When to upgrade steering?
#11
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Location: Sweet Home, North Alabama and Orange Beach
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I am installing a Mayfair by Hardin system. I can tell you the kit is quality, but have not had it in operation yet. I will tell you---where your helm mounts can be a bit tricky to adapt to the new hydraulic helm post. Mine is way off size wise, and reglassing them redrilling is the best option if your dash is fiberglass. Also the helm pump is very heavy, so if your dash is not or was not made for the weight you may have an issue.
LC
LC
#12
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I'm looking at the IMCO dual ram center mount system for my 31 Scarab, $3K. That gets me the external steering, do you really need to go full hydraulic replacing the helm too? I thought about replacing the helm at a later date, money thing.
#13
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I'm doing the Imco external add on right now. I was going to wait and do the inside kit later on but decided that I'm going to install it this winter before the boat sees the water again in the spring. I've managed to gain 22mph from various upgrades over the past few years. When I bought this boat it would top out at 62mph on gps. It was fairly stable back then and didn't alarm me. Now with the new motor I built last winter and a Bblades 24p prop (which is slightly under proped) it consistently runs 83-84mph. Went 86 with a labbed 28. It's a whole different ride and for that matter....dangerous. Several things can go wrong with the stock steering system. My biggest concern is either breaking the gimble ring or the tiller arm pin at that speed! It's not going to have a pretty outcome either way! It just made sense to pull all of the old steering out and replace it. I'm also switching from a b&m 250 blower to a procharger which will more than likely increase my mph even more. Bottom line....upgrading your factory steering is never a bad thing and in many cases should be considered a necessity for safety reasons!
Last edited by mustangmark; 01-28-2013 at 08:42 PM.