Hydraulic Steering versus Cable Steering

Tim Speight

Tim Speight

Active member
I think this question may have been posed on this forum previously, but I am wondering if there are folks out there that have experience with cable versus hydraulic steering in cold temps?

I can't see why there would be a problem, but as part of my research I wanted to ask for real world experiences.

Thanks for any information you can share.

Tim
 
I have cable on my 20'cc boat and hydraulic on my 26'wa and use both boat in temps well below freezing.
The cable steering does get slightly harder to turn but not bad, the hydo steering has no change at all.
 
i have had both and prefer hydraulic although i did lose a seal on steering cylinder at eight degrees, local hydraulic shop was able to upgrade the seals and wear bushings and no problems since.
 
Tim

I have hydraulic in my 19 foot Bankes and love it. I need to replace a seal but otherwise its great. Had a cable system in my 17 Polarkraft but got rid of the wheel and went to tiller. Both reliable, but had the cable freeze in cold weather, weather doesn't effect the hydraulic. I think the hydraulic is 6 turns from lock to lock. I like it a lot more than the cable system.
 
Thanks Brad!

I was curious about the cables icing up in extreme cold and wet conditions. Wasn't much of an issue with the tiller set-up on my previous boat.

Tim
 
Thanks Brad!

I was curious about the cables icing up in extreme cold and wet conditions. Wasn't much of an issue with the tiller set-up on my previous boat.

Tim
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Had my cable steering boat out sea duck hunting many time in temp below zero with no issues.
 
The only issue I've had with cable steering was not due to cold temps. It was corrosion that locked up the cable during the off season. If using the cable steering, make sure you grease the rod that extends out from the outboard.
 
We run or ran both on our work boats that get used year round. I am not a fan of the double cables...the tension is just too great. I have run singles on a couple of 20' boats with 150s on them with no issues. We put hydraulic on our last work boat and it was a total pain. As others have mentioned, the O-rings and seals go out on them all the time. Then they get bumpy. You can be running down the water 40mph and it will bump and throw you if you aren't paying attention. Also the unit we had on that boat took way more than 6 turns from lock to lock and was nowhere close to being as responsive as a cable system. We ran it for 2 years then pulled it off and tossed it and went to a single cable system. We were told the fluid can accumulate moisture like gasohol...and that collects in the reservoir. It can ice up and cause the problems we were having...the problem was, we get cold but not that cold...so who knows.
 
Hydraulic is the only way to go. The steering on the Windy is Hydoslave, power driven off the engine. Its been working without a hitch. It operates at 1500 PSI. The controls are Hynautic Hydraulic, Never a problem, Knock Wood
 
Thanks for the input Capt. Jack.

I believe the Hydroslave and Hynautic would be too much heavy artillery for my little run-about.

We hunt the Mississippi, lakes, and hope to make it up to Green Bay this year.

In the process of re-fitting a Starcraft 21' Mariner to be our tender boat and will be running a 90 to 115hp outboard, so I was thinking of mounting one of the Baystar hydraulic steering units.

Tim
 
Tim,


Look into Teleflex Baystar or Seastar steering systems. I have turned out thousands of boats with these systems over the years and rarely if eve see a problem with those systems. I currently have a Seastar system on my 30' Boston Whaler with twin 225hp outboards. This boat is kept in the water year round and runs in temps from single digits to 100 degree days and never a problem.
 
Tim, as with anything on a boat, maintainance is the key. If you take care of cable steering,ie. greasing, cleaning etc. it is as simple and dependable as you can find.Usually it will tell you when it is not happy before it takes a dump. Parts are relatively cheap and available and almost anyone can fix or repair it. I build multi million dollar sportfish boats for a living, I take my hydraulic stuff to an expert. I can almost fix anything on a cable system with my eyes closed! I used to make my living commercial fishing, I put thousands of hours on cable steering, with only minor issues. This was many years ago, 60's-70's many people still had cable over pulleys back then. I am sure push pull cable steering has gotten better, I have had this setup in an old work boat my son and grandsons use for fun now, the steering is 12- 13 years old, with only average care it is still fully functional and safe. Lose a seal on your hydraulic system and you better lash an old gaff or boat hook to your motor to get home. Actually I prefer a tiller! Rich
 
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