seastar helm help pls

[jamie mac]

I have a hydraulic seastar tilt helm on my 2006 mainship rumrunner. it only turns 3.5 turns block to block and seems a little heavy under load. it is supposed to turn 5 turns i do believe. any help or input would be appreciated.

 

[rochepoint]

Send an email or phone Teleflex in Richmond BC, Canada, you can find their address/phone number on their website.

I had a problem with a Capilano system last year and they were great, told me what to do including sending me some PDF's from archives for my unit (27 years old). Did as they said and fixed it without spending a dime, just some yoga moves (hard at my age) under the command bridge. Great guys!

 

[DavidM]

The 3-1/2 turns lock to lock may be due to a limitation on rudder movement, not the steering system itself. You could disconnect the hydraulic cylinder from the steering quadrant and rack the steering back and forth free of the rudder to confirm that hypothesis.

This test will also tell you whether the heaviness is in the hydraulics (unlikely) or the rudder (more likely).

You could possibly change the point where the hydraulic cylinder attaches to the quadrant to allow more steering wheel movement for the same rudder movement. This should improve heaviness.

David

 

[dwhatty]

I wish that I had only 3 1/2 turns on my Hydrive system. It was 6 turns until I repositioned the ram on the tiller arm to give me 4 1/2. Still too much.

 

[jamie mac]

Thanks great info i am maybe less concerned about the 3.5 turns than the heavy steering.

 

[rwidman]

Thanks great info i am maybe less concerned about the 3.5 turns than the heavy steering.

The question is, has it always been this way or is it something new?

I don't know about your boat, but on mine, I would check to see that the packing nut on the rudder shaft is not too tight. At some point I would look to see if the rudder is binding for some reason. In other words, figure out if the problem is with the rudder or the hydraulic system. Then you'll know where to troubleshoot.

 

[marine nut]

If you want to understand how it all works as to "turns", "rudder movement", steering wheel force", etc, this is really a good read.


Seaboard Marine - Tony's Tips | Marine Hydraulic Steering Systems


Wes