Hydraulic steering for Stabi-craft 529 WXR

[Hell Boy]

Hey there guys,

has anyone have or fitted Hydraulic steering on a Stabicraft 529, 509, 559 or 589 size?

i took my boat out today for its maiden run today in the bay, and i'm not happy with the steering :( so i might have to look at hydro steering, but before i do it, it'll be good to see if anyone else has done this and were happy with the results.

cheers,

Bryn

Also, A big thanks for Grand Marlin for fitting out my electrics, nice job pete.

[Noelm]

can't see any reason that a stabi would be hard or different to fit hydraulic steering to, and to answer the second part, I doubt you will ever get a person to say they regret fitting hydraulic after putting up with cable steering.

[Noelm]

just to add, I can't see why any quality boat manufacturer would ever fit anything but hydraulic now days, the cost of course comes into it, but the difference is not all that much, and the happy consumer will be well worth it in the end (well I reckon) same goes for trim tabs on bigger boats, they should be on there from new.

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Bryn,

It doesn't matter what boat you fit hydraulic steering to, you will be very pleased with the final result.

The standard Teleflex / Morse mechanical steering that was fitted is very basic and will do the job but is always going to be heavy and will always pull to the side if you let the wheel go.

The Hydraulic steering as an absolute joy to use ... light to the touch, no feed back through the steering, easier to handle the boat in tight areas, easier to handle in rough seas.

I have had numerous boats both with and without hydraulic steering over the years and I can 100% say that hydraulic is well worth the upgrade.

Cheers

Pete

[Hell Boy]

Thanks for the feedback Noelm and pete, in hind sight should have opted for the hydraulic steering from the factory, but i didn't think a 5 mtr boat wouldn't be that hard to steer.

but on the upside, it doesn't look like it'll be a hard job to have installed, ill take the boat for a few more runs to see if the steering loosen ups and go from there. but i'd say hydraulic steering is on the cards in the near future.

cheers, and thanks again for you input.

Bryn

[stinky-stabi]

just to add, I can't see why any quality boat manufacturer would ever fit anything but hydraulic now days, the cost of course comes into it, but the difference is not all that much, and the happy consumer will be well worth it in the end (well I reckon) same goes for trim tabs on bigger boats, they should be on there from new.

well i think 600 dollars is a huge difference.....

[FNQCairns]

Consider posting a couple of pictures of your engine setup here, your boat is new there is a 80+% chance the setup is a mess straight from a dealer. Consider also listing your complete prop size, engine size brand and your wide open throttle revs and highest GPS speed attainable.

The on the water difference between a boat setup and one that is not is like chalk and cheese.

You will never get car power stering like feel with cable but today they are pretty good, it is a no feedback system?

cheers fnq

[Noelm]

so, $600 added to the cost of (say) a $75,000 rig is a lot? don't think so, when you consider that a year later you are throwing away the old cable setup and buying hydraulic from scratch! false economy by my standards.

[stinky-stabi]

so, $600 added to the cost of (say) a $75,000 rig is a lot? don't think so, when you consider that a year later you are throwing away the old cable setup and buying hydraulic from scratch! false economy by my standards.

well on my boat noelm the standard steering was free, but to go the front bull horn seastar hydraulic was an extra 1100 dollars and in my eyes thats a fair bit of cash at the moment , i have livedwith it for the last 2 years ,,,,
but saying that i would love the seastar.lol