Last fall I had my boat in for repair at one of our local marinas. There was excessive play in the steering wheel of about 2 inches. If my wheel was at the 12 o'clock position you could turn it and it would not show any resistance until either you hit the 10 o'clock position or all the way to the 2 o'clock position. They had to replace the steering box up under the dashboard and also a brand new cable. It was sea tested by the dealer and i was told everything was okay. We finally got a chance to use the boat this past weekend. The only play still in the steering wheel is about 5 degrees on either side from the 12 o'clock position which seems acceptable? My new concern is how tight and stiff the new steering system is compared to how it felt with the old system. It almost feels as if the power steering has stopped working. I did check and the power steering pump had fluid and the serpentine belt was rotating the power steering pulely just fine. So what could be causing such a stiff steering wheel? I dod have a dual engine system but only the starboard motor has the power steering pump.
