Power Steering Upgrade??

[rndn]

The boat in my signature is great in every way except it can be a bear to steer once in a while. When the motor is trimmed down preparing for a trun the motor needs quite a bit of force to turn. One time the wife was driving and it actually startled her with how much force was required to turn the motor.
Has anyone ever installed an after market power steering system for their outboard?
What brand do you suggest?
What kind of a job would it be for a do it yourselfer?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

suggest hydrolic steering. are you sure your cable is not binding, sharp bends in the cable.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

how does the cable turn the motor...does it go into a shaft that supports the motor then come out the other side...if so there should be grease nipples on the bar,if not drill & tap-out this allows you to grease the drive rod..OR does the cable attach to a bracket then a bar doubling back attaching to the front of motor,grease is your friend,also as TD stated..old cable bends???hydraulic steering aint cheap,and a beginner could do it if he/she were mechanically inclined..if not???

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

marine4003, correction the grease zerks on the motor are for the tilt bracket, does not grease the tilt tube and steering link. they make a fitting that goes on the other side or the tilt tube (rod end) that has a grease zerk. most do not have it, as it is an add on.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

Mine steers hard at full speed also...What type of steering is on it rndn?
I was wondering if the no feedback rotary setup would help..
Its a lot cheaper than power steering.
I think TD has had it on a few boats in the past.

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

I'm thinking that a repair is called for , not a redesign of the steering system. My gut reaction is a shot steering cable.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

no feedback rotary, uses the same cable, as plain rotary, the difference is in the helm. it does not make steering easier, it just stops the wheel wanting to move when you turn it loose.

 

[rndn]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

When trolling or going slow the steering is smooth as butter. No binding anywhere at anytime. The only real torque on the thing is when you lower the motor to do a high spped turn it is really hard to turn the wheel. I probably should have stated that my last boat that I had for a long time had a 5.7 Mercruiser with full power steering.
There are no bends in the steering lines and as stated all is very smooth until you're fighting the torque of the outboard.
So, someone stated I should just try a hydraulic setup?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

the hydrolic is recommended for the larger outboards. studlymandingo, did his boat and loves it.

 

[rndn]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

Thanks TD, I appreciate your input and will go that route.

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

I got baystar on my G3 60HP yamaha and love it as well

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Power Steering Upgrade??

Steering torque is a natural result of a single propeller. Hydraulic steering, power steering and no-feedback steering mask the torque in the system but they do not eliminate it.

To eliminate or at least reduce steering torque you'll need to adjust the kittle fin above and behind the prop. If the steering pulls to the left, adjust the fin to the left. And so on. With a recreational motor not on a jackplate you will be able to adjust a great deal of it out. Over trimming can add to the problem too.