Smitty

IMHO save your pennies until you can install an add-on external steering system. Everything else is just a band-aid

Waterfoul

Call it a band aid if you want. I believe it has other benefits other than steering control at speed.

Several years ago I lost my powersteering belt at WFO with 4 people on board. We ALL ended up on the floor under the port bolster. All of us!!! Boat kept going at about 40 mph (that's about where the throtle ended up as I was tossed down). I managed to get up and stop the boat. There was a boat less than 100 feet to my port. LUCKY the boat turned to starboard. LUCKY no one was hurt.

I talked to Drew at length about this issue. He told me that even ONE of his units would have kept the boat from turning so violently. I bought one. It takes a lot of the play out of the wheel at speed. I can run wide open in 3 footers (24 foot Baja) and let go of the wheel to adjust the GPS or something else without letting go of the throttle. Boat maintains a straight course. Can any of you with stock steering only do this?

Second thing that makes me believe that this product works as advertised is that last season I broke my gimbal ring in 3 places and could still maintain steering at planing speeds (I didn't realize it was broken till back on the trailer). I did notice that the boat steered really sloppy that day and I took it easy on the way back to the trailer. I am CONVINCED that without the stabilizer I would not have been able to do so.

Call it a band aid if you wish. Some of us are simply not able to afford ANY kind of hydraulic systems, new or used. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as "budget boating" which some on this board just do not understand. It is simply too much money for many of us to upgrade. A set of used steering costs more than I spend on gas a season. So, buy steering and sit in the boat in the driveway? Or spend $400 for a little peace of mind and go boating every weekend? You do the math. I've had mine on my boat for 5 years.

BUT, they do fade with time. I had a friend in the sign business get me some chrome vinyl and put it over the cylinder. 2 years ago now and it looks good still.

See you on the water.

TomR

I bought a pair from CP-Performance last season for my 28ft Scarab and have been very pleased. The stabilizers worked as advertised.
I don't race this boat, but it will run 75mph + with the built 502 thats in it.
The steering in the boat is in good shape, and I'm sure the stabilizers will help it last a lot longer.
The stabilizers give the boat a more controlled, tighter feel at high speed in the rougher water.
I have had a full hydraulic steering system in a previous boat, and granted it is the ideal setup, it also cost upwards of $2000 for a full system.
If I were to race this boat I would probably go for the hydraulic, but for recreational high performance speeds under 80mph, I think the stabilizers work just fine!
I, like a lot of the people on this board, only have so much $$$ to spend for boating! The house, wife, kids, pets etc all seem to continually take shots at the boating $$!! I think spending $800 for stabilizers instead of $1500 for a "partial" or $2000 for a full hydraulic system was a better value!

Waterfoul

Drew once offered OSO members a discount on these too. Reckless, if you can get some others to go in on it with you, he may offer it again.

Mike

CAP071

I was looking at the marine machine single ram kit for my Bravo1 Part No.: 135-SM107 Now is this a kit to replace my steering system or an add on kit? It was on the CP Performance webhttp://www.cpperformance.com/products/Controls/212.asp site.