A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

[Polar_Bus]

Hi folks, the more time I spend with my boat, the more I am getting to know it's mannerisms. Heres a question, when I am in a no-wake zone, I notice my boat wanders from left to right all the time. I also know I have a decent amount of slop in my steering. Are these two related? Is it normal for a boat to wander side to side while going slow? Thanks for your input

 

[woosterken]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

what kind of boat you talking about?
I think that it IS the nature of the beast if it is a deep vee
also the loose steering probably just makes it worse.

woosterken

 

[redone4x4]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

mine does it pretty bad. Smart tabs are supposed to help, hopefully i'll be installing them this summer and see what the results are.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

I think it is the nature of the beast with pretty much any single engine i/o v-hull....

 

[Polar_Bus]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

Thanks guys, I was thinking even though I have some steering wheel slop, it's the steering hydraulics that keep the outdrive "fixed", so I am thinking my slop is in the cable gearbox behind the wheel.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

it you have slop in hydrolic steering you either need to bleed the hydroic system, or have a worn steering coupling on the outdrive.

the wander is caused by different water pressure on each side of the bow, manufacturers have been trying to figure out how to cure this for hundreds of years.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

Loose or worn gimbal ring and bearing are other potential culprits. How much play do you have? Next time the boat is out of the water grab the outdrive and wiggle it back and forth to see if there's any movement in it that isn't translated directly to your steering wheel. That is, you shouldn't be able to move it from the back without the steering wheel moving.

Having said that, though, it's certainly true I/Os like to wander at no wake speeds.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

it is what it is... as soon as you feel her wandering slowly & slightly turn the wheel the other direction to keep straight.
if you find a fix please let us all know!

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

My fist post....oh joy. Ugg ugg ugg

Check to see if it's the boat or its you casing the Yawing from side to side.

a bent or out of true prop can some times cause the drive to wag from side to side.

take a look at the drive if you can to see if its wagging. Gimbal bearings will cause it too as mentioned.

When the engine is running and your good looking crew is on the wheel, lift up the engine hatch and look at the steering arm were it connects to the cable or rest of the system look to see if the movement is occuring at the tis point.

to see what is broken or warn you must inspect and find out what is not broken first.

 

[wired1236]

Re: A question about my boat "wandering" no wake speed

I think this happens to most all of us. This is one of many reasons why I just put on Smart Tabs. I was sckeptical about how much it would help the wonder at slow speeds but it did help a lot. (And they helped out in most every way they say they do. I have only had them out twice so I'm still trying to tune them in.)