Improved steering system

Claim 1

An improved steering system for use with a marine propulsion unit comprising a steering force shaft means, a steering force transmission means in driving connection with said shaft means, a tiller arm means attached to a propulsion unit pivotally mounted to a transom, and means operatively connecting said tiller arm means to said transmission means and adapted to vary the application of torque to said tiller arm means between a minimum torque and a maximum torque in response to movement of said shaft means to thereby pivot said propulsion unit, said means for varying torque includes a crank arm rotated by said transmission means and a connecting rod pivotally linked to both said crank arm and said tiller arm means whereby said minimum torque occurs when said crank arm is at a first position and said maximum torque occurs when said crank arm is rotated 90* in either direction from said first position, said steering force transmission means includes a flexible double conduit Cable control hose having a motion transmitting cable core slidably disposed in each conduit, said motion transmitting flexible cable cores having adjacent ends of their runs linked so that longitudinal movement of one run in one direction in said hose is accompanied by longitudinal movement of the other run in the opposite direction in said hose, said transmission means is in driving connection with gear reduction means whereby a complete rotation of said shaft means causes less than a complete rotation of said tiller arm means.