High Rize Kicker Remote Steering

ronin2024

Member
I was at the Vancouver Boat Show looking for some options on Remote Steering for my new kicker. I saw the Panther and Intellisteer there and I spent a lot of time talking with Intellisteer. I was going to buy the intellisteer model R. I really liked the design but the motor is huge and I really don't have a ton of space on my boat unless I remove some of the flotation foam for the stern of my boat. He mentioned that some of his clients used a battery box and mount on the stern but I really didn't like that idea.

I was talking with a guy at Galleon and he mentioned High Rise had a remote option. When I looked at this model it was compact and the motor and actuator is small. All of the electronics is installed on the inside of the kicker and the unit pulls the power from the motor. It also comes with a joystick and a FOB for steering.
Does anyone have any experience with this model for their kicker? Their website does not really promote the steering option that well. Their main focus is their jack plate.

http://highriz.com/gallery.html#prettyPhoto

Thanks,
Ronin2024
 
I went to his house a couple years ago and went through the steering unit with him. Looks like a solid unit, easy installation. He was selling them for $550 on craigslist at the time but I was heading home to the Okanagan and told him I would be back in the spring and pick one up when I was going back to the island where my boat is. When I called him in the spring he said best he could do was $675, kinda pissed me off so I didn't buy it. I still think there a solid unit but as I said, it pissed me off
 
Understanding the manufacturing process of a small business is part of what I have learned to do over the years. In small run processes it always cost more to produce than it does for a national manufacture that purchases parts by the thousands. Things like dollar exchange, shipping, excise fees all affect the cost of parts. The same happens if he outsources his aluminum fabrication and powder coating(the other outsourced companies are also affected by similar circumstances) I don't know this guy, it is the very first time that I have heard of the product. It looks good and I would not at all be afraid of the $675 price tag considering the cost of other similar products. It is certainly inline with the cost of a good top shelf fishing reel, downrigger, pot hauler, anchor winch, YETI cooler. It seems like a fair price to me for what he offers. As long as he backs it up with awesome after purchase customer service, then all involved are winners. The unit looks like a great problem solver.
The $675 was what it was last year , I believe it is over $700 now
 
Ronan2024

Check out powrtran ‘python’ steering, similar setup, not cheap, great unit, used them for years.

https://powrtran.com/shop/python-wireless-kicker-steering/

I was looking at this but as well. They did not have a presents at the boat show. It would cost $1k from Boat World in Ontario shipping included. I saw a dealer in Salmon Arm was a distributor and they wanted $1,100 for the units. The High Rise unit is $780 now at the show. I was hoping there were a couple of members who had them installed.
 
Is anyone running the High Rize?
 
Me. It’s great. Love that everything is mounted inside the cowl of the kicker except for the ram. Smooth operation. No complaints yet....

Good to hear it! So help me understand this, you don't need their jack plate to install their remote steering, correct? I'm sure it is me but I do not find their website intuitive at all...thanks!
 
Good to hear it! So help me understand this, you don't need their jack plate to install their remote steering, correct? I'm sure it is me but I do not find their website intuitive at all...thanks!
Their website sucks.....unless you want to buy the jackplate. You don’t need it for the steering.
 
Their website sucks.....unless you want to buy the jackplate. You don’t need it for the steering.

Ya for sure...I'm all good on the jackplate, I'm not sure who would actually make use of that out here, perhaps sailboats...thanks for the info. I'm gonna check it out at the boat show. Seems very low profile compared to all the other offerings. Cant wait to say a big FU to my ezsteer...
 
Me. It’s great. Love that everything is mounted inside the cowl of the kicker except for the ram. Smooth operation. No complaints yet....

Thanks! So I'm wondering if you are able to tilt your kicker up with the steering system in place? I have a solid kicker bracket that allows me to tilt (manual) in and out of the water with out lifting the kicker.
 
Thanks! So I'm wondering if you are able to tilt your kicker up with the steering system in place? I have a solid kicker bracket that allows me to tilt (manual) in and out of the water with out lifting the kicker.
My kicker is power tilt power trim. All that’s exposed is a small electric actuator on the front of the motor. Looks like a small hydraulic steering set up. How close does your kicker get to your bracket?
 
My kicker is power tilt power trim. All that’s exposed is a small electric actuator on the front of the motor. Looks like a small hydraulic steering set up. How close does your kicker get to your bracket?


Sounds good. That should work. I'll have to pull the tarp up on my boat so I can get a look at how much space I have to work with. Thanks!
 
Is anyone running the High Rize?

I bought one last year at the outdoor show.

It comes with:
  • Two remotes one FOB and a Joystick
  • A RAM to move the motor
  • A Receiver and wire harness
  • S/S Straining Screw Tensioner
  • Two mounting brackets
  • Two nylon nuts
  • Photocopy of photo for a manual
It was pretty easy to setup. The most difficult part was running the wire through the cowl. It work great most of the season then I started to run into some problems.

Some of the problems I ran into:
  1. I didn't get one of the brackets. They sent me one.
  2. The ram seized after about a month and I had to get a warrant replacement. I'm not sure what the issue was.
  3. The joystick stopped working I had to get a warrant replacement.
  4. On the L bracket they drilled one of the holes too close to the end so it cracked. (photo attached) Work for the whole season but I manufactured a new one from my 3d printer.
  5. The receiver stop working. I was able to fix after a couple of emails.
I did receive quick responses from High Rize when I contacted them about the above issues and they fixed most of the issues except for the cracked bracket.

Some minor issue I found out:
  • You can not have more that two remotes hooked up to the system. I wanted 3 FOB around the neck, a Joystick at the back and a Joystick at the front.
  • This system is only good at trolling speed. You will have a tough time steering if you try to navigate with this system.
  • Remote only moves the RAM 1" in or out with every push of the button or movement of the Joystick.
  • I ended up with gouges in the RAM. I think this was due to the engine being tilled to far up when trailering the boat that the motor bounced to much. (my error)
  • I bent the S/S Straining Screw Tensioner. I think the same way as above.
  • does not turn boat in a tight turn
After fixing these problems hopefully I will be able to have a better season this year.

Would I recommend this system. MEH When I got the system home and started looking at the parts it felt more like DIY kit than a professional kit you get from the other guys. The manual was pretty much a photocopy of a photo of an installed unit and the packaging was a plain box and the brackets look like they were handmade. The system did work for what I wanted it to do. To be able to troll, Fish, and steer at the same time from the back of the boat. If I didn't have so many issues with the unit I would say this was a bargain for $780. But if you are willing to put up with some minor issue then you can save yourself $300 by buying this system. But I have read that some of the other systems out there had similar issues.

Pros:
  • Easy to install
  • Easy to use
  • Customer Service Good
  • Less expensive then other system out there
  • RAM clearance needed shorter that other systems
  • Smaller profile
Cons:
  • Can not add more than 2 remotes
  • Brackets is not professionally made. Looks like someone cut by hand
  • Manual was a photo copy of photo
  • Missing parts
  • Does not turn boat in a tight turn. (I still have to do more adjustments on the Tensioner)
I hope this help someone out there.

Tight lines.
 

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Last edited:
I bought one last year at the outdoor show.

It comes with:
  • Two remotes one FOB and a Joystick
  • A RAM to move the motor
  • A Receiver and wire harness
  • S/S Straining Screw Tensioner
  • Two mounting brackets
  • Two nylon nuts
  • Photocopy of photo for a manual
It was pretty easy to setup. The most difficult part was running the wire through the cowl. It work great most of the season then I started to run into some problems.

Some of the problems I ran into:
  1. I didn't get one of the brackets. They sent me one.
  2. The ram seized after about a month and I had to get a warrant replacement. I'm not sure what the issue was.
  3. The joystick stopped working I had to get a warrant replacement.
  4. On the L bracket they drilled one of the holes too close to the end so it cracked. (photo attached) Work for the whole season but I manufactured a new one from my 3d printer.
  5. The receiver stop working. I was able to fix after a couple of emails.
I did receive quick responses from High Rize when I contacted them about the above issues and they fixed most of the issues except for the cracked bracket.

Some minor issue I found out:
  • You can not have more that two remotes hooked up to the system. I wanted 3 FOB around the neck, a Joystick at the back and a Joystick at the front.
  • This system is only good at trolling speed. You will have a tough time steering if you try to navigate with this system.
  • Remote only moves the RAM 1" in or out with every push of the button or movement of the Joystick.
  • I ended up with gouges in the RAM. I think this was due to the engine being tilled to far up when trailering the boat that the motor bounced to much. (my error)
  • I bent the S/S Straining Screw Tensioner. I think the same way as above.
  • does not turn boat in a tight turn
After fixing these problems hopefully I will be able to have a better season this year.

Would I recommend this system. MEH When I got the system home and started looking at the parts it felt more like DIY kit than a professional kit you get from the other guys. The manual was pretty much a photocopy of a photo of an installed unit and the packaging was a plain box and the brackets look like they were handmade. The system did work for what I wanted it to do. To be able to troll, Fish, and steer at the same time from the back of the boat. If I didn't have so many issues with the unit I would say this was a bargain for $780. But if you are willing to put up with some minor issue then you can save yourself $300 by buying this system. But I have read that some of the other systems out there had similar issues.

Pros:
  • Easy to install
  • Easy to use
  • Customer Service Good
  • Less expensive then other system out there
  • RAM clearance needed shorter that other systems
  • Smaller profile
Cons:
  • Can not add more than 2 remotes
  • Brackets is not professionally made. Looks like someone cut by hand
  • Manual was a photo copy of photo
  • Missing parts
  • Does not turn boat in a tight turn. (I still have to do more adjustments on the Tensioner)
I hope this help someone out there.

Tight lines.

This excellent information. Thanks!
 
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