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 Had a bit of a scare Saturday night. 
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:06 pm
Posts: 37
Location: Dublin, GA
Post Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
I found out Saturday night running WOT when the steering turns loose is no fun. Fortunately my boat is not super fast (we were running about 26-27) and the motor is evidently trimmed (L/R) pretty well. It held straight and didnt hook hard one side or the other. However at this point straight ahead meant headed at about a 45 into a straight drop limestone and clay wall on the river, and it was closing in on us fast. I was running the right bank down river, steered left around a floating log pile ( we have had a fair bit of rain that has busted loose alot of wood) steered back right to get back in the channel, when I went to steer back left to straighten it back up, there was no left turn, only straight. I have CC with hydraulic steering. I know I am probably going to get blasted on here for not using proper terminology but here goes any how. The end cap on the cylinder where it mounts to the the motor/ transom mount where the "steering rod" runs thru the motor/transom mount broke. Was not fun but I did have enough wits about me to cut the throttle and start trimming down, when the revs came down enough, I flipped it in reverse and poured the coals to it. She was banging the rev limiter and bucking like an angry saddle bronc but it slowed it enough that we only tapped the bank, maybe .5 mph at most. After I cleaned out my britches, I turned the steering wheel full left, so it would run the cylinder to the end of the rod. My buddy that was with me ran the throttle and I steered the motor by hand. That thing is a pig to turn with no tiller handle to give you any leverage. Was a long idle back to the ramp. I am running the Ultraflex UC 68-OBS, hopefully with it being just shy of 2 years old they wont give me much problems on their 2 year warranty. I have never hit it on anything, I dont know what caused the failure, probably never will. Long story short, you fellas be safe out there you never know when wearing a kill switch or a PFD or not drinking those few beers could mean the difference between seeing your family again or not. Fortunately for us that night it didnt get so extreme that any of those came into play but the potential was there with a steering fail at WOT. I am just glad the good lord was looking out for us. I am off to Sports Center in the a.m. to see if they will cover it thru warranty if not we gotta have one anyway, the flathead fishing is getting too good here to miss out on. Be safe out there folks.


Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:45 pm
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:13 pm
Posts: 5605
Location: D'town, LA
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Pictures are worth a thousand words.


Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:11 am
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:22 pm
Posts: 29
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Be honest...were you wearing life jackets?


Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:24 am
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:06 pm
Posts: 37
Location: Dublin, GA
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Honestly, we were not, that is why it scared the hell out of me and slapped me back to the reality of what could have happened. I did have my kill attached to my wrist, but no I didn't have a PFD on.

I will put pics up this afternoon, I took a couple but I have them on my computer at the house.


Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:59 am
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:22 pm
Posts: 29
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
I won't pile on to your misfortune because you were honest about not wearing life jackets.....WOT at night, no less. Lucky man you are.


Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:15 am
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:06 pm
Posts: 37
Location: Dublin, GA
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Pics wont upload, just keeps the circle spinning with the "current upload is in progress" message. Tried multiple times..........


Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:59 am
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Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:12 am
Posts: 19
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Load the pictures to an online location - like Imgur. Right-click the photo and copy the image location. Then put that copied link in your post like this:

[img]YOUR_COPIED_LINK_HERE[/img]


Wed Jun 06, 2018 2:09 pm
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:06 pm
Posts: 37
Location: Dublin, GA
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
https://imgur.com/a/Jr5TVIP

Added them here, few different shots.


Fri Jun 08, 2018 1:31 pm
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Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:06 pm
Posts: 37
Location: Dublin, GA
Post Re: Had a bit of a scare Saturday night.
Seaark warrantied the cylinder and put me one on the UPS truck Thursday, it delivered today. Of the only 2 issues I have had with my boat I cant say enough about their customer SVC, they always call back and seem to do the right thing.


Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:17 pm
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