Steering problem

nutmg1

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Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
I have a 1984 22 foot Sea Ox. I was out fishing this weekend with a drift sock off the back of the boat and noticed I was unable to turn the boat to the right. In fact while trying to steer out of the path of another boat I with the wheel turned all the way to the right the boat would not change course at all.

I took the drift sock off the transom and put on 2 smaller socks on each side of the boat and didn't have any more trouble while trolling.

Later in the day I from a stop I tried to go full throttle while turning right and was unable to straighten the motor out. (Stuck in a right turn, motor would not respond to the steering wheel.)

Steering is fine as long as there isn't allot of torque on the motor. IF I go full throttle in a straight line the boat steers fine. No steering out of the hole though.

Has anyone ever heard of this? I think the steering is a Hydro 60 or something like that.

I did check the fluid and it appears to be full.
 

nutmg1

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Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
Re: Steering problem

I have a 1984 22 foot Sea Ox. I was out fishing this weekend with a drift sock off the back of the boat and noticed I was unable to turn the boat to the right. In fact while trying to steer out of the path of another boat I with the wheel turned all the way to the right the boat would not change course at all.

I took the drift sock off the transom and put on 2 smaller socks on each side of the boat and didn't have any more trouble while trolling.

Later in the day I from a stop I tried to go full throttle while turning right and was unable to straighten the motor out. (Stuck in a right turn, motor would not respond to the steering wheel.)

Steering is fine as long as there isn't allot of torque on the motor. IF I go full throttle in a straight line the boat steers fine. No steering out of the hole though.

Has anyone ever heard of this? I think the steering is a Hydro 60 or something like that.

I did check the fluid and it appears to be full.


Correction Hynautic 60.
 

Ned L

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Sep 17, 2008
Messages
2,268
Re: Steering problem

Uhm, where was the initial one larger drift sock attached to the boat? ( you say "I took the drift sock off the transom and put on 2 smaller socks on each side of the boat and didn't have any more trouble while trolling." so I assume you started out with one large one.) If you had one large one fastened to the port corner of the transom that certainly could & would stop you from being able to turn to startboard. - Nothing wrong with the boat.
 

nutmg1

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Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
Re: Steering problem

Uhm, where was the initial one larger drift sock attached to the boat? ( you say "I took the drift sock off the transom and put on 2 smaller socks on each side of the boat and didn't have any more trouble while trolling." so I assume you started out with one large one.) If you had one large one fastened to the port corner of the transom that certainly could & would stop you from being able to turn to startboard. - Nothing wrong with the boat.


Thanks for the response.

I attach a rope to each side of the transom then hook the sock to the middle of the rope. Basically the sock is about 10 feet behind the boat dead center behind the prop. I think the leverage was just too much to turn the boat. (the sock was about 8 feet under the water. What I'm worried about is if I blew some seal or something in the hydraulics trying to turn.

What happens now is if I go full throttle from a dead stop with the motor turned to the right there isn't enough hydraulic power to straighten the motor.
 

Bondo

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Apr 17, 2002
Messages
71,095
Re: Steering problem

What happens now is if I go full throttle from a dead stop with the motor turned to the right there isn't enough hydraulic power to straighten the motor.

Ayuh,.... Why would you do that anyways,..??

If ya use 2 socks, tied to the Forward cleats, you can retrieve fish off the transom, without worrin' 'bout gettin broke off, by the sock...

The socks will do their job, beside the hull, insteada behind it...
 

nutmg1

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Apr 20, 2007
Messages
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Re: Steering problem

Ayuh,.... Why would you do that anyways,..??

If ya use 2 socks, tied to the Forward cleats, you can retrieve fish off the transom, without worrin' 'bout gettin broke off, by the sock...

The socks will do their job, beside the hull, insteada behind it...


I am trying to find the best way to slow down to .5 to .8 mph and keep my RPM high enough to not stall. I was just experimenting.

The way I found out about the steering issue was coming out of a No Wake zone trying to join boat traffic turning right and the boat just kept turning. No response at all trying to turn the wheel back to the left to straighten out.
 

Bondo

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Apr 17, 2002
Messages
71,095
Re: Steering problem

I am trying to find the best way to slow down to .5 to .8 mph and keep my RPM high enough to not stall. I was just experimenting.

The way I found out about the steering issue was coming out of a No Wake zone trying to join boat traffic turning right and the boat just kept turning. No response at all trying to turn the wheel back to the left to straighten out.

Ayuh,.... It'll do the same thing draggin' an Anchor,... Non-issue, Operator error...

The torque steer at launch, Full throttle is also pretty much expected...
Full throttle launch, at Full lock steerin' is Nuts....:rolleyes:
 

nutmg1

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Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
Re: Steering problem

Ayuh,.... It'll do the same thing draggin' an Anchor,... Non-issue, Operator error...

The torque steer at launch, Full throttle is also pretty much expected...
Full throttle launch, at Full lock steerin' is Nuts....:rolleyes:


Maybe I just jumped the gun with the turn. I've had the boat for over 2 years and never had the steering stick like it did.
 

Home Cookin'

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May 26, 2009
Messages
9,715
Re: Steering problem

Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Don't do that."

problem solved
 

nutmg1

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Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
Re: Steering problem

Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Don't do that."

problem solved


Or there really is a problem.

Like I said I've owned the boat for a couple years and never experienced this. Its strange that when you turn the steering wheel the motor doesn't turn in response. I would think this would be an indication of something going wrong with the steering system. I'm going back to the lake on Sat so I'll do some more testing.

Wouldnt the steering wheel not turn if the motor was under enough torque not to move?

The lake I go to is very busy and you sometimes need to get on it to enter traffic much like merging onto a freeway.


Its also not safe when your expecting your boat to respond to the steering wheel and instead it locks you into a tight turn.
 

nutmg1

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Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Messages
13
Re: Steering problem

Not that I expect a helpful response but when I put my boat in this weekend there was no steering at all. After turning the wheel 15 or 20 times in both directions I regained steering.

I anchored for about 5 hours and when I started the motor up again I had no steering until I turned the wheel several times both directions.

I'm not sure but I think I may need to bleed the lines.
 
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