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Thread: Stiff Steering

  1. #1
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    Stiff Steering

    I have a 1995 19' champion with a 200 xri, 8 inch jack plate, brand new out of box 25 tempest and brand new no feed back cable steering. As I raise the motor up I gain speed but steering gets very stiff to the left, if I drop motor back down steering frees up my I lose speed and I know it's prop torque but if I keep raising to gain more speed steering gets so stiff I can't hardly turn left. A few spec's running 6,000 at 62 gps mph which shows around 17% slip....question if I get prop worked will that also help with the steering issue?
    Daddy taught me to never force anything but to just get a bigger hammer.


    1995 19'0" Champion bass boat
    1995 200 XRI

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  3. #2
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    Torque tab on skeg helps some. I remember the old Hydrostream days. 200 Merc with dual opposed steering and it was al you could do to hold the wheel straight let alone turn left. Nature of the beast I spose. My xb02 was the same till I went hydraulic. Took a while to re-learn how to drive but I'll not go back.

    Rock
    Team Junk

    No sparkling wiggles in here, only dump truck grinches.

    "Screamin Heathen"

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    Have had that on every boat I have owned. The higher the motor was, either trim or transom and the higher speeds, the worse it was. I had a Glasstron Carlson with a 200 Johnson and the wheel wanted to snap out of your hand when running full bore and you let off.

    I now have hydraulic steering and that is the best I have driven outside of an inboard with power-steering. No feedback what so ever and turning the motor at any speed or trim transom height, easy to do. 17ft Checkmate trimate with a 140 rude.

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    Hydraulic is the ultimate solution although fairly expensive. It is also the only suitable steering solution that is available NEW.

    I don't care what the folks at Teleflex say, NFB is junk and not safe on anything that's reasonably fast (over 50-55 mph)! It's great for it's intended application (grandma's pontoon boat with the 50 hp OMC!).

    The next best solution (after Sea Star Pro or Uflex Silversteer) is to find an old Morse Command or Teleflex dual rack helm and cables(maybe you didn't throw away your original when you fitted the NFB?). The cables for many (but not all) of theses helms are still available new. Fitting one of these systems along with solid motor mounts, trim tab on the lower unit skeg and "blinker" style trim switch is the most cost effective way to improve your steering. It will not eliminate the steering torque but it will result in a system with no "play" that is controllable and driveable! It will also require some "leg work" to find all the parts as they are no longer available new!

    You may find that you are able to achieve higher speeds once you are able to effectively control the vessel!
    Last edited by nitro_rat; 01-27-2019 at 09:52 AM.
    Josh Peterson

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    Quote Originally Posted by nitro_rat View Post
    Hydraulic is the ultimate solution although fairly expensive. It is also the only suitable steering solution that is available NEW.

    I don't care what the folks at Teleflex say, NFB is junk and not safe on anything that's reasonably fast (over 50-55 mph)! It's great for it's intended application (grandma's pontoon boat with the 50 hp OMC!).

    The next best solution (after Sea Star Pro or Uflex Silversteer) is to find an old Morse Command or Teleflex dual rack helm and cables(maybe you didn't throw away your original when you fitted the NFB?). The cables for many (but not all) of theses helms are still available new. Fitting one of these systems along with solid motor mounts, trim tab on the lower unit skeg and "blinker" style trim switch is the most cost effective way to improve your steering. It will not eliminate the steering torque but it will result in a system with no "play" that is controllable and driveable! It will also require some "leg work" to find all the parts as they are no longer available new!

    You may find that you are able to achieve higher speeds once you are able to effectively control the vessel!
    It had the original dual cable, but the guy drove it so long with a bad steering cable that it tore the bushings out of it and someone had put the steering wheel on with an impact I think cause I could not get steering wheel off even with a puller and had to cut the steering shaft and then press the shaft out of steering wheel..

    It's not chine walking at all right now boat is running kind of flat at full trim..prop needs work and I do have a hot foot and blinker trim.
    Daddy taught me to never force anything but to just get a bigger hammer.


    1995 19'0" Champion bass boat
    1995 200 XRI

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce2 View Post
    It's not chine walking at all right now boat is running kind of flat at full trim..prop needs work and I do have a hot foot and blinker trim.
    Full trim? Are you getting a big rooster tail? Sounds like you are over trimming to compensate for not having enough bite to lift the hull. A trophy may be a better choice. It will have more lift than your tempest. You may have to drop back to a 23 to get your rpms back. Motor should be trimmed "level" and rooster tail should not be higher than top of cowl for max performance.

    Details on the rest of your setup? Prop shaft height? Water pressure gauge?

    I doubt you'll get much improvement in steering from anything you do to the prop. You need true dual cable or hydraulic once you are breaking 60 mph IMO.
    Josh Peterson

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  11. #7
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    With 2 guy's 30 gallons of fuel all our fishing gear..im getting 62.8 gps mph @ around 6,000 rpms prop to pad right now is around 3 1/2 below pad with 15+ pounds of water pressure, Tach was bouncing between 5800 and 6,000 and then it quit. Rooster tail about top of cowling. I have since installed new tach and a set of CCM sport reed's with block stuffers and sent out injectors to be serviced and checked, I have not got injectors back yet as the place I sent them too is swamped.

    Boat feels nose heavy need to pull recessed trolling motor pedal tray out and see whats up in hull inside.

    Dry weight of hull is 1450 pounds
    Last edited by Bruce2; 01-27-2019 at 11:36 AM.
    Daddy taught me to never force anything but to just get a bigger hammer.


    1995 19'0" Champion bass boat
    1995 200 XRI

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  13. #8
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    Ya sounds like u need more bow lift maybe,u can add sum cup to it but prob loose little.rpm tho

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    Is ur plate hyd?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Merc 2.5 View Post
    Ya sounds like u need more bow lift maybe,u can add sum cup to it but prob loose little.rpm tho
    With his slip numbers he could loose rpm and gain speed...
    Josh Peterson

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  18. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merc 2.5 View Post
    Is ur plate hyd?
    nope manual rapid Jack...

    Also im not sure what the rev limiter in this motor is ….. I have removed both modules except oil module or is limiter in computer.
    Last edited by Bruce2; 01-28-2019 at 01:31 PM.
    Daddy taught me to never force anything but to just get a bigger hammer.


    1995 19'0" Champion bass boat
    1995 200 XRI

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    Try a 4 blade prop, like a merc trophy for your hull . It will help. Hydrallic steering is so much better once you have it, but a 4 blade prop will take your steering torque down allot. Worth a try.
    1993 Cougar 21ft MTR Superbender SHO

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  21. #13
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    NFB steering is NFG for performance applications. It basically locks the wheel when there's steering torque applied to the cables, takes a real good jerk on the wheel to overcome it and you can very easily overcompensate and be in danger quickly.. I have heard of guys taking the rollers out of the helm so it acts like a normal dual cable setup, I just replaced mine with a ride guide setup.

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  23. #14
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    Here's my thought and maybe im old and my thinking is not good anymore. But boat needs more stern and bow lift and maybe with a little more lift it will take some of the stiffness to steer left out of it. You can look at the prop and see that it's not consistent on the blades.
    Daddy taught me to never force anything but to just get a bigger hammer.


    1995 19'0" Champion bass boat
    1995 200 XRI

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    Hows ur steering issues goin? Figure it out?

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