Sea star kicker steering

[staying alive]

I have seastar Steering on my main and thinking about the kicker add on. My question to the all knowing group is when you bring your kicker up when your running does the kicker keep turning with the main or is there a valve or something to disable it

 

[smokey0418]

If adding a tie and its never removed , i would say for sure its going to move.

Now when adding a seastar to your kicker ,it only moves if I forgot to disable my pilot.

Enjoy

 

[ship happens]

So there is 2 ways to do it with seastar.

Depending on how the geometry is between the 2 engines.. one way may not be possible. It's a permanent tie bar link.


The other way is to add a cylinder to the kicker with what seastar calls a liquid tie bar valve. This allows you to turn the kicker hydraulics on and off while not effecting the main engine steering.

 

[pescador]

On my system, The kicker steers even when it’s up. You won’t even notice it. Once you get it you’ll wonder how you lived without it.

 

[staying alive]

Interesting comments ,thanks everyone, now I have something to ponder

 

[profisher]

I have a hydraulic cylinder on the kicker with a valve...you choose with the valve..just the main or both. The only thing to consider is that you likely will have to cut off the transom clamps on the kicker and use the 4 mounting bolts through the holes provided for ding this. When you tilt up the kicker the cylinder hits the clamps preventing you from full tilt up. The system works flawlessly thou and no annoying rattles of restricted steering. Would never go back to any kind of tie bar.

 

[Clint r]

Here’s one back from the dead. Anybody got a part number for the cylinder they’re using? Or is it same cylinder # as the one your using on your main?

 

[pescador]

Here’s one back from the dead. Anybody got a part number for the cylinder they’re using? Or is it same cylinder # as the one your using on your main?

if my memory is correct its just a cable connected to the main engine cylinder.

 

[Clint r]

if my memory is correct its just a cable connected to the main engine cylinder.

So it is. Thanks alot. I’ve been searching hydraulic cylinder for kicker and finding zip.

 

[profisher]

It is the same cylinder as the main. If going fully hydraulic on both main and kicker you do have to bolt the kicker to the transom and cut off the transom screw clamps to clearance the cylinder when you raise the motor up. Otherwise the clamps will hit the cylinder and prevent the kicker from tilting up.

 

[ship happens]

Here’s one back from the dead. Anybody got a part number for the cylinder they’re using? Or is it same cylinder # as the one your using on your main?

Any of the "Seastar" cylinders will work inside the same system. You just cant toss a cylinder such as a Baystar in the system. Every cylinder in the system must have the same PSI rating. Thats all in the seals and how its put together, and the strength of the mounting brackets etc.

HC-5345-3 is the most common outboard cylinder

 

[Capt_Ed]

It is the same cylinder as the main. If going fully hydraulic on both main and kicker you do have to bolt the kicker to the transom and cut off the transom screw clamps to clearance the cylinder when you raise the motor up. Otherwise the clamps will hit the cylinder and prevent the kicker from tilting up.

When I put the cylinder on my 9.9 merc pro I did not cut the mounting screws off . The motor did not fully tilt but it did tilt more than enough to clear the water.

 

[profisher]

When I put the cylinder on my 9.9 merc pro I did not cut the mounting screws off . The motor did not fully tilt but it did tilt more than enough to clear the water.

On my 2006 9.9 Yamaha the clamps are beefy enough that the motor would not tilt up enough before contacting the cylinder. The shop I was using at the time (SG Power) was cutting them all off on their installs so I knew that before hand.