Safety steering system for outboard motors

A safety steering system to control torque rotation for a boat having directable propeller outboard motor means capable of pivoting about a vertical axis in relation to said boat which comprises a motor arm on said motor perpendicular to said vertical axis for pivoting said motor;

• steering means to control movement of said motor about said axis;
• flexible cable means to exert either a push or pull force on said motor arm and having two ends, a first end of said cable means connected to said steering means and a second end of said cable means connected to said arm;
• actuator control valve means interposed along the connection of said flexible cable means with said motor arm, said control valve means including a first external port and a second external port;
• a hydraulic cylinder means having pivotal connections at its opposite ends pivotally attached at one end thereof to said boat and pivotally attached at the opposite end thereof to said motor arm, said cylinder means having a first chamber of confined liquid and a second chamber of confined liquid therein;
• a piston reciprocal within said cylinder means and capable of moving longitudinally therein including a piston head separating said first liquid chamber from said second liquid chamber;
• a piston rod having one end connected with said piston head and an opposite end constituting one of said pivotal connections on said hydraulic cylinder means;
• means to conduct said liquid from said first chamber to said first external port;
• means to conduct said liquid from said second chamber to said second external port;
• a stem within said control valve means responsive to a push force or a pull force from said cable means to provide fluid communication within said control valve means between said external ports and thus between said first and second chambers, said stem being movable in response to the cessation of said push force or said pull force by release of said steering means to interrupt communication between said ports thereby locking said arm in a single position;
• and a hydraulic accumulator connected to said control valve means for storing hydraulic fluid therein and for providing fluid to compensate for the difference in volume between said first and second chambers of confined liquid.