Steering in the no wake zone

[chris_in_phoenix]

"When on plane and under load steering is fine, boat runs true and there is little to no effort to keep the thing on course. When putting along in the "No Wake" areas, the boat tends to wander a lot and it seems like I'm in a constant state of over-correcting.

Also (maybe unrelated) if approaching land, dock, trailer etc. when I thow it into neutral I cannot control where the boat goes at all.

Any suggestions?

FYI - '86 Bayliner-275 Leg-No Power Steering (Cable)"

[paulknights]

"Have you checked the steering cable for wear/stretching? Have someone watch the leg as you rock the steering, you may find that you have a fair bit of slack.
You will have very little, if any control over the boat when its in neutral and still moving as the prop needs to thrust the boat in whichever direction you require. There's no rudder so driveless manouvering is basically non existant.
Hope this helps."

[fixitman]

"Hey Chris , I have a 17 ft Bayliner and i have just the opposit steering problem than you .I can't find a thing wrong with the cable, seems to be no wear at all where it hooks up to the steering mechanisom under the dash .The only other thing I can think of that it could be , and I am working on that now is the adjustment on the exhuast ."

[sandkicker]

"While on the trailer... HAve someone hold the steering wheel steady while you try to move the drive side to side. Among the places to check for play are: the pivots to the transom shield, the point of the steering arm that the steering cable attaches to (inside boat at the transom), wear in the head of the steering mechanism itself, in addition to... the end termination on the steering cable being loose."

[chris_in_phoenix]

"Thanks guys, I'll take a look at all of those areas. The cable was replaced 1 1/2 years ago, so I think it would not be streched. It has also had this problem with the old and the new cable. My bet is that it's in the helmet/fork area. Seems to be lots of bushings in that area that could be worn."

[chris_in_phoenix]

"Leo,

Are you getting a pull to one side consistantly?

We used to have the boat loaded down to one side quite a bit with a ton of camping gear. Moving the exhaust around did help us offset that a little back then, but not a ton.

Best thing I have ever done to the boat was switch from a LH to RH prop. Boat does not fight either way under load now. If I would have only known 8 years ago..."

[fixitman]

"Yes Chris it pulls to the left and want turn right under load . I think I am running a RH prop . strange thing is , the out drive goes to the right same as it goes to the left ."

[fixitman]

"Hey Chris , since I got to looking , maybe I am running a LH prop .didn't know you could change . Does the out drive not turn only one way in farword drive ?"

[chris_in_phoenix]

"Leo,

If you take the back cover off of the drive, you can switch the linkage to the other side. It's a 5 minute job. Like I said, best thing I have ever done. Pertronix ignition was really good too. See if you can swap props with your local prop shop and give it a try. "

[el_pescador]

"Check this thread from last year.

http://www.marineengine.com/discus/m...87/82568.shtml"

[fixitman]

"Thanks Chris , sure didn't know that . As for pertronix ....THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO ."

[jon_allen]

"Hi Chris,
If you have trim tabs try running them all the way down at displacement spds. Boats with alot of deadrise can really benefit from doing this. I have a 24 Albemarle and it makes a huge difference

Good Luck. Jon Allen"

[chris_in_phoenix]

"Jon,

My boat does not have tilt/trim. Are trim tabs something other than this?"

[jon_allen]

"Hi Chris,
Trim tabs are usually rectangular plates located on the transom to the left and right of the drive. They are hinged and are either operated hydraulicaly or electrically. They have the ability to move up and down together or individually, and can level off a boat left to right or fore and aft. They can help you get to plane faster and help you stay on plane at spds lower than if you did'nt have them. By keeping them down or deployed together you lift the stern and bring the sharp part of the bow down deeper into the water which can make your boats steering much more accurate at low spds. This may or may not help you, it's hard to say, every hull is different. I assumed your boat had them. You know what happens when you assume. They certainly are helpful keeping a 24 degree deadrise boat such as an Albemarle or Carolina Classic on course at no wake spds. Good luck. Jon Allen"

[sandkicker]

"I had a very bad lo speed wandering problem on a boat I owned many years ago that had no slop or play in the steering. As luck would have it, I bought the sistership to that EXACT boat about three years ago...no low speed wander. The difference??? The first boat had the trim pin nuts frozen and not removeable and the drive was set so that it was set "kicked up"... For most hulls, the proper setting is to have the prop axis parallel to the boats bottom. My second time around ownership of this hull has a not frozen trim pin and it is set up with prop parallel to hull bottom. So in lieu of trim tabs, make sure drive is set properly. BTW, the hull in question is a 23 ft 1969 ChrisCraft Lancer Deep V...(now running a 280SP leg behind a 5.7L 260HP FWC MERC)"

[el_pescador]

"Looks like our taste for boats is very similar, Robert. Mine is a 1977 Double Eagle 22' (built in Vancouver, B.C., Canada) with a 280 and a 5.7L Chev 307 HP.

Just wondering how come the trim pin nuts were frozen. Those nuts are made in plastic, so unless someone else changed them for metal I don't see how they could possibly freeze to the pin. And even if they did, a nut splitter (or a hack saw) would hav cut them in seconds."

[sandkicker]

"Original drive on the Lancer was a 250 drive. As I received the boat the nuts on the ends of the pin were S/S... the nuts were seized to the pins and the pins "welded" to the holes in the aluminum transom shield by corrosion. At the time, I did not put much credance to the drive being set one notch up (out). The boat ran well and I just chalked up the lo speed wander to it being a Deep V hull."