Hydraulic Steering

[gav73]

Hi all , after a mate had a run of bad luck with his steering I am thinking of fitting hydraulic steering to my boat. Just wondering who has had experience with this . What kits have they used etc and who have you found the best to deal with . Thanks any input would be great.
(Fitting it to a 90 Optimax)

[Swanie1975]

i had a hydrive system fitted at the same time i repowered. works great still firm to turn but way way better than the old cable - wish id done it earlier.
a mate fitted a seastar system to his merc and has had no probs since fitting (5 yrs)

cheers ryan

[Salad Fingers]

I have owned both sea star and hydrive, I liked my hydrive alot more. Seemed to feel more positive. My current boat has a sea star system and ill be replacing the cylinder with a hydrive unit.
the sea star helm seems fine.

anyway, yes, lightyears ahead of any cable steering that is for sure.

[johndeere]

If you get the single arm rather than the bullhorn type of connection make sure it clears the transom edges when the motor is raised and on full lock.

[Troy Wood]

Gav73, Mercury now offer their brand of hydraulic steering at very competive pricing. Really high quality steering but was always that little bit extra in price. With there new price structure it is Definately worth a look.

[cormorant]

Other choice is to check your cable steering regularly and maintain it. Most failures are neglect of some form or lack of use. They are cheap and relaible for small to midrange HP at reasonable speeds and newer design cables are so much better than 10 year old ones especially if routed correctly.

Yes hydraulic is nicer , better but expensive and well set up and maintained cable does the job.

[rowanda]

having hydraulic fitted as we speak....will let you know how it goes.
Looked at all the kits, but in the end my mechanic was able to get at a good price (and recommended) the larger SeaStar unit
and for the price I was pretty happy with it. I don't get enough time to use the boat and want to have a good
time when out in it so saw it as a good investment. Also have my son getting his jnr licence soon and want him to
safely be able to learn to drive the boat without having a fear if he lets go of the wheel...hopefully try it out this weekend

[Micadogs]

I have had the bay star system fitted for three years now on a 115hp merc. I have had no issues. I have had a hydrive system on a larger motor. It was a better system but a lot more expensive.

Bay star is the cheapest system and seems to go pretty good.

[johncar]

Just going through the process myself for a 90 Suz. My Outboard mechanic recommended the Sea Star for the smaller engine due to the Hydrive not offering a smaller ram. He said he likes the Hydrive on the bigger engines and the Sea Star just fits nicer on the smaller engines such as the 90HP and they are a decent system either way.

[gav73]

Thanks for all your coments , I just have to find a quality supplier that will supply a good product at a fair price as I live in a remote area all dealings are over the phone.
Thanks heaps
Gav

[rowanda]

well all I can say is WOW. Took the boat for a run on the weekend and it before you needed 2 hands
and were straining to turn the wheel from drag on the motor (could freely spin motor by hand on the trailer or at idle or slow speeds)
couldn't raise the motor anymore or suffered major cavitation issues, now my 6 yr old can easily steer the boat at any speed (and for you about to have a go, yes I was standing with her) didn't matter what speed, 20, 40, 60, 70km/h and was easy, smooth and
such a different boat. Can highly recommend a SeaStar unit, wasn't the cheapest but sure is good....

[gav73]

Thanks for the reply Rowonda it is good to hear that it makes a huge improvement and also a lot safer .
Cheers Gav

[cambrissy]

We did our 70 Johnson about 8 or 9 years ago and it has never missed a beat. So much easier to drive. I don't know the brand of ours but it was an aftermarket kit.

I would certainly recommend!

Cam

[thelump]

I have the Hydrive unit on my F115 and it seems OK but is leaking a fair bit out of the helm filler plug it seems. Dont mean to hijack your thread but has anyone had this issue. Has pretty much leaked since the repower in March and have just clicked over 110hrs. You can actually hear it when you turn the motor when it is not running!

[Moonlighter]

Leaking out the filler means either overfilled, or air in there that is expanding in the heat. Easy fix either way.

I fitted a Hydrive Sportkit myself on my previous boat after cable steering issues got to the point where I had enough. Fitted to a 90 Tohatsu TLDI. Best thing I ever did.

The Sportkit is the cheapest and simplest Hydrive kit and is side mount, it goes thru the engine tilt tube the same as the cable steering.

It is pretty straightforward job to do for anyone who is a bit handy. But you do need to follow the instructions exactly and do it carefully. I had one issue during installation where one of the brass olives on the hose didn't seat quite square so leaked, but a new olive and a bit more care fixed that.

You do need a few extra hands when you fill it up with hyd fluid and bleed it. Three of us handled the job fine.

I picked my kit up at Whitworths when they had one of their 15% off everything sales in conjunction with a boat show. Made it even better value.

The only problem I ever had was when I upgraded to a new outboard, the dealer failed to refit the locking nut where the ram fits onto the tilt tube and as a result, stuffed up a seal inside the ram. Once diagnosed, new lock nut and seal fitted, never another problem in the subsequent 5 years.

I would recommend Hydrive, good Aussie made quality. My new Surtees has the front mount Hydrive system and performs flawlessly.

Cheers

ML