Reply With QuoteThat's pretty common, the outer plastic gets a bit of damage and salt water just rusts it away, plenty of hydraulic systems for a lot less than a grand.
Hi guys, a few weeks back I posted on here http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...a-novice/page2 in my quest for advice on some best 2nd hand boat recommendations and received some great advice. Last week I finally bit the bullet and went for a nice looking late 2002 HS540. A few days later I took her out for her first run and noticed the steering a bit stiff as well as quite a bit of play in the wheel. I wasn't initially over concerned since it is an old boat which would obviously have a bit of wear but after I returned home I decided to replace both steering box and cable and it was after I was pulling the cable out that I discovered the damage as per photo's. It was in a section that sits right underneath the battery box so very hard to have seen and I really doubt the previous owner was aware of it since it couldn't be seen even when looking under as it was on the back side nearest the boat body. I only noticed this when I was actually removing the cable and it looks to me like it was done quite a while ago and by someone carelessly drilling a hole to attache a sounder on the hull. You can see an initial scuff from the drill to the left of the damaged section (2nd photo) The drill obviously broke the plastic cover with a direct hit and broke into the wire sheath which has slowly rusted open quite badly, no wonder it was getting stiff !! I did think of replacing it with a hydraulic system but I think at this stage in my boating career I will go with the cheaper option and replace with the same system for $300 as apposed to over a $1000.
Anything else one should consider doing whilst having this appart ?
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Last edited by desertislander; 03-10-2014 at 07:56 AM. Reason: script
That's pretty common, the outer plastic gets a bit of damage and salt water just rusts it away, plenty of hydraulic systems for a lot less than a grand.
Hydraulic is a whole lot better.
Dale
I fish because the little voices in my head tell me to
Congrats on the new boat mate. It seems like a big outlay, particularly just after you have forked out for your new boat but my opinion is you won't regret going to a hydraulic system since you have to replace steering system anyway.
If the steering box is ok why not just replace the cable?What length is the cable? I have someold ones in good condition that you can have gratis . I am in redland bay.
Cheers
Ray
Hi Ray, the steering box has a lot of play and not surprising considering the tightness of the cable, it would have put a lot of pressure on it which would have added unnecessary wear, I think it prudent to change it because of that. Thanks for the offer on the spares
Cheers
Phil
Dam all you converts to the hydraulic stearing system, my heart tells me that's what I should go with, I feel a change of thought coming on, can I afford to go this way, maybe, maybe not but it does seem to make sense, more research on prices and makes needed, any recommendations for my sized boat
Have a talk to Graeme from Hydrive Qld. They are located in Cleveland. Best system will depend on the splashwell set up more than anything else on a rig that size.
You wont get a decent system for under $700 - $800 + fitting so if you dont want to out-lay that at this point in time go with the cable, you will likely get 5+ years out of it and many a boat runs cable so even if hydraulic is better, cable will do fine too.
Welcome to the world of boat ownership. EVERYTHING costs more than you'd like it to!
fruit salad is the new Bacon
Ha Ha, not unlike car or house ownership Fishard, whats new.
B.O.A.T. Bring out another thousand.
I too thought about replacing the cable but after spending three hundred dollars on the tow home and then having to replace the helm station plus the cable hy-drive worked out cheaper they have a vary comprehensive fitting guide my son in law and I did it in four hours from start to finish the hardest part was waiting for the loc-tite to harden read next day before we could put the oil in and bleed the system hasn't missed a beat since.
Thanks Kiwi, I notice these guys are a local business just down the road in Cleveland and from what I have read about them, have a world class product, will check them out.
So, from what I see with these hydraulic steering kits is that they are none electrical and work solely through a manual oil pump behind the steering wheel and have very little wearable parts, seems a brilliant concept. How do you find the response in rougher weather, not too light is it
They are certainly a different feel but once you become accustomed to it you would never go back to cable IMO. The only real issues you ever see with hydraulic steering is the odd leaky seal on a helm pump or if the push rods get damaged on the ram due to poor maintenance or physical damage but parts are generally available unless the system is very old. The maintenance required is little more than a good wash at the end of the day to get the salt off and a quick spray with WD40 or similar to stop any corrosion. Properly maintained, they will still look like new 10 years down the track.
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