Kicker Steering

advTHXance

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Im considering adding a rotary steering system to my boat for my kicker. Currently I steer using my main and a connector rod, but when fishing alone its a pain in the butt to be playing a fish and also darting back and forth between the deck and the cabin. The boat veers all over the place as the weight on deck shifts around, and while I have gotten pretty good at steering hands-free by moving around on deck, it would be nice to be able to stand in one spot to steer and play fish. Of course I could just sit at the back and steer with the tiller arm but thats no fun either. I also dont want to spend a ton for one of the fancier systems that ends up being worth more than the boat itself!

So my tentative plan is to attach a rotary steering system from my kicker to a helmstation on deck.

Anyone out there using one for their kicker? Know where to get a kit locally for a good price? Have a better idea?
 
Cheapest way would be to put it in neutral when playing the fish or am I missing something
 
Assuming your main has hydraulic steering, leave the connector bar in place and add a 2nd helm with a small wheel on the transom. We just reach down and steer the boat as needed while playing the fish. There are pros and cons but some would suggest adding an autopilot, either for the kicker or the main with a cross bar (very expensive). There are lots of previous threads on the pros/cons and related issues. We are very happy with the 2nd helm solution. In addition our kicker is full remote and the controls are easily accessible from both the main helm station (just behind it) and the fishing deck. A new second helm sea star system with wheel is going to be about 700. Used ones do come up for sale - I think, Wolf has one for sale if its not sold.
 
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Assuming your main has hydraulic steering, leave the connector bar in place and add a 2nd helm with a small wheel on the transom. We just reach down and steer the boat as needed while playing the fish. There are pros and cons but some would suggest adding an autopilot, either for the kicker or the main with a cross bar (very expensive). There are lots of previous threads on the pros/cons and related issues. We are very happy with the 2nd helm solution. In addition our kicker is full remote and the controls are easily accessible from both the main helm station (just behind it) and the fishing deck. A new second helm sea star system with wheel is going to be about 700. Used ones do come up for sale - I think, Wolf has one for sale if its not sold.
My main has cable steering as well. The remote systems look nice but I think id prefer to have a wheel in my hands and less points of failure.
 
go with a separate cable system then for your kicker, no tie bar, one of the issues with having cable...... you lose out on your big motor aiding as a steering rudder.

or make the nice jump to hydraulic.
 
Good point about the main as a rudder! That could prove to be a real hindrance especially if my main engine "wanders" while trolling. Something to think about for sure
 
Had the tie bar but didn’t like it either for the same reasons. Purchased the powertran pythan wireless steering for the kicker. No regrets! Only downside is the price...$650 us.
 
Do the motors flop to one side when no one is steering? If so, the cheapest fix is to stop putting grease in the zerks on the motors until it is pretty stiff. Both motors will track straighter with only occasional correction. Works for me.
Could you rig your tie bar to the front of the kicker with a quick release?
Grab the rod, start the rigger up, flick the tie bar off, steer with the kicker tiller occasionally while reeling in the fish?
Save the money for the dream boat upgrades. No offense to your unique vessel implied.
 
I know of a charter guy who made a homemade set up for his old 17 ft boat he had years ago. He made a bracket for the front helm that would accept a opposing fitting that was attached to a round pole that was long enough to get aft of the camper seats. He had a bracket and collar bolted to the inside gunnel that the pole would slip into. He had another steering wheel at the end of the pole. When he was running in and out he disconnected this from the front helm. While fishing he connected it up and stood behind the rear wheel which had him beside his rods and riggers. If he wanted to sit down or get out of the weather he disconnected it and sat up front.
 
I steer my kicker using a cable helm at rear. I use panther tie bar to steer from the front wheel when needed and modified the factory kicker steering arm to accept a panther fitting and mount the panther steering ball to the kicker. When I want to steer from rear wheel I use the modified factory arm. When I would like to steer up front I disconnect the quick connect and connect up the panther tie bar. Hope that makes sense. You need 3 steering quick connectors to make this work. I don't have any pics because I've yet to build it for my new boat and the original set up went with the old boat when it was sold.
 
I know of a charter guy who made a homemade set up for his old 17 ft boat he had years ago. He made a bracket for the front helm that would accept a opposing fitting that was attached to a round pole that was long enough to get aft of the camper seats. He had a bracket and collar bolted to the inside gunnel that the pole would slip into. He had another steering wheel at the end of the pole. When he was running in and out he disconnected this from the front helm. While fishing he connected it up and stood behind the rear wheel which had him beside his rods and riggers. If he wanted to sit down or get out of the weather he disconnected it and sat up front.

I think that fellow is a member if this site? His boat was called Red Hot and was a 17.5” campion. The for sale thread for that boat was one of my favourite threads but got lost during the upgrade. I have the same boat and will freely admit I stole his idea. It makes a huge difference being able to stand out back. That’s a 3/8” swivel socket on the end of the steering tube so that with a sharp tug backwards it easily comes free of the wheel. So it’s not so floppy it comes of in the chop it plugs into a socket under the piece of stainless on the steering wheel. The plate the shaft goes through just hangs on a hinge with removable pin and the wheel comes off with a push button like on a collapsible net. By far one of the best things I’ve done to my boat. I have a few pics but excuse the messy boat, I literally pulled it out of storage yesterday after work.
 

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Not the same guy...was a 17 ft Islander with a Volvo I/O and a kicker...it was Mark Grant from Sooke. Close to the same set up as the pictures above..the only difference was that the mount for the rear helm was bolted to the inside of the gunnel instead off the roof...
 
THX,

I am faced with the same situation when fishing solo. Use the main helm and run back and forth or rig up something. I ended up getting a long tiller extension. I run the kicker independently (no tie bar to the main), push on the long tiller extension, and sit around out back when I'm fishing solo. it was cheap and easy and when I am not using it, it sits happily in a gunwale tray out of the way.

I do love that stick steer as pictured above though!
 
There are some awesome suggestions in here. Thanks for the replies guys. At this point I might just stick with what Ive got for now, reason being that I like to steer from the cabin when Im waiting for a bite anyways. That swivel socket rig looks like a simple and effective solution, so down the road I may attempt something similar.

Thanks again for all the input!
 
There are some awesome suggestions in here. Thanks for the replies guys. At this point I might just stick with what Ive got for now, reason being that I like to steer from the cabin when Im waiting for a bite anyways. That swivel socket rig looks like a simple and effective solution, so down the road I may attempt something similar.

Thanks again for all the input!

You could consider looking around for used Sea Star hydraulic components that you can pick up cheap. Over a year or two you should be able to pick up what you need - perhaps less. There are lots on boats that have bad transoms etc and not worth rebuilding that have hydraulics on them. Don't be afraid of helm pumps that are leaking. In fact I would see that as an advantage. as you should be able to get them much cheaper, perhaps for next to nothing. Seals and rebuild kits are not pricey and it pays to learn hour to service them because if you run hydraulics you will need that skill set at some point. Once you have a duel helm system you will be amazed at how much better it is, and it will increase the value and sale-ability of your boat. When I have had boats with cables I found that if they spend a lot of time in the ocean/marina, they get very stiff or break and need to be replaced frequently. The Sea Star systems will last almost forever with maintenance/seal replacement etc. They are reliable and even when they leak or start to act up, they almost always will get you home, so that equals safety. Depending on if you carry a spare cable for the main and it is not way out back on a pod etc you may be able to swap it out if it breaks at sea, but if not you will be tiller steering in on the kicker, - not good in heavy seas.
Because my kicker does not have a tiller, I carry a couple of paddles and a couple of rolls of duct tape to attach them to the kicker in the event of complete hydraulic failure, but have never had a compete failure so no need to try it so far. Generally the hydraulic system keeps working but will give you warnings that it should be serviced long before it fails completely.
 
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Totally agree with Rockfish. Should be lots of stuff around. My boat was $1000 with a decent galvanized trailer. People are giving stuff away so find someone with a giveaway and offer him some cash for the steering. Mine doesn't have a nice compact outboard steering cylinder and will stick out the side of the outboard a couple feet but it will work fine. I got rid of my fly bridge so ended up with an xtra pump. Cut down one of the wheels so pretty much $10 for hose.
 
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