eratic steering at idle speeds

[skippers]

just recentley purchased a 24.5 bayliner with a 5 liter mercruiser and alpha one gen 2 outdrive. this is around the 12th boat ive owned which included outboards and inboards of both single nd dual screws. this boat for whatever reson has proven to be the toughest boat to keep on a straight line at idle to slow speeds. it seems to wonder all over the place requiring constant steering adjustment. the steering is smooth nd the drive in great shape . the only thing i can see is that the skeg has a minimal curve to it towards the bottom however all the people ive talked to have said that that should not affect it. has anyone experianced this problem with this bayliner hull and will a doelfin type device help

 

[rogerwa]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

It's not a hull thing, it's an I/o thing. It is very common for single I/o boats to wander while at idle or no wake speeds. I don't remember why but this is normal.

 

[Maclin]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

Fins will not (ever) help. Trim tab help some. The condition is called low speed wander, boat oscillates from left to right, gets worse if you try to correct and get behind in your steering.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

My Crownline 18.0 Bowrider wanders. I've heard it's an I/O thing, and I've also heard that power steering can make the wandering worse, my boat is an I/O with power steering. I've learned to live with it, by not over reacting to the wander. Very small subtle steering corrections minimize the zigzag. I've observed that correcting too much just made it worse. After a while you simply get used to it. I've heard that some have had success with the whale tails, but I'm not going to put one on my boat.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

As a test, load up the stern and lighten the bow to the extent possible. Boats a bit too heavy in the front tend to "bow steer".

Sea ya...

 

[shaun77]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

I've heard it called "sharking" and my Sea Ray does it also. Read somewhere it was from "prop walk" ( or something like that)and the outdrive correcting itself, which mine does if I don't mess with it. It only wanders a few degrees back and forth and unless there is someone around me I just let it wander.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

I thought prop walk was for Straight drive inboards?

 

[JoLin]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

I thought prop walk was for Straight drive inboards?

Unless it's a Bravo 3 or Volvo duo-prop (counter-rotating propellers on the same drive), it'll prop walk/prop steer. A single propeller pushes or pulls sideways at the same time it's pushing or pulling in forward or reverse. Owners of dual engine, single-prop drives can 'crab' a boat (walk it sideways) just by alternately shifting the engines in and out of forward and reverse gears.

My .02

 

[Oshkosh1]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

In flying there is a phenomena known as "Gyroscopic Precession"...Which is the tendency of a spinning object to move about its axis when disturbed by a force. The engine and propeller act as a big gyroscope. Obviously counter rotating screws can cancel some of this effect, and hull design(the deeper the "V" the more stabilizing effect) will also play a roll.

Newtons third law of motion at work.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

All deep "V" hulls with a I/O (without a dual prop like a B3) will wander. I installed Bennett Sport Tabs and all but eliminated the wandering about. Before the tabs, I just let it wander, as it it would do it back and forth, pretty much going where it was pointed, after it was said and done. I'm sure I looked like a drunk trying to navigate. You can go crazy trying to compensate, which usually makes it worse.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

All deep "V" hulls with a I/O (without a dual prop like a B3) will wander. I installed Bennett Sport Tabs and all but eliminated the wandering about. Before the tabs, I just let it wander, as it it would do it back and forth, pretty much going where it was pointed, after it was said and done. I'm sure I looked like a drunk trying to navigate. You can go crazy trying to compensate, which usually makes it worse.

My boat has a deep-V (24 degrees) and a Bravo 3 drive and it still wanders at low speeds. Trim tabs help quite a bit though.

 

[Maclin]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

Mine is a DuoProp, the wander is more from the whole boat being down in the water and only getting a push from one spot, like pushing a log from the back. Tabs or trolling "sock" are the most help, but getting used to it by far is best.

 

[generator12]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

My Four Winns wandered so much that when I first splashed it I thought something was wrong with my sterndrive. Turned out to be the phenomenon everyone is discussing.

At any rate, Smart Tabs helped immensely. Skip, do a search for "Smart Tabs" on the forum and read all the comments. I'm sure you'll get the gist. One of the better investments I made for my boat.

 

[skippers]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

My Four Winns wandered so much that when I first splashed it I thought something was wrong with my sterndrive. Turned out to be the phenomenon everyone is discussing.

At any rate, Smart Tabs helped immensely. Skip, do a search for "Smart Tabs" on the forum and read all the comments. I'm sure you'll get the gist. One of the better investments I made for my boat.

the boat is equiped with bennet trim tabs but my experiance with trim tabs is that they r effective at hire speeds an to raise or lower bow along with balancing side to side, i still dont see the difference between a single outboard verses the merc outdrive when it comes to this problem.

 

[skippers]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

My boat has a deep-V (24 degrees) and a Bravo 3 drive and it still wanders at low speeds. Trim tabs help quite a bit though.

the boat is equipped with bennet tabs. but rnt they only affective at hire speeds and basically to control bow and side to side balancing

 

[skippers]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

My Crownline 18.0 Bowrider wanders. I've heard it's an I/O thing, and I've also heard that power steering can make the wandering worse, my boat is an I/O with power steering. I've learned to live with it, by not over reacting to the wander. Very small subtle steering corrections minimize the zigzag. I've observed that correcting too much just made it worse. After a while you simply get used to it. I've heard that some have had success with the whale tails, but I'm not going to put one on my boat.

ive just installed an se 300 fin. will see what happens they claim to help with deep v wandering

 

[skippers]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

the boat is equiped with bennet tabs howevr my experiance with tabs is that they r helpfull for bow controll and side to side balancing. ive had single outboards in the same size boat range nd not experiance the wandering why would a stern drive be any diference than an outboard

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

the boat is equiped with bennet tabs howevr my experiance with tabs is that they r helpfull for bow controll and side to side balancing. ive had single outboards in the same size boat range nd not experiance the wandering why would a stern drive be any diference than an outboard

Can't comment on the outboard thing, as I've never owned one. The Bennetts I put on are the Sport Tabs, which stick out further from the transom, than they are wide (16" long x 12" wide), which may be what makes the differance to the way my wander has decreased. All I know, is that with the tabs in full down position, the wander (which used be really bad) is now barely noticable. For my boat and the way I installed them, they made a HUGE improvement.

 

[Tabman]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

the boat is equiped with bennet tabs howevr my experiance with tabs is that they r helpfull for bow controll and side to side balancing. ive had single outboards in the same size boat range nd not experiance the wandering why would a stern drive be any diference than an outboard

Skippers,

Have you tried putting the Trim Tabs in the fully down position at idle speed? It sort of works like tail feathers on an arrow.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: eratic steering at idle speeds

Plus the after sale customer support from Bennett is second to none (even if you didn't purchase from Bennett yourself). I know this 1st hand.