boat tracks to one side

[bre]

hi, i recently bought a 1963 chris craft sea skiff ranger 24', inboard, no trim tabs, boat sits level in water sitting still, when i get up to abought 2500 3000 rpms the boat tracks to only the left side till i throttle back down im clueless what could cause this, i tried the weight distibution that has no effect, also i noticed since i just took out of water the rudder is offset to left side of center of prop by like 1 inch is this normal. thanks

 

[AJ168]

Re: boat tracks to one side

This just may be torque from the prop. I know my little 28 horsepower on my 18 foot boat pulls pretty hard, to port if I remember right. As to the rudder, I have no clue because I've never had in inboard.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: boat tracks to one side

We know that the problem is prop torque by the fact if you slow the prop down the boat straightens out. A BIG prop will do that. Older boats, engines, transmissions were always geared down a lot. SOO a big diameter prop was used by todays standards. I would just enjoy it if possible.-------- Offsetting of rudders was to help some of the problem. How does she ride compared to the modern buzz bombs.-----------late edit. Have you asked a good marina mechanic to test ride it?

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: boat tracks to one side

Make sure the ruder is not bent, Also make sure the rudder-shaft packing and bushings are tight. Grab the rudder and see if it has any excessive play in it. Some port tracking is normal. There is a wedge shim that can be mounted on the rudder that will help off-set some of the torque stear.

 

[Solittle]

Re: boat tracks to one side

The offset of the prop is normal. What you might do is fabricate a small trim tab and afix it to the back of the rudder. To adjust it get up to the speed that you plan on running most of the time and adjust the track to neutral.<br /><br />Oh and a BIG WELCOME!!!