I such case, I guess I have two options. Also replaced lower unit a couple of years ago, and steering cylinder (not related to this issue) last year. It takes a decent grip to make the same turn to the left. The boat is 2001 18 Dauntless with a Honda 130-HP. It takes two hands to turn the wheel. An incorrect trim tab adjustment will cause the boat to turn to the right or to the left when you remove your hands from the steering wheel. It's getting harder to climb up on my casting deck to fish. What is the condition of the seals on the ram? I've been thinking of getting a stick steer boat with a 40 or 50hp motor. But … read more If your boat has a prop that spins one way, then usually it's easy to turn right, a bit hard to turn left (due to the forces put on the face of the rudder by the prop). I’ve noticed that the steering takes significantly more effort to turn left than to the right. Any ideas what this could be, shy of simply cleaning the system and re-greasing it? If the wheel whips around and forces the boat into a sharp turn, that’s torque steer. I have a Yamaha outboard FS150 with SeaStar hydraulic steering. Example: Bring the boat to a stop, then take your hands off the wheel and open up the throttle. If the wheel turns very easily at this point and your engine, outdrive, or rudder also turns very easily, Lube all the fittings on the engine, outdrive, or rudder as preventative maintenance and re-attach the cylinder. I’ve also tried this from sitting still - same thing. I checked the fluid at the helm and it looks full. So far I love the boat. The alignment, as far as driving goes, seems pretty straight. Torque steer is caused by the steering cable providing a mechanical link between the outboard and the steering wheel.A mechanical link allows forces to be transferred through it both ways: in this case from … On the bottom of the steering column is a little plastic wing-nut that can be used to add resistance to turning the wheel. Boats with props that spin the opposite direction will be reversed, harder to turn one direction, easier the other. Make sure that the nut is not tight. The engine [perhaps means steering wheel] is very hard to turn when [the engine is] trimmed all the way down. My only issue is the tightness of the steering. The steering of my boat was fine but suddenly while cruising it becomes very hard to turn the wheel when the boat is underway at a speed of 10 mph or higher. But be careful when removing your hands from the steering wheel because an incorrectly positioned trim tab could cause your boat to suddenly turn violently in either direction throwing you and your passengers. It's always been smooth, not jerky/sticky feeling, just hard to turn. The weather was nice and we got out on the lake for a few hours yesterday. For some reason, I can turn the wheel all the way port side but when I try turning starboard, the steering wheel keeps turning freely but the engine does not budge at all. What's holding me back are comments from stick steer owners about their rigs being harder to turn one way or another. When [the engine is] trimmed up, the engine [perhaps means steering wheel] becomes much easier to turn. Turning right, even when moving at a good clip, I can turn using 1 finger. When sitting still in water, I believe this will be the same issue. 1. to balance the boat, 2. to replace a hydraulic steering … 2000 Ranger 520, 2004 225 EFI. I also see comments about sore shoulders after long runs. I've never owned a new boat before so I don't know exactly what to expect. If this is not the problem, your hydraulic steering ram on the engine may be coroded or pitted inside or on the shaft. I have a recently purchased '05 Civic 1.7. When I managed to push the boat to port side on trailer, the problem is solved or not noticeable. It has always required a lot of effort (two hands) to turn left when it gets up on plane, its turns right with ease. 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