Low speed wobble

[Bom2000]

I have a new 2014 Monterey 214SS (5 L MerCruser) that will not go straight at slow speed.
On plane its rock steady and handles extremely well
Off plane it wobbles +/- 5 degrees and drifts right or left. There is no steering positon to make it go straight.
The dealer sent out a tech, he blamed it on the drive, saying ? they all do this?.
Mercury said that the wobble is caused by the hull.
The boat in on a lake in northern WI, locally nobody has experienced this type of a problem.
The majority of the people I have talked to have older boats with outboards.
A different tech will be here next week and I am looking for others opinions on this problem.

 

[gddavid]

The tech is right, they all do it. If the boat has trim tabs, running them all the way down can help a lot.

 

[oldjeep]

That is what all bow riders do to some extent. Main thing is to stop trying to correct for it and just let it find its happy spot.

Read this:
http://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/controlling-low-speed-wander

 

[littlerayray]

Boats tend to wander no big deal

 

[steelespike]

That's all true that certain hulls wander at no wake speed.You need to pay attention realize the pace of the wander
correct it gently just enough it will become second nature with practice.

 

[tpenfield]

It is often called "V-hull waggle" . . . V hull boats do this. The deeper the V, the worse it is. You will get used to it and learn to not over correct for it.

 

[roffey]

yup, mine does it. You constantly adjust the steering. The slower you go the worse it gets and as stated above every boat I have owned did it. Current boat is a 2014.

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

Don't try to correct the wander. By the time the boat responds to your movement of the helm, the boat has started to wander the other way and you just made it worse.

 

[Mischief Managed]

If you bump up your engine speed to idle +100 RPM or so, it will likely get much better, but yeah, they do indeed all do that. Mine has 24 degrees of deadrise and a stepped hul,l and it will swing more than plus or minus ten degrees from straight, if I don't touch the wheel. I am constantly pre-correcting and can keep it quite straight, but it takes practice.

 

[steelespike]

I think I read somewhere that smart tabs help with wander.

 

[QC]

Yes, as noted above, trim tabs in full down position definitely help. SmartTabs would be down at idle speed.

I don't agree that you can't correct for wander. Very small helm corrections can make a big difference if you anticipate. If you wait to see what happens, you will be too late.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Spot on QC

 

[jkust]

Slow Speed Wander is standard without counter rotating props on I/O's. Hold it straight and ignore the wander and you will run in a straightish line or at least that is the result with my hull.

 

[jayhanig]

My Galaxy bowrider used to do this at low speeds too. Everybody said it was just in the nature of that vee hull and many said just to learn to live with it. You don't have to. I installed Nautilus stainless steel Smart Tabs on the back of my boat and not only do I no longer wander at slow speeds, my hole shot is somewhat spectacular. I can't say enough good things about the tabs.

The smart tabs are spring loaded and require no input from the operator. If you want to be able to adjust your tabs on the run, people here seem to like Bennet trim tabs very much. I can't recommend them myself but only because I've never operated them. I can recommend the Smart Tabs since I'm an owner. If I had to do it all over again I'd still install the Nautilus. It solved the problem and cost very little money.

 

[steelespike]

They need to be installed carefully and applied just enough to solve hole shot any porpoising staying on plane.
As I understand at no wake they are down and help with wander.But are right there for planing etc.

 

[milehighjc]

I think I read somewhere that smart tabs help with wander.

I can confirm this. I put smart tabs on my Crownline 182 this year, and the bow wander is significantly less noticeable now. It also rides smoother in rough water, and has WAY less bow rise during the hole shot. Trade off is my wake is a little weird now, there is a spot about where I ski where the wakes from the smart tabs come together and create some spray. I have also lost a couple of MPH from my WOT speed.

All in all, a very good addition to my boat... love the smart tabs.