1996 Regal Rush XR120 - Steering

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

While son in law was pulling grandkids around lake on towable he noticed difficulty turning left to port. No problem making full turn right to starboard. When he came back to boathouse I checked the play of the steering wheel. Turns fully right but only a short way left then stops.
I will be pulling the jet boat out of the water in a few weeks. Still recovering from surgery and not supposed to lift anything plus I can’t get into the lake while incision is healing (and the water is 63F!!) Things I plan to do:
1. Check to see if nozzle turns freely left and right.
2. Check as much as possible the steering cable for wear or breaks.
3. Check helm under dash for cable movement and any interference keeping it from moving to the left.
4. Check nozzle and gate to see if stepped on while trying to get back into boat after falling off tube! Possible jamming of cable connection!

The boat is 23 years old. I just replaced the control shift cable and controller a few months ago so I am not surprised if the steering cable and helm went bad!

Any additional suggestions or guidance is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
Ski

I will update when I have more information!

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

I’m trying to determine the part number of my Teleflex jet boat helm. I cannot read the stamp on the unit that says Teleflex. It has 135 and 270 stamped into the metal between the arrow that rotates when the steering wheel is moved. Does anyone know if the arrow is pointing to 270 is the helm a Teleflex 270 helm?
Thanks,
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

I obtained this snapshot from a video I took while turning the steering wheel. On zoom you can see the arrow pointing to 135. The manufacturer confirmed that the helm is an old Teleflex SH5087P 135 helm. It is now a JBS Helm.
Keep you posted!
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

Was able to take boat out of the water yesterday. Checked the movement of steering wheel and rudder nozzle. It seems to have full range of motion from port to starboard!!! Will investigate further but does anyone have experience with little or no steering to port when under power, then everything seems okay on the trailer out of the water?
Thanks,
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

I was able to remove the steering wheel and helm from the boat. Upon opening the helm I found 2 broken teeth to one of the gears. Plus the shaft was worn and corroded under the bezel. I was not surprised since the jet boat is 23 years old and I just replaced the shift control cable a few months ago.
Today I will inspect the cable for movement, wear and part number.
I will keep you posted!
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

I pulled the steering cable back to the engine compartment and tested movement of rudder/nozzle port and starboard. Works fine. I could not find the serial number of the cable but found Teleflex stamped on the cable about two feet from the end. I contacted Regal with Sportjet SN and they said the cable for my 15ft Regal Rush XR120 is ssc21912 (I filed this SN in case I need to order a new cable in the future).

I ordered a new helm - SH5087P and it should be here tomorrow. I will then attach existing cable and see how it works before reattaching to boat dash. Keep you posted.
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

New SeaStar SH5087P helm installed and adjusted. Getting ready to put boat back on lake and do “shake down cruise!”

youtube video link on repair is posted below! Enjoy!
ski

https://youtu.be/dhwTonYa76c