boat pulling to right

[jaymasta]

hey guys tonite I had my boat out on the lake, it is a 14ft f/g with a 75 650merc, and after a few runs i noticed that it started feeling a little weird, and then when I was going WOT it was harshly pulling to the right, and I would turn the wheel to the left and it would just tilt the boat to the left and make it feel very unstable, and it wound't really turn left at all it was just keep tilting it over to a scary point, it was fine at lower speeds, and it would turn normal just at WOT i could not really get it to turn left...any ideas I never noticed it before, just the lake was SOOOO calm and empty tonite so everything was a little more noticable....

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: boat pulling to right

[colour=blue]Have you hit ground lately? Could be a bent skeg or the trim tab has come loose.

 

[vipzach]

Re: boat pulling to right

assuming you have not hit anything and bent the skeg............I would check the little tab that is above your prop and see if it is loose, like Dunaruna suggested.

 

[jaymasta]

Re: boat pulling to right

assuming you have not hit anything and bent the skeg............I would check the little tab that is above your prop and see if it is loose, like Dunaruna suggested.

whats the skeg, i have thourouly checked it all over and nothing appears to be bent or loose, the little tab is stiff but it is straight , should it be a little to the left or right?

 

[vipzach]

Re: boat pulling to right

The skeg is the black "fin" that is below the prop. You can try turning the tab a little and see if it helps your steering. I believe that tab is there to help with torque from the prop.

 

[jaymasta]

Re: boat pulling to right

The skeg is the black "fin" that is below the prop. You can try turning the tab a little and see if it helps your steering. I believe that tab is there to help with torque from the prop.

which way do I turn it LOL, I did some research on here, and from what I read I should turn it in the direction that it is pulling but it makes more sence to me to turn it in the other direction? so from what i read i shuold turn it to the right even though its pulling right?

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: boat pulling to right

turn it the way its pulling. It acts like a mini rudder steering the engine to counter act the torque of the motor. Just move it abit at a time until it steers both directions the with the same amount of input.

 

[jtexas]

Re: boat pulling to right

torque tab steers the back of the motor...back of motor goes right, motor turns to the left, boat turns to starboard.

Check your engine mounting bolts. Especially the port side.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: boat pulling to right

Jaymasta, Boats will pull right if the motor is trimmed down, and tend to pull left if the motor is trimmed up. Ideally, you will want to set the trim tab to make the steering neutral, when the motor is trimmed optimally. I will assume you do not have PT/T on that motor. Start by making sure the tilt pin is in the second hole from the bottom, and test run the motor. If it doesn't cavitate, raise it a hole. Repeat until it is trimmed to give best speed w/o ventilation. Now adjust the trim tab until the steering is easy.

 

[jaymasta]

Re: boat pulling to right

Jaymasta, Boats will pull right if the motor is trimmed down, and tend to pull left if the motor is trimmed up. Ideally, you will want to set the trim tab to make the steering neutral, when the motor is trimmed optimally. I will assume you do not have PT/T on that motor. Start by making sure the tilt pin is in the second hole from the bottom, and test run the motor. If it doesn't cavitate, raise it a hole. Repeat until it is trimmed to give best speed w/o ventilation. Now adjust the trim tab until the steering is easy.

how do I tell if the motor cavitates or ventalates, this is my first boat, yet I have driven MANY MANY other boats and never noticed it pull like this at all. and no i unfortunatly don't have power trim...thanks again for your help
Jason

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: boat pulling to right

[colour=blue]If this problem has been a problem for a while, then the trim and/or rudder could need looking at. But if this problem has suddenly appeared then it's bent skeg, loose trim tab or loose mounting bolts.

 

[jaymasta]

Re: boat pulling to right

[colour=blue]If this problem has been a problem for a while, then the trim and/or rudder could need looking at. But if this problem has suddenly appeared then it's bent skeg, loose trim tab or loose mounting bolts.

its not a loose trim tab, its not loose monuting bolts, and the skeg looks to be perfectly straight no dents or bends just paint missing from the bottom, I replaced the trim tab yesterday as my old one was cracked although hadn't seperated at all, so I will try playing with the trim tab today, and playing around with the trim/tilt settings to see if i can figure it out thanks again guys.

 

[hiflyer]

Re: boat pulling to right

cavitation??? is when the prop sucks air you will see the rpms rise if you have a tack. When it gets bad you will hear the enginge roar. Trim to best speed vs rpm. But in some boats you need to drop it (trim Down) a little so it does not happen in a turn.Hang in their you will get the hang of it.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: boat pulling to right

[colour=blue]Cavitation is tiny air bubbles boiling on the surface of the prop.

Ventilation is when surface air is introduced to the prop AREA.