Steering is tough to turn
 

So I have a 1977 23’ Center.. brand new 2020 300hp Suzuki 30”.. brand new seastar hydraulic steering.. I’m am getting 5900rpm at 48 mph.. question is the steering gets tight to steer as I increase rpm.. In forward it is normal steering but anything after I get on plane it gets tight.. I was thinking my engine was too low but I’m seeing good numbers.. from your experiences any suggestions? Thanks 🙏

What displacement pump??

4 blade prop ??
Steering anode position ??
It can only be tight to the left or right...
To the right is to much cup in the prop..

Make sure your engine is high enough. I knew my engine was close to correct on the top hole, but raised it about 3/4” when I redid my transom. My numbers improved only slightly but easier to steer particularly at high trim angles.

1.7 pump.. three blade... anode straight back

I’m thinking engine height.. gonna use this weekend and check a couple things

anode shouldn't be straight. If pulling left move tab to left... Mine pulls a little if not trimmed high enough at plane also.

It’s not a pull left or right issue.. it’s hard to steer at higher rpm’s

What helm pump and what displacement? Is the engine thrust causing the cylinder to bind?

It’s a 1.7 brand new pump.. it’s not like I can’t steer it.. not binding.. just takes more effort then any other hydraulic steering I have had

Motor height is going to be your first big problem. My 23 Tsunami with a full pipe top and the same df300 can hit 6300 trimmed up @ 50 mph with a light load so your CC should do way better than me.

If you are running a Suzuki 3 blade prop I would urge you to explore other options. If it was me I would get my hands on a standard Merc 4 blade Bravo 1 22" pitch and raise the motor as high as you can mount it. The Bravo will run efficiently much higher than the Suzuki prop and steer much easier.

Ok great info K moose..if I should be seeing 62-6300 it will be worth exploring different props and engine height..

I like 6000 at even trim with a day trip load at WOT. They redline at 6300 but you should not hit that unless you are trimmed up with no load and minimal fuel.

I’m not a big fan of lugging 4 strokes and generally cruise at 43-4500 between 28 and 30 knots on a nice day getting 2.3 nautical and have no issue running it at 5000 to 5300 if I want to put the rest of the pack behind me @ 1.9.

Gotcha.. I’m gonna start at heights and go from there.. like you said I will be happy at 6k WOT even trim

Steering
 

So I spent most of the weekend on the water.. I did some experimenting with the engine.. so full throttle with a full tank and only myself in the boat I saw 5750rpm 46 mph with no trim and hard to steer.. if I trimmed it as much as I can I was seeing 6150 at 48-49 mph and the steering was very easy to steer.. my conclusion is that there is too much engine in the water with no trim and I should start by raising the engine a hole? What do you guys think??

Anything at 300+ hp i prefer more turns hardover to hardover or a power assist unit
Get the 1.4 helm or the power steering unit and be done with it

Why would I go out and spend close to 2k for a power assist and not try to raise engine first🤷🤷

IMHO, the determining factor for engine height is "where is the anti-cav plate when running"? Hard steering may be a result, but where is the AC when running? A video would help.

Olds cool 😎 I totally agree.. but the amount of trim I can put on the engine without prop slipping is also telling me that I am too low with the engine.. but that’s my opinion... I will supply a video this upcoming weekend.. thanks

I guess i can see why you would take my message that way. Apologies.

Was looking at it it from a work perspective, not a diy'r at home.
If i were to try that at work it would likely result in 4 to 6 hrs between hauls/launches, and seatrials. If it didnt meet the customers expectation's they would be unhappy with the bill, and be looking at buying a new helm pump, or power steering.....

Yeah no worries buddy.. the whole system is brand new so that’s why I’m gonna do some more trial and error before I go that route.. believe me I thought about just buying a assist pump but I have a feeling I’m dragging to much engine in the water with not trimming the engine.. thanks man!

AV Plate at Water Surface
 

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...pictureid=3180

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...pictureid=3181

Big Sean, as I previously remarked raising the engine may help. Check that the AV plate is at the top of the water. The first pic with black tape on the top of the AV plate was in Oct 2019 shortly after I redid my transom on my 20' Seafari and raised the engine about 0.750", which made steering easier particularly at higher trim angles. At the previous position when trimmed way up, it was like I could not steer off of straight ahead.

The second pic is from a few days ago, actually to show the trim tab. Both pics were at about 28-30 mph.

Good morning Capt Terry.. thank you for the visuals.. I will check the AV plate this weekend.. like I said I think I am dragging to much engine in the water and raising the engine will solve my problems.. thanks for insight!.. I will report back soon

I did a quick video for you experts.. it was done at 30-32 mph.. no trim..full tank..2 guys..regular load.. I definitely came to conclusion I’m gonna raise the engine up possibly 2 holes.. what do you guys think?? TIA

I can’t upload video for some reason try later

You should be able to upload to Youtube then post that link.

After years of being obsessive in motor height adjustments and propping I have come to the conclusion that I start with the motor as high as I can mount it. It is easy to determine if you are too high by just putting the hull into turns. If it is anything over a slight cavitation... It is too high. Starting lower than that never lets you know you have hit the sweet spot if you just settle with the hole in-between that seems to be good.

Since the highest mounting height with good traction is the best performing and most economical... Highest available is the best starting point.

Kmoose’s Engine Height
 

As usual Kmoose’s advice is sound and cuts to the chase- start high then go lower if need be. As Bushwacker remarked the dealers always seem to mount them too low.
It occurred to me after posting my AV plate video that my usage is on lakes, those of you in rougher stuff might need it lower. With my High Five 5b prop, I have no cavitation in tighter turns in testing than I would normally attempt. Once height is correct check your prop RPM at WOT. Dealer started with 21p, I am at 17p now.