Steering? Might need some help.

[Tyler882]

Hey folks!

Just wondering as far as bass boat hydraulic steering these days: in 2022, who is making a good steering kit for a bass boat with a 150 Merc? Needless to say, my Teleflex dual cable rack & pinion steering is heading out the door quick!

I looked around and saw NOT to go with Baystar...(anyone want to argue that point the other way?) I will say I'm not worried about speed these days, I rarely go "fast" and never even hit 50mph honestly. Most of the time I never make longer than a 10 minute run if that and fish my way back. Call me simple and old school now I guess.

I also saw Seastar's regular kit and Pro kit, but I have also been seeing people say that the seals fail or these end up leaking after about 5-6 years.

I'm wondering if there is anything better/longer lasting out there? Should I just go with the Baystar for no more than I'm running around? What's the best options, essentially?

Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations!

[keeferfish]

No issue with my SeaStar knock on wood!

[JR19]

My Seastar is a little over 23 years old (feb 14 1999 is the day my boat was bought new). Between my first motor and the current motor I have around 1350 hours of engine run time so my steering has seen some use. If my memory is correct around 2020 I noticed my steering was soft/slow to respond and every once in a while when up on plane in a turn it would pop. This is a tale, tale sign of air in the system. I bought a bleeder kit and 1 quart of fluid and purged the air from my system and its been trouble free since then. Although I bought a quart it only took a couple ounces to purge mine. In fact I have done mine plus two other boats and I still have 2/3 of a quart left. Based on my experience I would recommend Seastar.

[basfish]

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/brand/uflex_usa

[ChuckTR21]

If you have an issue with the seals, it's an easy replacement. Filling and bleeding the system is harder than replacing the seals. I've had two SeaStar system over 20 years of use on two boats and have had to replace seals twice. Having said this, the UFlex units do look very nice.

[Tyler882]

Thanks for the recommendations, I will look at those options!

Just for clarity on the different steering mechanisms, is Hydraulic Steering truly that much "better" than Cable, specifically dual cable as I currently have (pretending that my current cable was brand new and isn't biting the dust)?

Before I put the extra (might as well say) thousand dollars out for the Seastar or comparable Uflex product, I want to know I'm getting something that is truly worth it.

[DoctorJJ]

It’s been my experience that brand new cables steer very much like hydraulic. The issue is, cables immediately start becoming stiffer and certainly have a limited life span. With hydraulic, other than seals, which aren’t a big deal, they steer as good as new for their entire lifespan which will be several times the lifespan of cables.

[Duckhunter250]

I have a Baystar on my Rude 150.
It has been trouble free, however the steering is pretty stiff when less than planing speed.

[Tyler882]

I appreciate that, good to know. I somewhat figured that might be the case, and I am certainly glad I asked.

One more question and I will leave well-enough alone: In my search for the best deals on Seastar, I have stumbled across a heck of a deal on a Baystar kit locally (open box type deal it appears) and I know that those are typically not suitable for bass boats with a 150HP; however, what are the chances of that working with how I drive mine? As stated above, I'm not looking for speed anymore, just to get there for the most part, and I never travel far. I would rather put in at the ramp closest to where I'm fishing as to shorten my drive in the boat.

What's your thoughts on that? Manageable, or not worth it?

Again, I greatly appreciate the feedback, this helps much more having first-hand knowledge from those who have been there and done that.

[PJ-Rohlf]

The biggest difference I have noticed is that with hydraulic, you can't really just push the motor from side to side at the motor like you can with cable. You actually have to use the steering wheel to move it. In turn it makes it so the motor doesn't easily just flop over.

[basfish]

I updated my '92 Evinrude 150 to Uflex 3 yrs. ago, It was the "best" upgrade you could do to a boat setup. There is no more steering torque. One thing to be aware of is the new helm might protrude out more than the old helm, if you don't have much room between the steering wheel & the seat, make it difficult to get behind the wheel

[mrdeath]

I switched from cable to hydraulic on my last boat and it was the best money I ever spent on it. It's well worth it in my opinion.

[paulrodbender]

Worth it? From cable to hydro....... Absolutely. I did it two years ago to my 1987 boat and I should of done it earlier. I wouldn't put a Baystar because it's not recommended for bass boats and 150hp. On saftey issues, I rather not cut corners. Again, this is my opinion.

[cwilt]

I have a baystar on my boat since new. My boat regularly hits 59 with it. Came from the dealer with it. Only mechanical issue I had was i thought that the seal on the hoses where they go into the helm started to leak. Ended up not being the seal... the fitting was cross threaded and the threads leaked. I got a new helm and the updated fittings. I had the rack system on my last boat and will never go back to mechanical steering. Good luck on your quest.

[basshole51]

best upgrade I ever did on my 1996 Merc 150. Did the standard Seastar kit....they had a promotion going and it wasn't much more than a complete new cable steer system at the time.

[willwork4fish]

I restored a boat and put a Uflex Protech1 on it and was really happy. If I ever had to replace and entire steering system again I'd go with Uflex. Got a kit that was on special for $900 but it only came with 20' hoses. The guy who sold them to me charged me an extra $32 for a couple of fittings and shortened them to the length I needed. Having messed around with SeaStar on most of my boats in the past the Uflex appeared to be better built.

[Tyler882]

This is some great information, thanks folks! I appreciate everyone who has responded so far. Now, just need to do some more looking into Baystar vs Seastar vs Uflex and find the best deal and go with it.

[dartag1829]

When i first read it I thought Bubba Wallace was asking. He had a ( Steering Problem ) last weekend


I have Sea Star on my 2002 Ranger. Never had an issue ( knock on wood ). My neighbor has a new pontoon with Sea Star Electric power steering. It is smooth as butter. Who knows it may qualify for an energy credit next year.

[dwtaylor]

I installed a seastar system on my boat in 2016 and haven't had any issues at all yet.

I went with 16 foot hoses and they are a little long though but most of the slack tucks away.

[crawdadking]

My buddy installed a Baystar steering unit on my son's 150 hp Mercury several years ago and it's been trouble free ever since.