A connecting rod particularly adapted for a remote steering device adapted for use in a boat comprising:
- i. a main propulsion unit in operative engagement with a transom of said boat for rotation about a first axis between a first lower operating position and a second upper nonoperating position, said main propulsion unit being steerable from a cockpit portion of said boat;
- ii. an auxiliary outboard motor mounted externally of said boat to said transom for rotation about a second axis between a first lower operating portion and a second upper nonoperating position;
- and also where said remote steering device is adapted for slaving attachment of said auxiliary outboard motor to said main unit in order to steer said auxiliary outboard motor from said cockpit portion of said boat by steering said main unit, and said remote steering device comprises:
- a. a first bracket adapted to be mounted to said main unit;
- b. a first ball joint connected to said first bracket, said first ball joint having a first ball housing and a first ball member mounted in the first ball housing for rotation about three axes mutually perpendicular to one another;
- c. a second bracket adapted to be attached to said auxiliary outboard motor;
- d. a second ball joint connected to said second bracket, said second ball joint having a second ball housing and a second ball member mounted in the second ball housing for rotation about three axes mutually perpendicular to one another;
- and said connecting rod being an automatically adjustable connecting rod connected between said two ball joints, said rod comprising:
- a. a first tubular rod member having a first end connected to one of said ball joints and having a second end portion;
- b. a second rod member having a first end connected to another of said ball joints and a second end portion which extends into the second end portion of the first rod member in telescoping relationship, said second rod member being rotatably engaged by said first rod member for rotation about a lengthwise axis of said second rod member relative to said first rod member;
- c. the second end portion of the second rod member being formed with a plurality of arcuate grooves spaced from one another along the lengthwise axis of the second rod member, each of said grooves being positioned generally in a plane transverse to said lengthwise axis;
- d. biased pin means mounted in the second end portion of the first rod member to releasably engage the grooves of the second end portion of the second rod member, in a manner that when said pin means is engaging one of said grooves and a predetermined force exerted between said first and second rod members parallel to said lengthwise axis is exceeded, said pin means moves out of the groove which it is engaging to permit said second rod member to move axially relative to said first rod member so that said pin means comes into engagement with another of said grooves to provide an incremental length adjustment of said connecting rod means.