I am new to this forum because I just bought a used 2007 Centurion Avalanche C4 with a 350 Mercruiser Black Scorpion. Before signing the papers, I made a thorough land inspection of the boat while it was trailered, and ran the engine with a water hose attached, but did not take it out for a sea trial because the ramp was backed up due to a special event that day. I bought it anyway without a test drive, and on my first water run, the power steering is stiff when turning left. I can easily turn the steering wheel with one hand when turning right (clockwise), but really have to put pressure on the wheel when turning back to the left (counterclockwise). This boat is my first true inboard (v-drive) but I have experience with sterndrives and outboards, and I have never had a steering wheel this difficult to turn on a boat. Is this normal for this boat? I checked under the steering wheel for a locking knob because I once owned a boat that had a knob there that you screwed in to keep the steering wheel locked while towing, but this boat only has a lever for the steering tilt mechanism. I didn't get the boat in the water for testing until dusk so it was dark by the time I got back to the dock, and I didn't have time to do more inspection. The boat owners manual talks about preloaded steering and the tendency for the boat to pull right when running between 28-32 mph, and I think I read somewhere when doing research prior to buying this boat that these boats don't have a power steering pump, but I can't find anything with a search on this forum or in the boat or motor owners manuals yet to verify. Any advice, information, or comments are appreciated. Thanks.
Scott