STEERING-DONE-console.jpg
Had to put the helm wheel on to fill/bleed the lines. My friend Kyle who was a boat mechanic for a while helped me do this task. I wish I knew the exact hard port to hard starboard before, but now its 4.25 turns with the hydraulic steering in and the entire install was super easy, and SeaStars' support prior to purchase was excellent. One note on the recommended spacers for my engine was that I used one more thin 1/16" SS washer which took out almost all of the play at the cylinder attachment to the outboard. The remaining play is all in the SeaStar bearings. Another side note is that if your throttle cables still have a length description on them buy that length for the hydraulic steering lines so you can run them tandem with the throttle/shift cables in a single rigging tube. Ill post a pic of that later.
3 steps back
After getting the steering in and having the engine fire no problem and everything else working I found myself working towards getting this thing in the water. In doing so I would be shortcutting a ton of things I want to do right. Anyhow, I was proceeding down this side-tracked road and tightened down a gauge brace I set with an epoxied anchor and it popped because I put way too much on it. Sounded like a gunshot. When that popped the "get this in the water game" ended.
Took everything out again, upper and lower panels, steering wheel, gauges, cut wires on battery monitor. Took the lower panel over to my massive mess of a fold out workbench in the garage, popped the gauge out, dremeled off the epoxy, dremeled out a mushroom shape at the bottom of my hole and reset it with 3m 5200. also added a bead around the gauge as well so this time I'll just snug up the mount hardware and it'll never move. 3 more days to full cure strength.
In the mean time, if you look at the attach pic, you can see the old mounting hole at the lower right of the pic. I'm going to fill that and the other no-use holes with a plastic based 2 part filler putty. sand and paint. I do like the color of the total boat paint I purchased but it did take about 7 days for it to cure and the finish sucked. Wish I could spray it all with an airbrush.... maybe.
Threaded Mode