Hello,

I have a 05 Sunsation 288 with the 496ho with the standard steering. I’ve been noticing some play in the steering. When turning the wheel there is a spot where there is no resistance, I can turn the wheel left and right and not get any feedback. There has always been play but it definitely has gotten worse through the years.

Is this normal with age or should I get this looked at?

Thank you,

lou

step up to full hydro if you want the ultimate in steering. My steering (Twin engine bravo 1s) was so loose you could rotate the wheel a full 45 degrees without moving the drives, and it would hook left all day long.
Went to IMCO full hydro, and now it drives 100% strait, and you can steer with your pinky. not cheap, but if you have to replace a bunch of parts to get back to how it was anyway, might not be much more to get the best setup.

You should definitely have it checked. It could be the steering pin in the gimbel ring.

Hello,

Thanks for the replies. My dealer looked at my boat and said he can feel the play in the steering box under the dash. He left it up to me if I want it fixed but mentioned if I noticed the play I should get it fixed.

I bought a hydraulic kit from Everettperformance.com for a good price and I am glad I did. Great when I'm docking on the river with a cross wind and when I'm flying across 3's at 70+.

Hydraulic steering. Best upgrade you'll ever make.

Important - you didn't mention hours but at almost twenty years it surely will need some gimbal/upper steering pin work. This along with a hydraulic steering upgrade will make it a whole different boat!