Wahoossi Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 I have done a search and have not come up with a satisfactory answer. I had my original steering on my 2008 Redfisher replaced with a Baystar hydraulic unit. I have a 2018 Merc 115 ProXs . It was done by a local mobile marine mechanic who came highly recommended.I was happy with his work, you can see why on a previous post. I was surprised that the initial steering effort was significantly more than I would have expected with hydraulic steering, and more than any hydraulic steering boat I have owned. I have owned two Mavericks and two Pathfinders in addition to about a dozen non MBC boats in my lifetime. ( yes, I am getting pretty old). That is what makes it more difficult. I live on a tidal creek and keep my boat on a JetDock and when the current is ripping I have to make some fast wheel turns to maneuver the boat into position at idle or slightly above. It becomes a real shoulder abusing workout and I have two bad shoulders. It seems to have gotten a bit worse now a year or so later. I wasn’t happy with that mobile mechanic and now I am going to bring it to an establishment in town . I spoke to them and they suggested I should have gone with a Seastar unit for this boat engine. From what I read here , I don’t believe the Seastar unit would fit in the splash well area of the Redfisher 16. I have already tried adding hydraulic fluid and bleeding the unit. I have tried lubricant on the tie bars? Any suggestions before I hand it over to the other mechanic for which I am sure is going to be a complicated answer to a possibly simple solution. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 It may take a Helm change to get what you want, which helm do you have, 1.1 or 1.4. 1.1 is faster but harder. 1.4 is slower but easier. or visa versa. Baring any kinked hoses or a mechanical defect in the system or the motor itself not wanting to easily move, the only other way to make the system easier is an assist pump also made by Seastar (Dometic) The BayStar is rated up to 150 HP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoossi Posted April 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2022 Thanks for the reply. I am hoping my mechanic can find an issue I missed . It is not terrible but at 61 with bad shoulders it can be a little tiresome on windy creeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted April 24, 2022 Report Share Posted April 24, 2022 On 4/19/2022 at 8:00 PM, Wahoossi said: I have done a search and have not come up with a satisfactory answer. I had my original steering on my 2008 Redfisher replaced with a Baystar hydraulic unit. I have a 2018 Merc 115 ProXs . It was done by a local mobile marine mechanic who came highly recommended.I was happy with his work, you can see why on a previous post. I was surprised that the initial steering effort was significantly more than I would have expected with hydraulic steering, and more than any hydraulic steering boat I have owned. I have owned two Mavericks and two Pathfinders in addition to about a dozen non MBC boats in my lifetime. ( yes, I am getting pretty old). That is what makes it more difficult. I live on a tidal creek and keep my boat on a JetDock and when the current is ripping I have to make some fast wheel turns to maneuver the boat into position at idle or slightly above. It becomes a real shoulder abusing workout and I have two bad shoulders. It seems to have gotten a bit worse now a year or so later. I wasn’t happy with that mobile mechanic and now I am going to bring it to an establishment in town . I spoke to them and they suggested I should have gone with a Seastar unit for this boat engine. From what I read here , I don’t believe the Seastar unit would fit in the splash well area of the Redfisher 16. I have already tried adding hydraulic fluid and bleeding the unit. I have tried lubricant on the tie bars? Any suggestions before I hand it over to the other mechanic for which I am sure is going to be a complicated answer to a possibly simple solution. Thanks. Just a thought... I just pumped grease into all 6 zerk fittings on my outboard, and the BayStar steering became noticeably smoother and easier. Is it possible your mobile mechanic did not grease the fittings at the 20-Hour Service or even the 100-Hour Service? That part of the service routine might be cumbersome for a lazy mechanic to do if the boat was sitting on a JetDock. Maybe I'm too critical, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lap it Up Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 Disconnect the ram from the steering arm on the engine and turn the engine by hand. It should move back and forth with very little force. If it’s hard to move by hand, that’s your problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoossi Posted May 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2022 You guys were right. I had the boat at Ellis Marine in Brunswick and they found that the steering arm was frozen. They cleaned out and lubed everything up and it is 10x better now. I expected this to be done when the mobile mechanic installed the Baystar when I first bought the boat , but it did not happen. Thanks for the replies . Getting the boat ready to head to Hawks Cay the week of May 9th. Can’t wait! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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