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Spec-ing out a boat with 3 tubes and 150+++ power? You MUST order assisted steering! (details inside

Get the power assist!


I made the mistake of forgetting to turn on my battery switch as I pulled away so the power steering assist wasn't working.


WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!


My steering was so hard it was unbelievable.


Power steering is a MUST HAVE!1
 
mbhenry1955 said:
Get the power assist!


I made the mistake of forgetting to turn on my battery switch as I pulled away so the power steering assist wasn't working.


WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!


My steering was so hard it was unbelievable.


Power steering is a MUST HAVE!1
Click to expand...

Once you have the assisted power steering, and either something happens to the pump, or it does not turn on, IT IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SITUATION from just having the Sea Star hydraulic steering. In your situation, you have the pump, valving, check valves and fluid that now have to be manually forced through all the places the pump would normally push it. This can not be compared to Sea Star. 


The Sea Star system replaces a mechanical system, that is normally just cables  and pullies that manually pull the motor to one side or the other. With sea star, there are two hydraulic cyclinders that perform the same function. With the electric controlled power assist, there is an electric motor driven pump that developes more volume of oil, at a higher pressure, that makes the steering easier. Just as with a car with power steering, the effort required is much lower than without power assist. However, the feedback from the steering action is also diminished, which on a boat does not mean much. Using the same car anology, if the power pump is not functioning, the steering effort is MUCH harder than the standard  (with 150 and higher HP motors) Sea Star system.


For those of us old enough to remember cars without power steering, they were easy to control, just not with one finger. If you had a car with power steering, and a belt broke that would normally drive the pump, the effort required to steer was then was tremendous. This would be the same as the non functioning of the electric pump on the assisted system.  As with modern cars, the power assist pumps on our Benningtons are now driven by electric motors to not rob power from the motor through accessory drives and belts.


So, do not compare the steering effort of a non-functioning power assisted system to the effort required with Sea Star, or even cable driven systems. We are a society that is rapidly unwilling to expend any physical effort to do anything, and luxury alternatives for anything are being thought of as necessities. No wonder the majority if people are in hock up to their ears. It's your money, spend it as you will, just don't let yourselves be convinced that your boat is not useable without spending the $2,800 dollars.


As has been said many times before, some folks on this site find it very easy to spend someone else's money. If this keeps up, we will all be running around in 10 foot wide, 30 foot long Luxo barges with twin 300 hp motors, whether we need them or not.
 
Nice post!
 
Thanks.
 
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