EZ steer issues.

[RiverBoy]

Title says it all. Installed EZ steer joining main power to kicker. Hooked up connector rod and away I go. Nothing but problems. I adjusted the détente to the recommended specs. Tilted motor down at launch, refuses to calibrate or "center" if you will. Make a sharp turn, rod splits in half, thankfully both hanging off their respective connections. I over tightened detentes. Still wont calibrate. So basically I have to hang over the back of the boat,,sometimes in rough sea, attach rod to connect both motors, then tilt main power and lower kicker simultaneously. Massive pain in the butt, not to mention dangerous, as I like to fish alone. If I would have known this, I would have just went with the thread rod and connect at the front of the motors,for a fraction of the price. Anyone else having this type of issues with their so called ez steer. Worst part is my buddies who all have the same system all have had no issues. Did I get a lemon? Or should I stop drinking my bath water?

 

[myknoo]

just bought one the beginning of the yr.--works great---unless I forget to loosen the tension on kicker.sounds like
you got the wrong size bar as I was told to measure between motors when both straight in line & use this as minimum measure.no matter
which way the motors go my steering bar never comes apart.

 

[RiverBoy]

I measured correctly with the motors straight. That's not the problem. Does anyone know if the "female" or the wider half of the connector rod needs to be on main power side? This has to be something simple.

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Riverboy

Do you have outboards? If so I would make some brackets out of aluminum and attach at the front of your outboards; especially if you fish alone; no chance of dropping overboard or you going in with the bar. Just get some aluminum 1/8" plate; put a custom bend in it with a vise and attach to your existing steering ram with u-bolts or if you have somewhere else to attach with bolts. I had the same issues with it slipping and pulling apart; so i just found my center mark and drilled through the bar and put a bolt in it to hold in it's place. If you plan to keep the thing you may as well make it work for you and your boat. Good Luck

 

[Dave S]

Like Tidal Chaos is saying, if your kicker mounts to your transom or to a fixed bracket not too far back, this is the way to go. If you are like me, and your kicker hangs farther back off the "sponson", (arima talk) then this is not so easily accomplished. I mounted connectors to the top of the cowling of both main and kicker, and connect a ss ready rod with socket connectors.

But really, the ez steer bar should work as well. Maybe the kicker is stiff? Maybe the bar is not level? Maybe the spring in tension screw thingy is facked?

 

[RiverBoy]

Riverboy

Do you have outboards? If so I would make some brackets out of aluminum and attach at the front of your outboards; especially if you fish alone; no chance of dropping overboard or you going in with the bar. Just get some aluminum 1/8" plate; put a custom bend in it with a vise and attach to your existing steering ram with u-bolts or if you have somewhere else to attach with bolts. I had the same issues with it slipping and pulling apart; so i just found my center mark and drilled through the bar and put a bolt in it to hold in it's place. If you plan to keep the thing you may as well make it work for you and your boat. Good Luck

Yah I pretty much deliberately over tightened the detentes so it now acts as a straight bar. Just annoying, you drop good money on a flimsy piece of metal and a couple of hose clamps, and it doesn't work.

I was going to go with the ss ready rod system, and socket connectors, but all the steering and cable controls enter into front of main power at the point where I would need to attach the ball part of the socket connector.

 

[searun]

s/s bar with socket connectors is the industry standard so to speak. There is an adaptor you can install to make that connection easier. Some of the better Marine stores with mechanics can set you up.

 

[Bag-Juan]

I have one of those EZ-steer also , mine works fine but it's not E-Z to put on. Kinda got to have both motors up so your dead in the water, hook up the bar then yeah, simeltanasley drop both motors, it's a pain hanging over the stern hooking the damn thing up. Mine has a float on the bar so it wont sink. Winter project is the same as last winter, to make a steering setup that mounts on the front of the motors.

 

[trevor_shiggs]

I had to get the ez steer "restrictor cord" When making a turn away from the kicker, the bar would just pull all the way apart in the detents because my kicker is too heavy. I ordered it at a local shop so I did not have to pay shipping.

http://www.marinetechproducts.com/pages/PartsShop#!/~/product/category=237141&id=14042440

"Restrictor Cord Needed on Some 4-Stroke Applications:
If the auxiliary is being tipped up and aft er off -setting the EZ-Steer bracket towards the main engine, you're still having a problem of the rod locking over
away from the main engine, you'll need a restrictor cord."

 

[Dave S]

I had to get the ez steer "restrictor cord" When making a turn away from the kicker, the bar would just pull all the way apart in the detents because my kicker is too heavy. I ordered it at a local shop so I did not have to pay shipping.

http://www.marinetechproducts.com/pages/PartsShop#!/~/product/category=237141&id=14042440

"Restrictor Cord Needed on Some 4-Stroke Applications:
If the auxiliary is being tipped up and aft er off -setting the EZ-Steer bracket towards the main engine, you're still having a problem of the rod locking over
away from the main engine, you'll need a restrictor cord."

Is the cord made of bungee cord or solid rubber band? Might try to craft up something to do the job needed.

 

[trevor_shiggs]

It is a fairly stiff bungee cord. I assume that is bungee so that you can still extend the when needing to bring the motors up. It would be quite easy to make. I figured i would just buy it for 30 bucks. I can take pictures when I get home if you need.

 

[finaddict]

EZ Steer = p.o.s.. Solid rod on the front of both main and kicker is the way to go. I had an EZ steer on my boat and it was dangerous to try to attach, would not work if attached and the kicker was up or vice versa. gave it away and went to Stearns solid s.s. rod. Never looked back after that.

 

[Revenge]

get this system and you'll never look back

SeaStar Kicker Cable Tie Bar

 

[trevor_shiggs]

I Had to go with a system that is behind because of the offset between my kicker and main and the way they are situated on the back of the boat. Plus the handle for the garelic kicker bracket gets in the way. The ez steer seems good just over priced.

 

[trevor_shiggs]

I wish I could have done this, I made a template up but it wont work. my kicker is on the wrong side of the boat. If i put a bracket on the front of my main when I tilt my motor up it would hit. And the offset is too big from kicker to main. I tried to rig up one out of cheap redi-rod just to see if it would work. Unfortunately it wouldn't so had to spend the 300 bucks on the ez steer. But it works great.

The one I have has two ball threaded ends threaded onto stainless threaded rod ( which you can cut if needed). One male end attached and bolted to front of outboard a to about a 1" x 2" x .125" of stainless bar and the other male end attached right in front of kicker ( factory bracket already on the yamaha). You don't have to have it straight. You have to bend the rod . In my case it almost S-shaped. I Works great. Very fast just connect and disconnect... And yes I have the garelick bracket as well. The system is about 50-70 bucks I think... Its all stainless so doesn't rust. If you run outboards you should do this or something similar The EZ steer or more for guys who want to attach inboard to kicker....

If you look facing stern the rod goes straight clears the bracket. Bends down, and then I make bend so it straightens out before the main.

Kind same idea except I don't have attached to steering tube

http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/showthread.php?18194-Kicker-steering-link-Auxiliary-motor-steering

 

[Dave S]

I also would have rigged a solid ss bar with ball and joint off the front of the motors, but my transom and bracket won't allow it. (arima). I am going to use the ez-steer bar from top back of cowling on both main and kicker. IMO the ez-steer connections and ball/joint ends are superior to the threaded rod connections.

 

[trevor_shiggs]

Here's a couple pics of the restrictor cord. It's fairly simple, just loops around the end of one of the quick connects then has a brass clip that connects to a bracket you put on the rod.

 

[black dog]

Your kicker has to be fairly free moving for the ez steer to work properly. My T8 has a tension setting that requires adjusting from time to time.

 

[trevor_shiggs]

What a guy from work did was find center. drill a hole half way through both bars, only to the middle not strait through. and he puts a hook in it and it locks it where you have it set.

Or buy/make a restrictor cord.

 

[Dr Lunk]

Thats a great idea Trevor ... got me thinking ... I have this setup and what a pain it is to lean over the edge once your ready to troll, what kind of "hook" does he use ? Im thinking you could drill a hole through both on center then throw a cotter pin through when you want it to lock ! seems like it would work and allow for tilting the motors independently ?