probably over thinking this but fishing pots on my main would be tough as it moves the boat at 5 knots just kicked in gear so if I ran the kicker from the deck near the puller I can go in and out of gear and speed up or slow down as needed. Now you have me thinking about simply putting just a shifter with the tilt and trim controls in and out of the cabin, starting and stick steering in the cabin and a FOB outside if that makes any sense? I guess its the same as what you have just the other way around with an added shifter. I;m planning on using a Bob's Machine Kicker Jak electric over hydraulic to hang the motor off the boat to adjust the kicker up and down as needed for the sea's or the load and to get it completely out of the water when under way. I missed you in Valdez last summer Dave and I only made it down with the boat once due to electronics failure so new radar and the works are the plan for this year.
If you get this way let me know. I'll show you my setup. Had a new davit made this year to get the pots higher up. Mine are self made and a little over-sized. One thing I learned on my 22' SeaSport was to drift into the pots. Which ever way the tide was pulling I'd come in, shift out of gear, run to the back and let the tide/wind put me on the pots.
Cheftomporter
New member
Pretty sure the TROLLmaster Pro3+ remote control throttle is what you want.
The steering is done with a kicker steering tie bar linked to the leg on the out drive.
The pro3+ is wireless and hangs around your neck in a leash.
Garmin makes an outboard kicker autopilot system that would also work but it’s definitely overkill.
I'm not sure how the boat will behave because I really haven't run it very much and I'm trying to avoid a mess with full control. I have all the gear for shrimping but I haven't done it yet.
I can't go with the tie bar because it't too far down and away from where the kicker will be. I have an I/O and I don't see me trying to connect the tie bar at those long angles and then raising the kicker to get under way. I have been looking at various remote control units and there are very interesting.
If you can get past the mechanical style, you can fab the discontinued Garmin TR-1 right now for around $500-800ish. There seems to a bunch on the innerwebs NIB and tons of parts dealers got stuck with. They are model specific so that's the fab portion, finding the right parts. Crazy what they can do for trolling. Don't expect to hook the discontinued one to your current gps, just use the fob it comes with. The new Garmin looks to be all electric and expensive( a few more hundreds than the original price of the TR-1) but I bet that's a very nice setup.
Fish Witch
Member
I've got a TR-1 Gladiator complete setup with remote I picked up a while back but can't use and will let go for less than above. If interested, PM me.
