Steering cable installation 2002 Ski Nautique 196

[boo]

After searching the internet and not finding answers to the following three (3) questions, I thought I would try here. But first a bit of background information.

Today I changed the helm and tilt mechanism. Both had worn bushings. The project went very smoothly.

I have a new steering cable and want to install it. I know how to turn a wrench. I know about attaching a thin rope to the old cable, etc. However, the original cable is routed up against the air intact duct under the bow which feeds air to the engine compartment. The steering cable is "wedged" so much against the duct that a small hole has worn through the duct. I'm not concerned about the hole in the duct. Here come the three (3) questions.

#1 - Has anyone ever removed the driver's side forward kick panel? This is the panel that is forward of the driver's feet. The panel has approximately 6 Phillip's head screws and bolts in it and the fuse box is visible through it.
#2 - Has anyone ever replaced the steering cable on a 2002 Ski Nautique 196 closed-bow?
#3 - Do I need to remove that forward kick panel to change the steering cable on this boat?

- Three photos are attached of the same area of the steering cable pressing against the air intake duct.
- The fourth photo is of the front of the kick panel. I believe the four circled bolts hold the fuse box to the kick panel and the four arrows point to the four bolts that hold the kick panel to the boat.
- The fifth photo is of the backside of the kick panel. Two bolts are circled and the arrow points to the fuse box.
- The last photo is of wires coiled above the fuse box that I think feed the fuse box.

I think, and this is what I need confirmed, is that the four lower bolts on the front of the kick panel need to be removed.
I think, and this is what I need confirmed, is that the coil of wires leads to the fuse box and the cable ties need to be cut so the kick panel can be moved past the front seat so I can reach the top clamp on the air intake duct.

Please only reply if you've changed a steering cable on this year and model Nautique.

Thank you.

Tom T.

[rossrips7]

Never changed one on a 196 but if I was you, I would go ahead and take off the kick panel. Easy to take on and off and will give you a lot more room to work/ see what's going on.


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[keithh2oskier]

I replaced the steering cable on my 02 196 this spring.

I did not remove the kick panel. Mine has two speakers mounted on it

I crawled up into the bow and pulled it along while my wife made sure it didn't get snagged on anything in the engine compartment.


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[keithh2oskier]

Also to help I disconnected the cable at the wheel before I stated pulling it through. Basically I just pulled the wheel end of the cable to the rear of the boat since it's to stiff to coil at the bow.


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[boo]

Keith,

Thank you very much for the tips.

1) Was your steering cable wedged tightly against the lower end of the air intake duct like mine is?
2) If you pulled the wheel end of the cable to the rear, you must have cut the rack off? Is that true?
3) My concern is the installation of the new cable. I don't think I have enough room, with the air intact duct still connected, to bend the cable enough to channel the long metal end of the cable into the hole in the floor.

Sincerely,
Tom T.

[charlesml3]

Tom,

I did a steering cable in a 1999 Air Nautique a couple of years ago. It's not a terrible process. Here are some things I learned:

- The old cable pulls OUT from the steering area. After you have completely free and are ready to pull, tie a thin rope to the tiller end and pull it through.

- The kick panel will have to come out. Just go ahead and get this out of your way.

- The new cable will make the turn you're concerned about above. Look at the tiller end of the new cable. Push the tiller end in to make the overall cable as short as it can go. At this length, it'll make the turn.

- Feed the new cable in from the front. After you make the turn, you can go to the back and pull the rope. I did this solo so it was a PITA to alternatively push and pull but it got it through.

[peteSki]

I did it on a 97 Ski Nautique closed bow a few years ago and just did it on my 2005 216. In both cases I took the kick panel off for easier access by removing the lower screws. On yours the 4 upper ones just hold the breaker box to the kick panel and you don't need to remove that. You'll likely find that once you undo the cable from the back of the helm that you can un-wedge it and get it to pull out. I'd also check it at all points you can see it right up to the rudder to make sure nothing has been cabled tied to it like wires, ballast hoses etc. I also removed and installed the new one solo and pretty much did what charlesml3 said. Went pretty smoothly.

I'd also leave your steering wheel off for this for the simple reason that it is such an easy thing to grab and pull on when you are crawling in and out from under the dash. You don't want to be pulling on your steering wheel as this is what adds to the wear of the tilt mechanism.

Good luck!

[boo]

Here is the outcome of changing the steering cable on my boat but first I want to thank everyone that replied. Special thanks to Keith for sending photos which gave me a baseline to work from.

I called Sea Solutions, formerly Teleflex, and was told the 20’ cable that they now sell, model SSC15420, is actually 20’ 6”. They also informed me that the original cable, which was still on my boat, was 20’.

Armed with this information, I taped a small diameter plastic tube to my steering cable under the bow and routed it in front of the air intake duct to the hole in the floor. I don’t know if this is a coincidence or not but all I needed to route the new cable in front of the duct was 6 more inches.

That being said, I toyed with the idea of installing a 21’ cable. There is plenty of room along the hull and the radius coming into the hole in the floor would have been more gradual than the 20’ (actually 20’ 6”) cable.

So what did I do? I bought and installed model SSC15420, the 20’ cable. It’s snug against the duct but it works fine. Please see the four photos below.

If I had to do it again, I would buy the 21’, model SSC15421. Why?

The obvious reason is to have a more gradual radius. The second reason is the air intake duct is made of a fabric material (It’s beginning to get brittle and crack. I did duct tape the holes you see in the photos.) and with the 21’ cable it would not be rubbing against the duct.

I hope this helps anyone that has a 2002 Ski Nautique 196 with a heater that is thinking about replacing the steering cable. By the way, the two control cables are still on the aft side of the duct and they should be on the bow side according to Keith's photos. Not sure if they come in a longer length. Some day I might have to find out the answer to that question.

[keithh2oskier]

Glad it worked out. How does it feel?




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[boo]

The steering is great. One finger is all that's needed to turn the wheel.

Additionally, driving through the course the steering used to have a dead spot probably due to a bit of sticking. That is totally gone. The gradualness of the decline in steering performance took a while for me to notice.

This forum is a great place to obtain and provide information.

[scottimoto]

THANK YOU for including the SSC15420 number in your post!! I am going to replace mine this month and was able to get it on Amazon Prime and saved $30 over other places with free and quick shipping!