I had the Simrad ap12r installed in my Sea Ray this past spring, and had great results with the unit. As many say, i don't know how I fished without it. Anyway,prior to the install (i have twin 5.7 merc I/O's) with teleflex rac and pinion steering. So when both engines were running, the power steering was fine and worked very smooth, as in your car. When the engine that has the power steering pump was off, as expected, and the other engine running (no P/S) it would steer harder which makes perfect sense (manual steering). Now after the install of the ap and a new steering cable to accommodate the rotary system, with the engine running with the power steering, it steers harder than before , but smooth enough for the ap to operate just fine, and smooth enough to steer the boat under power. If the engine with with the power steering is off and the other is running without power steering, it steers so hard i'm afraid something is wrong. I have to wrestle it to get it to turn ????
I realize the steering basically runs through the ap, and may cause more resistance, but does this sound normal to those who have Simrad ap12 or 14??