Hydraulic steering?

[Mokahehteh]

Okay, some of you have heard... on my last outing, the steering cable broke and we got towed back into the harbor The good news is that the radio worked and all the other work that I recently did came out perf. especially the tower and the drive shaft repair- I love it

Anyway, now I need to replace the steering, and I don't want to invest in another cable system so I decided to get a new hydraulic steering unit that fits my boat. I already removed the steering wheel, old rack and pinion helm unit and the steering shaft end from the motor steering tube. I left the old steering cable laying there, so I can use it to drag the new lines/hoses and follow the same route under the floor of the boat.

Have any of you installed hydraulic steering? Any tips, ideas or personal experience? I'm also wondering if you have any ideas on rigging tubes or chafe guards for the hydraulic lines- or if they are even worth the trouble or needed on my boat? Until then, I am just studying the instructions and admiring the shiny, new parts

[navyfish]

I can't help you on the install, but you do want chafe guards to play it safe. I used to work for a company that made cargo equip for the airports and the hyd tech swore by things like that. He said it's the part you fear the least that will give you trouble the most. I'll try to see if the shop is still there and if I know anyone if it is. Maybe I can get you someone who does it for a living to help or pass on tech info.

[Surg]

It?s pretty simple. What O/B do you have or O/D? Might as well plumb in the AP as well... Do you have the pre made hoses, or the universal ends and roll of tubing?

[Mokahehteh]

Originally Posted by Surg

It?s pretty simple. What O/B do you have or O/D? Might as well plumb in the AP as well... Do you have the pre made hoses, or the universal ends and roll of tubing?

Shucks, sorry- I never posted that I ended up doing the job. It's done and all went well. My unit did not come with AP, so that's out for now. The new hydraulic steering is WAY better than cable. So easy to turn and I love how

1. It doesn't yank and jerk like cables do
2. You can "set it and forget it" - it holds it's postion until you turn the wheel
3. My wife can steer it

Thanks for the comeback Surg!

[Mokahehteh]

This post was on a Baystar unit by Teleflex...

Long story, but I swapped out the Baystar for the real thing... SEASTAR PRO, also by Teleflex. What can I say... I am almost speechless. Big, BIG difference. SeaStar Pro is notably smoother and quieter. Speaking of lines, the Seastar Pro hydraulic lines are kevlar reinforced. Literally bulletproof. Granted, this is all based on drydock testing... after tomorrow's shakedown cruise, I'll let you guys know how it worked on the water...

[scubapro5]

Hope everything is working good now!

[Mokahehteh]

Same opinion after a sea trial. Still speechless. Great unit.

Yep, Roger, everything's workin fine... its lookin like a go for next Sat.

[Mokahehteh]

UPDATE...

The helm pump on the Sea Star Pro began to leak last winter. That fluid can really travel; it's a dangerous situation when the fluid runs down the bulkhead and ends up on the deck. A leaky quad-ring seal is a fairly common thing, I guess, maybe they fail after 5 years or more???

Here's a picture of the part I'm talking about. After removing the wheel & circular plate, it's right there.



Fortunately, I found a great tutorial online...

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/ref...eflexSeal.html

If anyone has trouble like this, I would encourage you to save yourself the 100 to 300 bucks and fix it yourself. The repair is a lot easier than it looks. I took the boat out last Sunday for a trial (out of Dana Harbor) and it was as dry as a bone. I also tested out the thru-hull that was leaking. I sealed it with 5200 and no more leaks.

The quad rings are somewhat inexpensive (price lists say about 2 bucks), but no shops carry them. I could only find seal kits which ranged from 60-100 bucks. Alan from Custom John's Marine (Anaheim, CA) hooked me up! 10 bucks for the seal by itself. Hope this helps someone.

Take care guys and have a great 4th!

[lobzila]

I put hydraulic steering on my boat a few years back and it made a huge difference for the better. Its not that hard to install, but I would add two feet to the length of your mearsurements for hose length. What type of unit are you looking at? I put a Teleflex sea star unit on my 140hp OB and made the mistake at first of putting the wrong hoses on the port and starboard output sides of the pump. Discovered my mistake when we launched the boat and steering was going in the oppsite direction. Got a few laughs out of my buddy when I made him drive the boat without telling him about the mistake. Accused him of hitting the sauce early.