Is there any difference in rudder cables and sheaths on the market or are they all basically the same? <br />
Any ideas of how to remove cables sheaths in a composite boat would also be greatly appreciated!
I have a lot of friction in the rudder system (could hardly move the pedals) on a new Futura II after two weeks of paddling and could not figure out the problem or what was causing it. When everything was disconnected each part of the system moved easily. I replaced the cables, cleaned the inside of the sheaths, wiped the cables with 303 as recommended by a local shop and it didn't help. With no other access into the hull to see what things looked like in there I placed a 1 inch hole in the back for a soon to be drain plug. The rudder cable sheaths inside the hull look like stretched out cork screws. Definitly not what I expected to see but I obviously need to replace the cables sheaths.
Something going on here "The rudder cable sheaths inside the hull look like stretched out cork screws"
What you described sounds suspiciously like kinks in the cables. If a kink gets dragged through the housing it will stretch out the plastic, probably corkscrewing as it moves.
The housings are ususlly polyethylene (HDPE) and depending on how they are glassed into the boat y0ou may have to do a bit of digging to get them loose. ANy comments from Futura owners?
No kinks. The cables I pulled out had no kinks in them and of course the ones I put back in had none either. I had been told that the rudder cables are pre-made and shipped to the factory for installation. What it looks like is that the two cables were shipped twisted together. When they were untwisted for installation the sheaths kept the twist. The big mystery is why would someone install something like this in a new kayak!
Consultation Suggestion Your signon indicates that you are in NJ. I suggest that you consult the folks at the Jersey Paddler in Brick, NJ. They have experience in the maintenance of kayaks.
Tried them already! I have already talked with the repair guys at The Jersey Paddler and they are not willing to do the work. Also talked with a guy they recommended and he is not willing to do the work either. I did not realize composite kayaks were so hard to get someone to work on.
One last idea Polyethylene cable housings are manufactured via hot extrusion. If kinked post manufacture, they might be straightened out by heating them with a commercial heat gun. CAREFULLY! It would be possible to melt and distort the plastic.
stretched out corkscrews? that sounds odd, I’d use silicone or something like Lightning teflon lube instead of 303. If the housing was too long I could imagine it bunching up