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Hydraulic Steering |
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Duane in Indy 
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Joined: October-26-2015 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 1578 |
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 Topic: Hydraulic SteeringPosted: April-16-2020 at 10:35am |
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My Ranger bass boat with a Mercury 225 hp has SeaStar hydraulic steering. There is zero torque steer at any speed. I have had other OB boats with like hp and double cable steering and the hydraulic was much nicer to drive.
The one thing that will drive you nuts is that you will never be able to keep the wheel (or logo) straight when returning to "neutral" straight ahead position. If you can live with the spokes and or logo always being off then I assume it would have the same advantages in a DD boat. |
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Keep it as original as YOU want it
1978 Mustang (modified) |
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TRBenj
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Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21198 |
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Posted: April-16-2020 at 10:19am |
He didn’t like the effort.... of the cable or the (manual?) hydraulic? Or the install? |
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Gary S
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Joined: November-30-2006 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 14096 |
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Posted: April-15-2020 at 11:53pm |
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This is my third time answering somehow I've lost my whole narrative. Bottom line they both have pro's and con's. Seals blow out in the hydraulic, if they are not in production they can be hard to find. Cables seize but it's not due to saltwater rust- it's the lubricant that dries up. If it works for you keep it..... My dad put one in a 19' Aquasport with a Suzuki 115,he didn't like the effort it took and never used used them again in his last 2 inboards but that may been just because it was a big for it's time outboard. This was back in the early 80's I'm sure they must be better ones now,not many choices then.
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Far north downunder
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Joined: May-11-2018 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 37 |
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Posted: April-15-2020 at 10:54pm |
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I have not driven a SN with cable steering, but I have driven other boats with cable, inboards and outboards, so I will give you my thoughts.
Hydraulic steering feels the same at any speed and turning radius. I do notice that it is harder to turn the wheel on a cable steer boat during high speed turns. However, the mechanical mechanism used at the wheel to move the cable, the condition of the rudder post and cable is likely to effect this from boat to boat. When you are at low speed, docking, etc there is no real difference, and it may even be quicker and easier to turn the wheel on a cable steer boat. If you find that it is harder to turn the steering wheel at high speeds than when you are idling along hydraulic steering will make a big difference. I suppose the difference will depend on how well maintained a cable boats steering parts are maintained. If you feel a big difference when you change a steering cable you have to wonder how long you have been having to exert more force to turn the wheel. It may also depend upon where you ski. I cant see much benefit in hydraulic steering on a river, or lake where you don't need to (or just don't) turn at high speed, but where we ski we need to turn to stay in the flat water. I exert the same force on the wheel during high speed turns as I do at idle. If you are in a salt water environment hydraulic steering would be a no-brainer given the corrosive effects the salt is likely to have on the steering cable. With hydraulic steering I get that new cable feeling with no maintenance every time I take the boat out. My wife feels more confident because she doesn't ever feel she is fighting with the wheel to turn or straighten the boat at high speeds. I say maintenance free, they recommend you check the fluid every 5 years and if it looks discoloured change it. You also need to check for leaks..... but it is a closed system so if you need to top up the fluids there is a leak and I am told that you feel the steering go spongy if there is a leak anyway. The steering cable prices on Nautique Parts ($200 - $330 USD) could make the hydraulic option not that expensive ( listed for $969 AUD here) , particular if you are replacing steering cables every few years. In fact, unless I could source a cable locally, the price difference in Australia would be minimal when you take into account exchange rates and postage. There is no marking on my unit except the "Admiral line" but based on their current products have: Admiral Helm unit (tilting) 101 212 Sports cylinder HYDRIVE A guy on Planet Nautique installed a version made by Seastar Seastar Interested to here your thoughts. |
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1994 SNOB
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TRBenj
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Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21198 |
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Posted: April-15-2020 at 9:13am |
Unless your 93SN was made in 2005 then I think we can safely say it was not a factory install. This is the first one I’ve seen or heard of so not a common change. The cable system works fine for most, the flat bottoms (especially the SN) turn extremely well with the simple system. The vee hulls on the other hand can be a handful to spin around... so I’d be interested in learning a bit more about the system. It appears yours (Admiral line) is not a full power or even power assist system- just a manual hydraulic set up. What are your specific impressions vs the cable? Can you pull any part numbers off your install? I’m curious how it’s sized (most applications are outboards). |
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah
Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Posted: April-15-2020 at 8:44am |
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Far north downunder
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Joined: May-11-2018 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 37 |
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Posted: April-15-2020 at 2:00am |
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Have had my 1993 Ski Nautique for 2 years. When I purchased it I was pleasantly surprised that it had hydraulic steering and though it must have been standard.
However, after reading this forum it appears that cable steering is standard in the 90's SN's, and unless by boat got some special treatment at the factory, I have a previous owner to thank for the upgrade. Is this correct? And if so, is hydraulic steering a common upgrade? I drove a friends boat with cable steering and couldn't believe the difference, particularly with high speed turns and the system being essentially maintenance free.    
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1994 SNOB
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Gary S wrote: