Patent ID: 7681513

Claim:
A steering system for a watercraft, comprising: A. a tiller having a tiller arm operatively coupled to a steered element of a watercraft so as to impose manually-generated steering forces on the steered element; B. a hydraulic lock preventing reaction forces imposed on or by the steered element from being transmitted from the steered element to the tiller in the absence manually-generated steering forces; and C. a thermal compensator having, i) a reservoir in fluid communication with the hydraulic lock; and ii) a compensating valve assembly that is provided between the reservoir and the hydraulic lock and that opens in response to changes in hydraulic fluid pressures due to temperature changes in the hydraulic lock to selectively permit a volume of fluid to flow therethrough in a first direction and a second generally opposite direction, wherein the compensating valve assembly influences flow direction and volume of a fluid between the hydraulic lock and the reservoir in response to changes in fluid pressure within the hydraulic lock, wherein the compensating valve assembly includes a check valve and a relief valve, and wherein the relief valve is incorporated into the check valve.