Converted I/O cable steer to hydraulic - kicker steering issues - need help

[vetting]

Sorry for the long post but could use some advice regarding steering of my kicker from the seasoned pros here.  

Looking for advice on on a better steering setup for my kicker motor.  I tend to troll only on the kicker and the Yamaha 9.9 cab push my 25ft boat up to 6 mph. 
I converted the cable steering with a wheel pilot auto to a full hydraulic setup last year with a Raymarine pump and SeaStar ram and helm which are hooked to the main motor.  
I still steered the kicker via the EZ-Steer bar to the kicker, but when things go bad....they go bad and you end up limiting out the auto pilot and/or spinning in circles. 
Basically what happens is the bar will on occasion not pull or push like it should and slip the detents.  Even with a replacement bar and new detents it still just randomly goes haywire.  
I've already disconnected the throttle cables (I just use a servo for throttle) and shift cable so the kicker can turn free as can be.  
Looking for a better way to steer my kicker when I'm running on the kicker only and have it still interface with my Raymarine equipment.  
Any ideas?  Add hydraulics to the kicker? 

 

Current autopilot setup:
Raymarine EV-200 autopilot
Raymarine P70R contoll head unit
Raymarine m81120 Type 1 pump

SeaStar HC5328-3 Cylinder
SeaStar 2.4 Help HH5272-3

Boat Specs
25ft 1989 Cobia fiberglass
Full hydraulic steering conversion hooked to Alpha One Gen 1 I/0
Yamaha extra long shaft 9.9 high thrust kicker tied to main with EZ-Steer bar

[fish whistle]

Had the same problem with my 23’ Penn and 9.9 Honda. All I ended up doing was tighten up the detents a bit, not a lot. Just pull on it to adjust how hard it is to slide.Been just fine for 10 years now. I even trim the kicker all the way up when running and it’s not an issue. At first I wondered about the strain on the brackets but it’s not a problem on my boat   Some might say not to tighten them up but it may solve your problem pretty fast. Good luck. 

[rolmops]

I would get rid of the (not so) EZsteer system and replace it with a hydraulic ram that is fed from your main hydraulic system so it will get its directions from the auto pilot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vetting]

  On 4/19/2025 at 12:08 AM, rolmops said:

I would get rid of the (not so) EZsteer system and replace it with a hydraulic ram that is fed from your main hydraulic system so it will get its directions from the auto pilot.

 

Would have to be setup with a liquid tie bar right?  https://www.seatechmarineproducts.com/seastar-ha5471-2-liquid-tiebar-valve.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[L&M]

TFX HO6122

[vetting]

  On 4/19/2025 at 12:52 AM, L&M said:

TFX HO6122

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Isnt that only for dual outboards? 

[L&M]

You are correct & I thought that was what you were dealing with until I reread your post. 

 

[vetting]

Was down at the boat today and disconnected the EZ-Steer bar from the main motor.  
Swung it over so that it is parallel to the transom.  It better aligns with the trailing end of the main. 
So my options are:
Drill out and make a mounting point on the tail end of the main. 
Go full hydraulic with a ram on the kicker a liquid tie bar like this 
https://www.seatechmarineproducts.com/seastar-ha5471-2-liquid-tiebar-valve.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq8QcfQ3pvDnlugZGYprTL6YURraKGO1BlN-aGFbkalOSEzyuoh

 

[vetting]

[rolmops]

I see what you are trying to do. With the EZsteer connection in the original position the outboard does not move back and forth quite  as much as the main engine, but I suspect that by moving the connection that far down and out it will move way too much. So much so that the bar may come apart.

A possible temporary solution may be changing the angle of the EZsteer attachment on the kicker so that instead of it sticking straight out of the back of the kicker it is angled about 20 to 30 degrees toward the main engine. this changes the push and pull a lot.

[fisherdude]

I would say the e z steer rod is to low on the Alpha lower unit looks like the e  z steer rod will be dragging under the water collecting sticks and seaweed I'd go back to the original Alpha bracket put the kicker connection as high as you can on the kicker just under the plastic shroud and tweak the pins so it doesn't move as easy creating you to go around in circles that's what I did with my Alpha One and Kicker set up on a kicker bracket. Just like fish whistle said on his post.

[Zinger11]

I converted mine to hydraulic and troll on the 9.9 with the big motor off I have no power steering and don't have any issues. I run the Raymarine EV150 you just have to play with the settings and dial it in

[rolmops]

Do you always have the outboard connection upside down?

[vetting]

  On 4/21/2025 at 12:21 AM, rolmops said:

Do you always have the outboard connection upside down?

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Does it matter if its up or down?  

[vetting]

Not sure why my original photos didnt post - but here is the existing setup. 

 

[rolmops]

I do think that it matters, because it makes the bar longer and exposes it to more strain, while also causing it to pick up debris in the water.

You should  position the EZsteer as shown in the picture posted by Zinger11. He found the sweet spot for the length of the bar and experimented with the hookup height.

Also, the outboard should move move freely around with little resistance. because the harder it is for the bar to push the outboard back and forth, the more things will go wrong. There is a bolt on the outboard that tightens or loosens the resistance. Make sure everything is clean and well lubricated. The angle of the connector on the kicker is important because it allows you to make the width of the radius adjustable thereby allowing you to make the radius on the main en engine and the kicker the same or close to it.

[GAMBLER]

When you align the Kicker and outdrive, make sure the drive is down.  If it isn't, the alignment will be off.  

[vetting]

  On 4/21/2025 at 10:26 AM, rolmops said:

I do think that it matters, because it makes the bar longer and exposes it to more strain, while also causing it to pick up debris in the water.

You should  position the EZsteer as shown in the picture posted by Zinger11. He found the sweet spot for the length of the bar and experimented with the hookup height.

Also, the outboard should move move freely around with little resistance. because the harder it is for the bar to push the outboard back and forth, the more things will go wrong. There is a bolt on the outboard that tightens or loosens the resistance. Make sure everything is clean and well lubricated. The angle of the connector on the kicker is important because it allows you to make the width of the radius adjustable thereby allowing you to make the radius on the main en engine and the kicker the same or close to it.

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@rolmops so are you also talking about moving the angle on the bracket on the kicker closer to the main? 

[vetting]

  On 4/19/2025 at 12:08 AM, rolmops said:

I would get rid of the (not so) EZsteer system and replace it with a hydraulic ram that is fed from your main hydraulic system so it will get its directions from the auto pilot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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@rolmops Yeah I was kinda leaning towards this option.  Not sure what SeaStar ram would fit the yahama 9.9 though.  Then I would also need to run extra hoses and a liquid tie bar.  

[rolmops]

  On 4/21/2025 at 2:36 PM, vetting said:

@rolmops so are you also talking about moving the angle on the bracket on the kicker closer to the main? 

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Yes. Just have a good look at how zinger11 has his angled toward the main engine.

[vetting]

@rolmops of it were your choice knowing the fact that I've tried a different EZ bar configuration every year for the last 7 years and always eventually had issues - is my best alternate to just do the 2nd cylinder and liquid tie bar?

[rolmops]

I would get rid of the EZsteer and have hydraulics on the kicker. It is so much nicer to know that your stuff works without surprises. That way you can go fish without worries

[vetting]

I just heard back from EZ-Steer support.  They now have a universal mount that is completely different from the original mount that I have.  It also has a much taller extension on it so maybe dragging debris in the water may not be a concern if I mount it on the cavitation plate on the main.  
So the current plan is to verify that the new universal mount will work on my outdrive and would likely have to get a shorter bar (sucks that I just bought a new one last year - unsure if you can cut them down)
Then also add a SeaStar cylinder on the kicker (before launching in May) so that in the event that the new universal mount doesnt work, then I dont have to pull the boat to install the rest of the system.  

[lrg355]

That Yamaha has a steering tube.

.  You can put on a typical outboard hydraulic cylinder and T it into and run it from your main hydraulic system.