hard steering

[Serenity]

I have only owned Serenity, 28TE for three seasons and the helm requires a little effort to steer the boat. I have seen other single screw boats turn the wheel with ease. Is this a normal issue with the steering or should I be looking at other things

[Tree]

Fisher Price was quite heavy on the steering compared to my buddies boat Jodi T. The only difference was he had an autopilot fitted.

We have the uprated steering ram on our but he doesn't - however I have just had an autopilot fitted which did mean I needed to bleed the system and refill with fresh oil. As the result of this, the steering is now very easy, I don't know what it is like under power due to my other issue but it is certainly easier while static.

[Jack]

My steering is very stiff and I just asked Brewer to take a look at it before launching. It might be where the rudder post intersects the steering mechanism. I lubricated that joint with a little power steering fluid and it helped somewhat but only for a while. Could be that the line has air bubbles but I doubt it.
I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

[Jack]

Here is a reply when I asked about the problem (just search the topic):
The clear plastic tube you are referring to is likely the tube that is used for bleeding. It gets stored across the 2 bleeder fittings which are located on the "T" on top of the cylinder. One side of each T is for the steering fluid pipe connection, the opposite side of the T is the bleeder fitting. That tube should not have fluid in it. Try disconnecting the shaft from the rudder arm (just 1 large bolt or pin) and moving the rudder by hand to be sure there isn't any binding. The manual for the steering cylinder has bleeding instructions. If you can't find your manual or find it on the web I can scan and attach mine.
Rob S.
"TOY-RIFIC" 2000 28TE, 6LP, Hull 408
Eastern Long Island, NY
Luck is the residue of good design.