Too Much Pull to Right?

River Rover

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Sep 28, 2014
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I have my first fiberglass bass style boat in many years- been on deck & pontoon boats- So this may be just me but i'm sure it pulls way more to the right when planed out & the faster the more pull- Now I put a new trim tab on & its as far to the right as possible - I know a certain amount of pull is normal but this is too much- Any ideas please? It a 18' Basstracker with a 90 hp Merc with 17P prop--
 

dozerII

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Oct 25, 2009
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Are you adjusting the tab in the proper direction, the front of the tab has to go in the direction of the pull, so in this case the front or leading edge to the right.
 

River Rover

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Sep 28, 2014
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Yes Sir- Wish there were a way to describe how much pull- My last bassboat was a little 15' Raycraft & never noticed this kind of pull-
 

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
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look to see if your skeg is bent .... make sure the motor is mounted center and vertical..... You MAY need a bigger trim tab.... they are available in multiple sizes for some motors
 

River Rover

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Sep 28, 2014
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look to see if your skeg is bent .... make sure the motor is mounted center and vertical..... You MAY need a bigger trim tab.... they are available in multiple sizes for some motors

Alls good on everything- I was wondering if a larger size was made- been thinking on how to "beef" it up to give me a little more angle to the right or something- I'll do a search on different tag sizes- THANKS
 

smokeonthewater

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ALSO look into a NFB helm....they don't eliminate the steering effort but do eliminate the pull... IE it will still be harder to turn the wheel left but you can let go of the wheel and it won't turn on it's own
 

River Rover

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Sep 28, 2014
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ALSO look into a NFB helm....they don't eliminate the steering effort but do eliminate the pull... IE it will still be harder to turn the wheel left but you can let go of the wheel and it won't turn on it's own

Will do- that's about all I ask- it takes real effort to hold the wheel after planeing- Thanks for the help!
 

Chris1956

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Mar 25, 2004
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On high performance boats, sometimes a torque tab mounted on the skeg is necessary to counteract torque.
 

smokeonthewater

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You'll LOVE the NFB then.... next best thing to power steering....

If you select a lower ratio IE more turns lock to lock it will also reduce steering effort.
 

smokeonthewater

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you can do something like that with some thin aluminum flat bar a vice, hammer, file, and rivets OR even just shaped epoxy BUT I suspect you will be satisfied w the NFB helm w/o messing w ur skeg
 

Chris1956

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Mar 25, 2004
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Do a search for "Torque Tab". I made my own using a piece of a zinc anode. The anode was shaped like a Frisbee, only with a more gradual taper on the edge. I cut a piece and thru trial and error shaved it down until the hard pull right was very light. That in combination with the zinc anode above the prop helps dial it in.
 

River Rover

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Sep 28, 2014
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Found a long tab on ebay- guess for under 20 bucks i'll try that - if that don't do it i'll start tinkering with the extra couple standards I have- All have been a lot of help & its appreciated-
 

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
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after you put it on turn the prop by hand to check for clearance... grind on the tab if needed with a file instead of the prop LOL
 
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