Boat tracks horrible

[Dirty_Oar]

there should be very little movement, do you have play in the steering wheel as well?

Off the top of my head I can't remember. I will check tomorrow when I go past the dock. I can push the motor lock to lock without trying very hard

 

[CIVANO]

You definitely need to bleed the system

 

[Dirty_Oar]

Anybody have a good link to a reliable method of bleeding it out?

 

[CIVANO]

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/document.do?docId=1088

 

[Stosh]

I have a 2000 - 2100 Seaswirl center consul - with a 200 Honda. In my opinion, nothing much will improve until you install trim tabs.
My 2 cents
Stosh

 

[CIVANO]

Being able to move the motor by hand is a hydraulic problem

 

[Stosh]

You shouldnt be able to move the motor by hand. Hydraulic steering needs sortingnout as well

 

[noluck]

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/document.do?docId=1088

that is a great link

 

[chris73]

That is weird, my hydraulic steering works fine but I can still push my motor from side to side by hand - not without some effort but doable. And why shouldn't it? Once the piston pushes the fluid can't it flow through the pump backwards?

 

[ericl]

Dirty_oar; thanks for reporting back. Counterbalancing the kicker with batteries would be great. Also, trim tabs add area to your planing surface & as such larger is better.

Nice job on the air in the steering!!

 

[CIVANO]

That is weird, my hydraulic steering works fine but I can still push my motor from side to side by hand - not without some effort but doable. And why shouldn't it? Once the piston pushes the fluid can't it flow through the pump backwards?

Would you really want the motor to turn without the wheel turning? I wouldn't.

 

[wet spot]

The problem is your hydraulic steering....there should be absolutely ZERO feedback from the motor to the steering wheel with a modern, functioning hydraulic steering system and you should NOT be able to manually move the motor from side.

I just had a Baystar system put on my 115 Merc because with my manual cable-steering the motor torque to starboard was almost impossible to hold and turning to port took huge effort at speed. When trolling with my kicker when someone moved from one side of the boat to the other the big motor would flop to that side and the boat would turn even tho the big motor was off so you constantly had to be correcting with the kicker. Now with the hydraulic steering, the boat steers a straight course, or a turn if that s where you left the wheel, and it continues to steer that course until you turn the wheel...perfect!

BTW I ordered my Baystar steering thru West Marine in Vancouver and it was $2oo-300 cheaper than anywhere else including 0n-line....Had it installed by CV Marine in Courtenay.

 

[Fisherman Rob]

When you get onto a plane, are you trimming the engine up a bit? In my boat with mechanical steering, when the engine is trimmed right down, it pushes the bow down, but also makes the wheel pull to starboard. Once on a plane I trim the engine up until I feel the bow lift, and the torque on the steering disappears.