Tiller Conversion?

Tom Barb

Tom Barb

Active member
1987 evinrude 40 horse with remote steering. Out of curiosity, I have always wondered how hard it would be to convert to a tiller. I've searched the net with no luck.

I found the tiller handle/shifter fr the newer etecs but I doubt they will work. Am I wrong?

Where would I find a tiller conversion kit for this motor?
 
Tom,

I have a friend that is an OMC dealer and has tons of older motor parts. Give him a call and I'm sure he will have the info and parts you need.
631-225-0077 ask for Ralph or Richie. Make sure to tell him I sent you.
 
First, I will preface by saying I have never done this. But I will also say, I believe it should be something that can be done. The deal would be to find a similar vintage Evinrude outboard with all of the tiller parts and a good set of evinrude parts diagrams from the service manual.

That being said, since you are a South Jersey guy, give a call to Trixie's Landing in Bayville, NJ at 732.269.5838.

I have not been there in person. I have only seen the photos from the website. Picture boat engine graveyard. I called them on parts for my 1996 Mercury 40hp and he had a couple complete part engines with all of the parts I needed.

____________
 
Or you could do what John Bourbon did. Mounted the controls on the starboard gunnel and fabricated a hardwood handle for the motor. He ran that for years.
 
Thanks for the replies. Parts from another older motor is most likely my best bet. That is a very interesting idea though Dave. I would have never thought of that.
 
Tom, I have done this on a 75 Evinrude using new off the shelf parts and although it is a good change using new parts is cost prohibitive. If you can get access to a parts breakdown for your motor and one with a tiller you can make a really good parts list. An outboard boneyard is really your best bet. One word of caution is to make sure you get a throttle cam for a tiller and not a remote motor (if you want to get the motor to run at W.O.T.), don't ask me how I know hehehe. The only major mistake I made was to use the tiller off of a 60 and should have used the longer one from a 85 Backtroller. Feel free to ask any more questions, been there done that. Oh by the way one of my students did the same trick on a Merc, I forget what size 50,55,60, a mid size anyhow. Keep us up to speed if you decide to do this. A really good bone yard here in Mpls/St Paul is Twin City Outboard.
 
I whipped something up for a 55 hp Evinrude that was given to me. A friend bought a pontoon with the motor on it and all the controls and wiring was cut. I was given the motor for free because of its unknown running condition. With some scrap steel, a new ignition switch and an old motorcycle throttle I got something that works pretty good. I just winterized the boat yesterday but I think I have pictures somewhere. I will try to find them and post them up.

Edit:
Here is a picture. What I don't have a picture of is the bracket I made under the cover that routes the cable to be hooked up to the original throttle cam. The lever that comes out with the knob is F-N-R. That was an easy hookup with a rod that pins to the gear select lever. So yes it can be done with a little ingenuity and some time.

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RC, another good idea. I have no intentions of doing this conversion anytime soon, but it has just been racking my brain for a while.
 
RC D, that is a neat solution to the problem. Tom, as Dave said I ran a home made tiller conversion for years on my 28 Evinrude Special and never once felt that it wasn't a good solution. And as an added bonus, you can make it from all hardware store items. First off you need a single large strap hinge. The kind you might see on Barn doors. The short side will have 3 holes side by side while the long side will have 3 or 4 holes over a 8 or 10" length. On most (if not all) remote steering motors, there are 2 holes on the front handle shaped piece of motor. Lay the short end of the strap hinge over the holes till one lines up. As luck would have it the other hole won't be far off. Then mark where the second hole goes, and drill it. If memory serves, the handle on the motor was drilled and tapped for either 1/4" or 5/16" fine thread holes. Bolt the strap hinge down to those holes. Then get yourself a nice piece of white oak, about 3/4" thick, 2" wide x however long you want the tiller arm to be. Using the holes in the long end of the hinge as a template, drill holes for the screws that will connect the oak and the hinge. Lastly, get yourself one of those bungee cords with platic hooks on each each. Wrap one end around the tiller arm and hook the other end in the hand hold in the back of the motor cowling. That way the tiller will always retract when you let go of it. You won't ever trip on it that way. If I were to guess at the total cost, I'd guess less than $10 bucks.

I used mine that way for years till I bought the ETEC I now have. Were I ever to need to do a conversion again, I'd do it in a minute.

I actually made up 2 different length arms. I'd use the short one during hunting season when space in the boat was at a premium, and the long one in the summer when I wanted to shift my weight forward some.

John
 
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