Boat Experts!?~Seastar Teleflex Hydraulic Steering... help purchasing please?!?

Question

I have a 20' Shamrock with a 351 Ford inboard engine (Cleveland i think) I'm asking for opinions as to which helm would work best for me. The only part I have is a Teleflex - BA150-7ATM cylinder... no rudder / helm / prop yet.

Ive heard that both the engine & cylinder may be a bit overpower for this boat & read that certain helms or cylinders will make the boat turn with fewer or more turns of the wheel... lock to lock (did some homework). Lower helm displacement - easier to steer but more wheel turns RIGHT? as you increase helm displacement you increase steering effort.

YIKES!!!!

Generally for my size boat 1.7 Helm is the one... but would a smaller or larger make a significant difference because of my engine/Cyli size or am I TOTALLY overthinking this???

Which Helm would you go with & why? Type/name Rudder & prop if you know?

I dont want to mess this up & my head is VERY near exploding 8{ Ive hardly ever even been ON a boat! help... help... help...

Answer 1

idk

Answer 2

Get a Seastar Pro 2.0 hydraulic head and hook it up to your cylinder.  It should work pretty nice in that boat.  That boat will be great with the 351 Ford engine in it.  It'll get a lot better fuel consumption as opposed to a outboard of the same horsepower.  The 351 has about 260 horsepower.  As far as the prop goes, the factory should have specs on what the prop should be.  The prop should be matched to the RPM's of your engine otherwise you will overspin the motor or bogg it down.  That Shamrock 20 is a good sturdy boat especially for fishing and diving.  Good luck with it.