Heavy steering?

[southarm]

Why does my steering wheel feel so heavy to turn on my 17 foot proline with 115 merc when im going slow in no wake zones? When im standing still it steers easy no resistance but under way i strggle to turn. Is there a way to correct? Thanks

 

[southkogs]

What about when you're up on plane? Easier? Part of it is going to be the effect of the pressure the thrust is generating.

 

[southarm]

Up on plane steers to starboard. Playing with trim helps but i dont have it dialed in yet just learning. Thanks for your response

 

[ziggy]

Up on plane steers to starboard.

if ya have an adjastable anode. try this idea.



when ya set the trim tab, assumin ya have one. set it to your normal load, normal speed, and normal trim. with these conditions. it should steer straight and not pull one way or the other. steering is equal both directions. anything other than normal load, speed and trim. it will pull one way or the other.

on plane, trimming up generally make the steering lighter feeling.

at plowing speed, steering will feel heavy.

at idle speeds it should steer like it does in the driveway. no feeling of anything other than just turning the drive (ob) back and forth.

 

[southkogs]

^^^ yup. Woulda' been my guess.

 

[Chad Flaugher]

When I bought my boat, I had similar problems. Very hard to steer under load. Turned out my cable was going bad. It was fine at idle or on plane, but once you poured the power to it from a slow speed, it was a fight.

 

[Chris1956]

I also think something is wrong with the steering system. At no wake speeds, the steering should be easy. High speed is a different matter, as engine torque comes into play.

 

[southarm]

Thank you all. I will be replacing my shift /throttle cables and my steering. There 20 years old

 

[ziggy]

imho, next step for steering is to disconnect the steering from the drive (ob). see if the steering is loose or tight w/o the drive or (ov) attached. see if the drive (ob) pivot pins are loose or tight. repair as necessary. just because it's 20 years old don't mean anything. as far as i know, my steering is oem from 1975. it's not loose or tight. i grease it often since i've had it.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Are you trimming down all the way at slow speeds? Down trim generally makes steering heavier to one side due to prop torque.

 

[Chris1956]

Before replacing your steering, see if you can find the cause of the binding. My guess would be that your motor mounts have some play in them, causing the steering cable to bind. Just a guess.....

 

[smokeonthewater]

Also if you DO replace your steering, look into a NFB system.... Well worth a couple extra bucks.