I have always thought that this fluid was priced well north of ridiculous. As I investigated, it was an obvious “gouge the customer” deal, using hydraulic fluid that is difficult to locate and pricey if you do. I started investigating, talked on the phone with lots of folks, and what I discovered was not that surprising…The primary issue for seastar is viscosity. The thicker the oil the harder the wheel becomes to turn. Consensus was ISO 32 was the way to go. I then talked with a couple of people on BBC that seem to be quite familiar with this stuff. And they had been using non-seastar non-milspec fluid for years with zero problems. I talked to a power pole engineering-type (NOT customer service). He said he likes the “green marine” hydraulic fluid that power pole recommends… uses it in power poles and seastar personally. I had a small qty of seastar fluid, and I ordered two quarts of green marine hydraulic fluid from BassProShops. Took them down to our engineering department at UAB and had a person specializing in materials science engineering – lubrication take a look. Every test he ran had them as equivalent from a lubricity point of view, viscosity, etc. Some difference in flash point but my steering doesnt reach 400 degrees so I dont give a hoot. Bottom line, he also said “I would use either as they have a similar make-up in terms of additives and such.So, today, I flushed my seastar steering (I assume it is 8 years old). Fluid came out looking like coke for a while. By the time I had done 3/4 quart in one side, it was coming out clear. Reversed and did the other side, same result.Oh yes, this stuff is 12 bucks a quart, not 30. If you get tired of paying ridiculous prices, and get tired of the scare-tactics used in the installation manual (use only genuine seastar fluid, etc), this is a good alternative. I will report back next year unless I have some sort of issue. Right now, after flushing/bleeding, only play left in the steering is the play caused by the fluid tubes moving under pressure. About 1/16” maybe.Not sure why the old fluid came out so brown, there is no heat since this is man-powered, the only way contamination can occur is thru the helm vent which is pretty tightly closed. For the record, I do use Merc DFI oil and pay that price. But seastar was WAY more expensive, which I found to be ridiculous…More after some time. My old Astro had seastar pro, I installed it myself. I flushed it after 10 years and it was still clear. So not quite sure what is up with the brown fluid I saw today. But it is now in the recycle bin.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
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