Outboard Brackets, Pro's & Con's

[Keywe]

Hey Zach I'm thinking of the 175 as well when you get it running do mind giving your opinion and performance results please.

[medic1227]

I put a picture of my 23 on the Seacraft photo forum" ReelMojo", it shows a accurate waterline height with twin 175's

[curapa]

I have read multiple times that hydraulic steering is needed for a bracketed boat but I haven't seen the reason why? Is a zero feedback system out off the question on a bracketed boat?

[Bushwacker]

Not sure how you would route the steering cables. Can't make tight radius turns with a steering cable, so seems like they would have to be hanging out in the breeze to get back to the bracket! It's easy to make a neat installation with hydraulic lines and 90 degree fittings. The only problem I see with the SeaStar system is the dang end seals in the cylinder don't hold up. I ran a Hynautic system for 28 years, and NEVER had a leak. Have had to replace the SeaStar seals twice in only 8 years!

[curapa]

Gotcha, makes sense. I guess I'll just have to pony up the dough...

[Bushwacker]

One thing to consider on the hydraulic steering, is that it's quite a bit slower than cable systems with the standard (small displacement) helm pump, like over 5.5 turns lock to lock. They make 3 different size pumps, so I went with medium size pump. Was concerned with steering effort with largest pump, but steering is very easy, so if I were to do over again, I'd go with the largest pump.

One other thing to consider is that the stroke on the cylinder is too short! I've checked various suppliers and they all seem to be the same (too short) length! Needs to be at least 1-2" longer, since it doesn't turn motor all the way to the stops. Motor turns 10-15 degrees more on each side if I disconnect hydraulic cylinder from tiller bar! My old system was homemade and designed using Hynautic parts to put motor on the stops. I noticed a significant loss in maneuverability after installing the bracket and SeaStar system. I initially blamed it on the bracket shifting pivot point of boat, until I discovered that the motor wasn't turning as far as it did before! If you're running a single, expect some loss in low speed maneuverability compared to a cable system!

[curapa]

Good info. I'm looking at a Seastar 2.4 helm right now. I thought about the Baystar kit, seeing as I can find the whole setup for around $550 new, but I haven't gotten too much positive feedback about those kits, I'll also be running a 150 so I'll be at the max hp rating.

[Bushwacker]

Even the Seastar quality doesn't appear to be equal to the old Hynautic hardware, so I'd definitely stay away from the cheaper Baystar stuff!

[Bertram87]

I know this is an older post, but cant seem to find my answers in any of the posts I have searched. I am going to be rejuvenating my 1984 23' Sceptre and will be installing a flotation bracket. i have two separate questions:

1) Has anyone installed a Bilge Pump with an alarm inside the bracket? I ask because I haven't seen any, but if there is a leak or a crack you wouldn't know until it was too late. If I was to do it I would plumb it back into the main hull and route it out next to or "T" it into the existing Bilge output line. It would have a float with an alarm obviously. My Sceptre was really close to sinking because of a leaky hatch in a prior season so that pit of a feeling when your boat is sitting way too low in the slip is still fresh in my memory.

2) the newer Minkota type electric trolling motors have a phone app or GPS positioning interface which is really cool for bass and flats boats. Has anyone installed one on a 23' or are they too weak to push that much weight , and secondly has anyone tried mounting (temporarily of course) on the stern bracket instead of the bow and have a quick disconnect system so its not constantly being washed out by saltwater. I know they are generally not designed for this application because they are more for Pull style application, but it would be great to have this for NJ Striper bridge fishing and also backwater flounder fishing.

Maybe I'm nutty or I just gave away 2 big ideas.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Bertram87

. . . If I was to do it I would plumb it back into the main hull and route it out next to or "T" it into the existing Bilge output line. It would have a float with an alarm obviously. . .

If you T'd into existing line, you'd have to have a check valves between T and main pump and the bracket pump. Otherwise the main pump would pump water into flotation tank and/or the tank pump would pump water into bilge! The check valves would restrict flow from both pumps, so the tank pump should have it's own outlet, probably in main hull, since an outlet in the tank would probably be too close to waterline. The alarm is a good idea, but I wouldn't use an automatic pump in tank unless it had an automatic counter rigged up on it, because then you could have a leak and never know it!