Changing to Hydraulic Steering

[John Jobe]

My steering has practically seized up on my dual rack & pinion "sealed" steering cables on my '04 Nitro NX882. I thought about torching the stainless steel rods to heat them up and get them freely moving again, but after trying to get them out of the hull (pain in the butt) I'm just going to go hydraulic. Fixing to call Tracker about some. When I Google about this though I mostly see "TeleFlex Marine" as the only brand out there maybe besides Uflex aka Ultra Flex. Anybody else go to hydraulic steering, if so, what brand did you use and why? Future boat owners, pay the extra and go hydraulic from the start. You'll be glad you did from what I hear.



Also, I was told by Tracker that the design was not made for cables exiting the upper part of the fiber-glass boat going to the motor/steering linkage to be altered by a Jack-Plate. The angle changes and the outlet hole they come through is not meant for any alterations such as the Jack-Plate. I think Tracker placed the hole too close to the engine in the first place and therefore doesn't allow enough slack for cables to bend easily putting increased pressure on the inner cables. Hydraulics should take care of this, I hope. I welcome any feed-back on these topics. NitroJo - Bryant, AR :huh:

 

[Richard Viehe]

I have a '99 NX882DC which had the rip steering. It, too, was so stiff that I almost had to stand on it to turn .... even after boat mechanic "lubed" it. After hitting dock in 40 MPH winds & doing $4700 damage to starboard side, I made the decision to replace it with hydraulic steering. I did the research, and chose the Teleflex Seastar unit that is designed for 150+ hsp. I did not get the tilt head as there was just not enough room for all of the components. Don't go with the "economy" model to save $100! Bought unit off ebay from reputable dealer with lots of feedback & arrived quickly. Removed old unit using a good hacksaw (or sawsall) to cut cable from RIP unit & pull them out the back. We tied a pull cable onto the old cables to aid with the new ones. Now get two beers & a partner, one for you & one for your partner. Use the template provided to mount the steering head, run the cables & mount the drive unit on the motor. Bleed the lines & wallah you are done before your one beer is gone! Took us less than 1.5 hrs to remove old & install new unit by two persons who had never done one before. You will NEVER go back to cable system EVER. Teleflex Seastar system is awesome .... you won't regret it! One final note ,,,, take pics of installed seastar on another boat or have another boat w/Seastar unit installed handy while installing yours. It will clarify any questions you might encounter during installation of the hydraulic unit on motor.

 

[Ted S]

Hey NitroJo,

Like Richard said, huge thumbs up for the Teleflex system. I opted for the BayStar system in my '99 LX700 w/90hp Merc. My cable steering was super stiff, could hardly steer the boat. Installed the Teleflex kit with no problems at all and it steers GREAT! I can turn it with one finger now. Best money I've spent on my boat. I purchased mine through Black Bear Sporting goods, don't think you will find it cheaper:



Ordering was smooth, kit was at my house in a couple of days. If you change to hydraulic, you won't be sorry.



Ted
http://www.blackbearsportinggoods.com/Baystar_Hydr_Kit_p/elltelehk4200a.htm

 

[Cliff McLeod]

Gentlemen, I recently took delivery of my new 2012 Z6 and it arrived with bum steering. First time I put it in it would not turn left..Steering just slipped through...motor didn't turn. Took to dealer and they replaced with a NFB system. Seems to work okay but very stiff. Hoping it will loosen after break in when I can trim it up. That being said I will probably wind up going to hydraulics and want to know if anyone has ever installed aftermarket on the Z6 with 115 Optimax Pro XS? Thanks for any input.

 

[TROY WAINRIGHT3]

Get the seastar pro for a 150 and up.updated with better seals.Got mine on ebay recently with cables 940.00

 

[John Jobe]

Did the ebay cables come with a standard helm or did you have an option for the Sport or Sport PLUS Tilt Steering? Was the seller a dealer?



I'm going in the morning to a Dealer to get the SeaStar Pro, hoses and maybe the Tilt Plus Steering. There is also a Pro Cylinder that (see below)



{Tech Support at Teleflex:

The difference between the PRO and non-PRO cylinder is that the PRO cylinder has a more robust pivot joint area and we also key the support bracket to the support rod to minimize racking of the cylinder when turning left and right, taking out the racking gives even more positive response at the wheel. The PRO cylinder is not included in any kit at this time.



As for the Tilt Type helms. Other than cosmetics they are virtually identical. We do not offer a tilt helm packaged in kit form. If you wish to obtain the tilt version you will have to order all of the components separately.} ******Which I just may end up doing.>>>>>>>>>>>>>



I imagine droping $1000-$1500 on just the steering. This is my first boat I've had & going on 3rd summer. Last summer got too hot to even go out, plus the fishing sucked. Now I've missed some of the best weather and fishing this year(2012-hasn't hit the water yet). I bought it used at a good deal & will have paid off by next spring; just in time to redo the seats and carpeting. I have kept it covered since owning it and plan on taking good care of her by putting updated & good quality stuff in her.

 

[TROY WAINRIGHT3]

Boat Store USA out of florida.Standard helm.The pro has more pressure in the lines for better response.Youll love it.