I have a 97 stratos 295 pro, when I first start off  the stearing is almost impossible!!  It takes all I got to turn the boat especially at idle or low speeds?  After a few hours or so it gets better but still not like it should be.  Anyone have any ideas?  Thanks.

Do you have hydrolic steering or standard cable steer? Is it hard to steer even while the boat is out of the water or while the motor is not running?

Standard, and is hard out of the water as well as in and motor running or not.

I had the same problem with my 93 Nitro.  For me it was a new steering cable.  One local Marina wanted $375 and another $210 installed.  Do yourself a favor and check around, a cable is a cable the way I look at it.

Yeah, I would agree with Redtail about the cable. There is also a chance that the motor mount may be worn also.