Uflex Hydraulic Steering Systems—How They’re Different

PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating chats with Cole Smith, Aftermarket Sales Specialist at Uflex USA, and Charlie Haimes, a partner with the Haimes Coleman Group, about some of the key differences that distinguish Uflex hydraulic steering systems from other solutions on the market.

Based in Sarasota, Florida, Uflex USA is a leader in steering and control systems for the marine industry. The Haimes Coleman Group is a sales organization made up of highly experienced and knowledgeable marine industry professionals that represent twenty of the leading brands in the industry, including Uflex. Cole and Charlie share distinctions among different systems, innovative technologies, and recommendations for the right steering systems.

Want to listen to the podcast? You can find PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and Stitcher.

How does a hydraulic steering system work and how is it different from a mechanical steering system?

Cole: Although similar, there are a few key advantages that the hydraulic steering system has over the mechanical system. In a hydraulic system, there is a hydraulic helm (pump) and a cylinder (ram), connected by hosing. When steering, the most distinct advantage hydraulics has over mechanical is the horsepower it supports. The reduced torque on the boat driver allows a more enjoyable experience and supports a lot more horsepower.

Charlie: On a mechanical system, there is a direct connection with a cable and a helm, attaching to the motor. In a hydraulic steering system, the piston in the pump pushes fluid out the helm into the cylinder as the cylinder moves left and right. What is amazing about hydraulics, is that when you let go of the wheel, like mechanical, it has the ability to remain locked in the position the driver was headed. That’s a key aspect of steering systems.

Are most boats factory-equipped with hydraulic steering systems?

Charlie: Due to lower pricing, manufacturers are still offering mechanical steering as an economical advantage for the entry-level consumer. When these consumers take their boat out on the water, they quickly find out how much they do not like exerting that amount of torque on the wheel and start asking about upgrades. This creates an opportunity for lower horsepower or older boats to easily upgrade to hydraulics across the board.

Is there the opportunity to upgrade smaller or older boats with mechanical steering systems?

Charlie: Certainly, and Uflex offers some really nice upgrades on our mechanical steering systems. Our standard ROTECH is very efficient, equipped with a planetary gear design and centered shaft, which has been around for a number of years. Four years ago, we launched Uflex FOURTECH, which is a high-efficiency mechanical steering system. The market responded favorably because the new system is even better than the previous one. While not as easy to maneuver as hydraulics, it is pretty close because of its impressive performance.

Cole: Those unfamiliar with hydraulics may still want to run a mechanical system, even with a semi-high horsepower engine. Uflex offers impressive but still affordable upgrades to these consumers who might be new to the industry.

When do boaters turn to Uflex? Is it only for an upgrade or to replace the steering system?

Cole: Boaters come to Uflex for both. Many consumers start with an economy boat in their price range. Then, a year or two later, they might decide it is time for an upgrade. We believe the steering system is a great place to start. Even though it may be an economy boat, it can still be run like a two hundred-thousand-dollar boat. We saw a lot of older boats getting refitted with our products for this reason. However, we’ve also seen new boats or people replacing the hydraulic systems they currently have. Our products are known to be reliable and durable, which makes a lot of consumers want to switch to a Uflex system that will last them for many years.

Charlie: We noticed some consumers had a competitor system with a helm that leaked down the dash. They were tired of replacing that seal every year. Others have had similar issues with a leaky cylinder.

What is great about Uflex, is that we offer direct replacements. All helms, cylinders, and hoses are interchangeable with any of our competitor’s components with matching bolt hole patterns. We create the perfect opportunity to upgrade the performance and reliability of an older system. Boats have gotten expensive, and with production slots being full, it's hard to obtain a new one without waiting two years or so. That means a lot of people are refurbishing. Some come to us wanting to get rid of their old two-stroke engines and swap out for a bigger engine, which creates the need for an upgrade to a high-quality steering system like Uflex’s UC130, featured in our SilverSteer kit. This gave that consumer or dealer a much better steering system for those higher horsepower applications.

What differentiates Uflex Hydraulic Steering from other systems?

Cole: One of Uflex’s biggest differentiators is our manufacturing and assembly capabilities in our facilities in America and Italy. We are proud of the work done at both places. In Italy, they do an excellent job creating beautiful handstitched steering wheels, as well as many other popular components.

We believe improved end seals in our cylinders have been a huge help to us. Our seals are bulkier, which eliminates the need to replace those seals every year. We build the UC130 cylinders for our higher horsepower applications, which is featured in our Silversteer kit.

This cylinder is through ported, so if there are hoses that come at an odd angle or come in from a specific side of the transom, our cylinder has hose connections on the side and not the face of the body. What is great about that, is our ability to run multiple engines using a liquid tie bar, and multiple mechanical tie bars. In addition, our cylinders have an extremely reliable carbon steel piston. Also, the link arms that connect the cylinder to the engine are electropolished and passivated. Therefore, we don’t need a grounding wire to eliminate corrosion or electrolysis.

Lastly, our products provide an aesthetic, specifically the nickel-plated fittings at the end of our hoses, because they don't turn green like our competition.

Is it true that some of the key components of competitive systems are plastic?

Charlie: Yes, some have plastic pistons in their cylinders, whereas ours are carbon steel. Also, the shafts on our hydraulic helms are stainless steel while our competitors use aluminum on their standard helm, which can flex, causing that seal to leak.

We have zero seal failures and have rarely seen leakage. Our competitors have had issues with these parts over the years. We believe the products in the Uflex line are superior. To reiterate, we offer direct replacements, so even if our clients want to mix and match, they can use a Uflex helm with a competitor’s cylinder, or vice versa. It is not a problem for us because we stand by our product, which is why we offer a two-year warranty. The industry has done a great job building better products, and we at Uflex feel like we have contributed to that on the steering side.

Has the market embraced the value of the superior engineering in the Uflex hydraulic steering system?

Charlie: We are the fastest growing steering company over the last twenty-five years, so we’ve gained a lot of market share. Due to the quality of the company and our products, we get a lot of OEM presence. Even though we are competitively priced, a quality boat builder or consumer is less concerned about price and more concerned with safety, features, benefits, and longevity. Uflex has been able to offer that since the beginning.

How would you advise consumers on which is the best hydraulic steering system for them?

Cole: First, consider the make, model, and size of the engine because horsepower ratings affect which system will be needed. Some of our products also work differently among engine manufacturers, but we have done well to get the highest potential for them to work best on those particular engines. It is important to know the type of vessel because with different torques behind those engines, they run differently. Last, we need to know the kind of activities the boat driver intends to do, whether it be ripping through the mangroves, steering tightly, or cruising on a pontoon. Each choice affects where we go from there.

Charlie: For a pontoon boat with 150 horsepower on it going twenty miles an hour, mechanical steering is probably perfect. But for a high-speed bass or flatboat, the consumer will definitely want one of our high-quality Silversteer or Hytech steering systems. Basically, the horsepower and type of boat make the biggest difference when selecting a steering system.

The Uflex website has a “How to select a steering system” section. Also, it has a lot of installation “Do-It-Yourself” videos to refer to, which will be a huge help to boat builders and consumers.

Have there been recent advancements in the Uflex product line?

Cole: Our engineers are always looking for ways to move Uflex hydraulic steering systems forward. Over the last eighteen months, the industry has seen a rollout of two of our new cylinders. Our UC95 is featured in our HYTECH and HYCO kits, where we implemented changeable seals and increased the horsepower from 150 to 175 horsepower. In our UC128, we flattened our cylinder rod hidden in our bullhorn to make it easier for the service dealers and those in the field doing their own retrofits.

Now a wrench can be used to crank the end rod to remove it, making it a much simpler job. We also did a few upgrades to the boss fittings on the front and made the end seals replaceable. We are excited to soon roll out the new INTEGRA, which is our fly-by-wire electric steering system with full joystick capabilities. Once fully tested, it will be made available to the OEMs, certified dealers, and even aftermarket.

Charlie: We now have our new, robust UC95 cylinder. Like a mini version of the UC128, it has performed exceptionally well, so we believe we are going to see a lot of movement in the market. We are also excited to have the largest selection of custom steering wheels in the market, available in a variety of colors, sizes, and styles to fit the marine market. Consumers switch to new steering systems but forget to replace the steering wheel that is right in front of them every time they drive the boat.