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phil0071

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Hello all.....I just today purchased a 2014 SSLX with a 115 yamaha. I live on a 6 thousand acre lake and will dock in my boathouse. I just sold my boat of 10 years, a 2004 Chaparral 220 SSI with a 350 mag. I have no plans for tubing or sking, but just cruising on the lake. My one complaint on my test drive was the effort to steer. Im not sure if it was actuall hard or Im just not used to the feel of a pontoon yet.The boat does not have hydraulic steering. I sort of wanted it but we loved the boat and the price was more than right. My dealer said he could add it and gave me an estimate of $1600 or so but sort of discouraged me from spending the money. Anyone have some thoughts or experience on this?

Thanks!
 
Put some hours behind the wheel first before you consider spending the money. It takes time to get the "feel" of a pontoon.. Especially if you are not going to tube or ski. You didn't say whether or not you had a triple or 2 tube boat or lifting strakes and under deck waveshield. All those things will help with turning nad having a smoother ride.

Todd
 
Welcome to the family and oh yeah, PICS or it aint true !!! :D

Im guessing, with a 115, there will be some effort needed to turn it without addition of the hydraulic option, but as Todd said, give it a little time, to see if it starts to "feel" a little easier.
 
Welcome to thr toon life. Cable steering is quite a bit different than power steering.
 
Congrats and great choice of boat!! Did you get the 22 or 24? I have the 22 with strakes on two tubes and can do 34 with two adults and a yellow lab. I also have the 115 and haven't had any issues with the cable steering. Just my $.02 and post some pics!!!
 
I had a 115 with cable steering, and now have a 150 with the same cable steering. Like Todd said, give it some time and see what you think. If you adjust the trim correctly it's not terribly hard to steer. Sharp turns at higher speeds are fairy hard, but if you do that seldom, then you might decide to put up with it.

I looked into adding either the BayStar or the SeaStar hydraulic systems. BayStar is the little brother version of the SeaStar. It is rated up to 150 HP, but the manufacturer told me directly not to use the BayStar with a 150 as I wouldn't be happy with it.

Parts for BayStar are around $750. The SeaStar kit is around $1100. Both are "tilt" wheel prices. Non-tilt steering wheel is cheaper. You can install it yourself, or I've been quoted 5-6 hours shop labor. The biggest part of the labor is cutting a new steering wheel hole, and routing the cables, HOWEVER on my 24SSL, the manufacturer told me my steering wheel cutout was already the right size (since I have their cable system, they knew this). Also, on the 24SSL, you can see and touch the entire cable from the wheel to the motor due to all the openings under the boat, so fishing the hoses through the boat should NOT be a problem at all. Instructions are very clear how to hook this up. Seems daunting at first since they have so many kits for all different motors, dual motors, etc and it takes a while to figure out what kit you need. But the instructions don't look very difficult at all. I'm planning on putting on the SeaStar next spring.
 
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I have the 22 ft. The boat came with tilt wheel and the dealer said adjusting the tilt to the right angle would aid in turning. I guess it the leverage or someting. He sort of discouraged me from spending the money to add the hydraulic but said he would be more than happy to do it. He did say the wave sheild would have to be removed to do the job so there is a good bit of labor involved.To be honest, even though I am confident with the dealer, I am a little leery to have it done as a after the factory thing. I honestly will probably only use the boat for low speed cocktail cruises so I think I can live with it. Our lake is only 6 thousand acres so we use boats to visit friends. I went intending to buy the SLX but my wife liked the rear loinger on the SSLX. I also liked the way the the bench in front of the lounger is parallel with the captains chair. He is delivering the boat on Thursday.I cant wait!
 
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I have a 20ft with a 90hp and that seemed hard to steer also when I got it, but has got a lot easier with time. Should be better with time to loosen up.
 
On most boats you would have to remove the wave shield, but on the S, you can reach around it since it doesn't completely cover the bottom of the boat. The back of the boat (the last 4 feet or so) is completely covered underneath, but you can get into that space through the ladder storage area. Just pull the ladder out, and you can reach in there if you have to. You (or your dealer) shouldn't have to remove anything.
 
By the way, as soon as my wife saw the double lounger, she knew that was the boat for us. We had 5 adults squeezed into it one day for a photo! My daughter will regularly sit back there with 3 or 4 friends. They can't all lay back, but when we're not moving, they can all sit back there and talk and snack.

I know what you mean about the captain's chair being straight across from the "L" couch. Perfect position.

We went with the 24 because it has a backrest on the port side lounger. The port door is only about 1.5 feet wide, but I am glad Bennington made it small so they could make the port couch longer. Bennington did a nice job on the design.
 
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I've got SeaStar hydraulic steering on my 24SSLX with the F150 Yamaha. It too gets a little hard to make tight turns when getting over 30 mph. At 20 mph, it's easy to steer, however.

My old Starcraft pontoon with a Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke has cable steering, and it's not at all hard to steer.

Just live with your boat as it is for awhile.

You can alway add the SeaStar next year. You should be able to install SeaStar yourself for less than $800. What's really nice is the power steering option @ $1,100 more (than SeaStar) approximately--what all the boats 200 hp and more really need. At one point, money gets to be an issue.
 
Bamaman said:
You should be able to install SeaStar yourself for less than $800.
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Hey Bamaman - Where did you find that price? Is that for a non-tilt steering helm pump? The tilt-steering pump costs nearly $350-$400 more (which is where my $1100 estimate comes from). That's a big adder just for tilt steering.
 
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lakeliving said:
Congrats and great choice of boat!! Did you get the 22 or 24? I have the 22 with strakes on two tubes and can do 34 with two adults and a yellow lab. I also have the 115 and haven't had any issues with the cable steering. Just my $.02 and post some pics!!!
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Hmm, wonder what your speed would be if it were a chocolate lab? :D
 
Not sure, his ears lift up while under power and give us a little extra bow lift. I'll have to see if brown hair is heavier than yellow....
 
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