Yamaha Outboard Remote Control

Hi

I have an aged but reliable Yamaha 5hp bs100-661 longshaft which came with my boat. The boat has capacity for remote steering and has a wheel fitted although it has never been rigged up. I want to do this because stern control is tricky with the boats cabin in the way and one must stand to do this. The boat is 16ft long btw.

My question is if anyone knows if a Yam 5hp can be rigged up for remote. I have researched and most of the info I have is pointing toward a negative here. It might depend on age - I cannot find an accurate manual so I cant even tell by looking at the engine itself if any remotes can be mounted. Maybe someone could let me know what to look for...

Thanks in advance

Regards
P

 

Good day; you can adapt steering to anything you want, it all depends on how much you want to spend and how creative you can get. Having said that the most inexpensive way to do so and to adapt would be a cable pulley system like those seen on older Boston Whaler tenders 13' and smaller.

 

There will be a long tiller option for that motor. The wheel on the boat will tell you which type of steering has/had been fitted (if ever), the 'washing line' type or Teleflex. For a 16 foot boat a 5Hp is a pretty small motor, and most of these small ones are for stern steer, with direct gear change on the engine.

When you get to 9.9Hp and upwards the game changes and remote steer and gear change is an option. A lot of these and larger to 25 and 30Hp models still have tiller steer and hand change options but most will use remote steer and shift. Teleflex is much preferred to the washing line (cable and drum) solution. If you do fit a Teleflex system be careful to check the steering rod can articulate properly without hitting any part of the hull at the full extension of travel.

You should be able to find an old manual online somewhere for that engine btw or ask a dealer or service agent. I'm also assuming it has a remote tank fuel feed? which you will need if using any length of time....

 

Thanks for the clarification.

Not sure what to do here. I dont particularily want to get involved in a bodge job just for the sake of it - I was prepared to install a teleflex as that is the preferred method it seems as the wheel was already on the boat before. No evidence of a telflex having been installed.

Im thus left to ponder the options of either getting a bigger longshaft engine for said steering or rigging something up with what I have. I plan to use the boat on canals and inland waterways so stern steering with zero line-of-sight is not ideal!

Anyway, I have other issues to address before going down this road...

 

Remote steering is possible on any outboard of any size. It's completely possible to rig a small tiller outboard to a steering unit, keeping the outboard tiller intact or also applying controls (throttle, shifting, etc.). These remote steering units are designed as a retrofit and often seen no sailboats, where no previous helm existed. It's much like a Teleflex system, except designed to literally bolt to a bulkhead or something and usually has a stick steering, though I've seen them with wheels too. I'll bet Teleflex makes one too. Check out sailboat and small engine steering/controls.