IS 90 HP. TOO SMALL FOR SSLX24?

[Smoky Mountain]

I'd have liked to have your sales rep ride on my boat to compare for themselves. It made a huge difference. Definitely worth the $1000 or so upgrade.

If I had done the 90 or 115 there would be no way I wouldn't have done the hydraulic steering. I don't care what they say about cables.

As it is, it's hydraulic and power assist. I just didn't want any issues where my Wife would have had difficulty running the rig and not having much pontoon experience except a few rentals over the years, I wanted no regrets.

 

[Ben & Suzy]

Hydraulic steering DEFINITELY makes it easier to steer.

There is no auxiliary power supply on std. hydraulic steering, meaning that you manually activate the hyd. pump at the helm each time you turn the wheel. The effort required to turn the wheel is no less than that of standard cable steering, assuming that it is in proper working order. So lets clarify your statement. Hydraulic steering doesn't make all boats easier to steer, only the boats with big power and higher speed capabilities that have steering torque issues. Pontoons.....not so much. IMO, it's unnecessary for most boats under 150hp. It would make absolutely no difference on your 50hp engine. For engines in the 90-115hp range, a no-feedback cable steering system would do the trick over the std. cable steering.

I've installed a few of these hydraulic systems. The advantage that hydraulic steering has over the traditional std. rack/rotary cable steering is that it eliminates the clockwise steering torque, meaning that you can turn left or right with equal effort while under moderate to WOT. The steering wheel will stay exactly where you turn it. Std. cable steering actually turns to the right easier while under power. There is basically no difference between the two while at slower speeds. Upgrading to a no-feedback helm / cable system will net similar results to the hydraulic system at a much reduced cost. Adding the power-assist unit to the hydraulic system is where you'll find true "ease of steering".