Tomcat 2nd steering station.

[tinbender]

Help someone? Added aft steering station to Tomcat. Forward station works well ,aft station steers really hard . Also Garmin autopilot in the mix. Pretty long hoses at autopilot. SeaStar is saying combination of many things creating problem.
Long lines to autopilot , should eliminate adjustment valve aft and install tie bar instead.
Anyone else had this same issue? Same helm foreard and aft. Solutions? Thanks

[colbysmith]

I've got the standard SeaStar helm at both stations. Cabin and cockpit. My boat seems stiffer to steer from the front, but more hose running from there. I also have a spinner knob on the cockpit helm wheel, so that may help. I replaced all my hydraulic lines this spring with the 1500 psi lines, and placed tees for the cockpit helm and the autopilot pump closer to midships, where the lines to those pumps are shorter. I was wondering about going to the Pro helms, but I finally got a response from Seastar and they stated that the pro's would be even harder to steer. And that this was hydraulic steering, not "power" steering. During my tour of the C-Dory factory last month, Michael came on board C-Traveler to feel my steering, and said it was pretty normal. I can't remember if he stated it, or the SeaStar rep did, but that to make it easier to steer, I would need a different size helm pump. I think mine is the 1.7 that turns 5 full turns lock to lock. TO get easier steering, you need to get a lower volume pump that takes more turns lock to lock. Or a larger volume outboard ram. Or add an expensive power steering unit, which is an electric hydraulic pump. Here's a link with some good information: https://www.sbmar.com/articles/marine-hydraulic-steering-systems/
A different problem is that with the standard helms you'll find "bleed through" when steering at high speed. If you turn the wheel slow, the fluid just passes thru the other helms check valves rather than to the outboard piston. You can correct by "snapping" or turning the wheel faster. Or put shut off valves on the cockpit helm. (I'm assuming one isn't on plane driving from the cockpit, so it's not necessary to put shut off valves on the cabin's main helm.) Colby

[thataway]

I was waiting for Colby to chime in, knowing his issues with the second station. The Tom Cat 255 has an added issue, with two 150 or 175 hp outboards and what is called "liquid tie bar". Basically it is paralleling the two rams, with a bypass valve which allows "alignment" of the two outboards. I suspect that this actually increases the amount of effort for the steering. I didn't have a second station. One of the first times I backed down hard, it blew the seals on the steering. The VP of Telefex what the only one could reach on the Friday Evening. He took a new pump and put it on an air plane so I got it the next day (Saturday). Then on Monday Marc Grove's tech drove about 200 miles with his positive pressure bleeder to clear the lines and we were up and running again.

I think that the "liquid tie bar" does out significantly more stress on the steering--and that is why they are suggesting to DC that, and go with a mechanical tie bar. The mechanical tie bar has some real disadvantages, including the exposed rod and threaded fittings across the nice and clear motor hull extension...But I'll bet it makes steering easier.

I would also want to make any hydraulic runs as short as possible. It sounds as if some of your runs are excessively long.

I don't think that the auto pilot is really part of the problem.