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Steering System Choices

tboltmike

Regular Contributor
"I am in the process of replac

"I am in the process of replacing my steering system. The choices are rack/pinion and rotary. I have not found any discussion that explains the criteria for choosing one over the other. No feedback further complicates the decison.

Any help is appreciated.

The old system was a Detmar 500 r/p and had no problem with it until the cable siezed. The boat is an 18' tri hull 115 hp o/b
Thanks, Mike"
 
"[b]"The choices are rack/

""The choices are rack/pinion and rotary. I have not found any discussion that explains the criteria for choosing one over the other."

Ayuh,........

It's All got to do with the amount of Space you have behind the Helm..........

If you have a narrow space behind the Helm,.....
You need a Rotary.......

If you have good Width,+ are lacking space above,+/or below the Helm,.....
You need a Rack & Pinion.......

"No feedback further complicates the decison."

If you Don't have P/Steering,.....
Get the No Feedback,......
It helps cancel out the Torque Steer from the prop........

Good Luck......"
 
"Mike, I have read suggestions

"Mike, I have read suggestions that rack and pinion (if you have the room) is suggested for higher horsepower (over 150) and/or high performance applications.

I have been running a "rack" on my 14 footer powered by a whopping 15 horse for the last two seasons now.

I picked up the set-up extremely cheap, had the room (you need 20+ inches of clearance minimum from the center of the steering wheel - laterally) to accomodate the rack itself and the maximum radius (bend) of the cable.

I guess it's personal choice in some cases, but I much prefer the "feel" of that steering compared with the old rotary system that it replaced - and can see how it would make moving a larger motor a little easier compared with a rotatry..."
 
"Thanks for the feedback.
due


"Thanks for the feedback.
due to availability, I went with the std rotary. Although it has been 4 years since I had it in teh water, I didn't member feedback being a problem. The local OMC dealer said one disadvantage of the NFB is that doing maintenance you cannot turn the motor at the motor. you have to go back and forth to the helm."
 
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