Hannibal
Well-known member
Being that this is the first boat I've owned and pretty much the first outboard driven boat I've operated for any length, I am not sure what is normal and what is not.
Since I first put the boat in the water, I noticed the steering is far different than what I was used to. Being that most of my boating experience has been on I/O setups and boats mostly meant for pleasure cruising/sport, etc., I was really suprised in how "unresponsive" my boat was in comparison. Given the physics of it - the differences make sense and since my boat isn't necessarly built for the same intent, I can certainly understand it.
To use a car term, the steering on my boat is very loose ..... very sloppy. Even at planing speed, to get the nose to turn requires a lot of movement in the steering wheel. Where a smal turn - maybe from 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock on an I/O "sportier" boat would get a strong response from the boat, the same movement in the wheel on my boat gets nothing.
When moving slowly through the water (8-12mph), I can't seem to keep the boat pointed in one direction. I am always playing with the wheel from left to right to keep the boat pointed straight. It's like the boat starts pointing itself left - I correct it by turning right - then the boat starts going too far right so I have to go back to the left. Cruising in nowake/minimal wake zones is a very "busy" process as I am making corrections non-stop. I can't simply find "straight" and hold it there (to a reasonable extent).
Further complicating things this weekend was two or three occasions where I would be moving along (around 22-25mph) and I would be able to turn easily in one direction but I would get no response going in the other direction. I would literally spin the wheel (counter clockwise I believe) SEVERAL times around and not get any movement out of the motor. If I backed off the throttle, it would behave "normally". It was almost like some sort of internal gear was not catching between the wheel and the engine.
I am still learning how this boat and its systems operate so I am not quite sure what is normal and what isn't. Is this a sign that the cable linkage between the wheel and the motor needs adjustment?
Should I be expecting a much tighter feel with much quicker/firmer response between steering wheel movement and actual boat response? I understand that my boat shouldn't/won't turn on a dime but I feel the amount of movement I need to give at the wheel in order to get a response to the actual boat is quite excessive. This may be normal - I am not sure.
Any thoughts? What is normal?
Thanks in advance.
Since I first put the boat in the water, I noticed the steering is far different than what I was used to. Being that most of my boating experience has been on I/O setups and boats mostly meant for pleasure cruising/sport, etc., I was really suprised in how "unresponsive" my boat was in comparison. Given the physics of it - the differences make sense and since my boat isn't necessarly built for the same intent, I can certainly understand it.
To use a car term, the steering on my boat is very loose ..... very sloppy. Even at planing speed, to get the nose to turn requires a lot of movement in the steering wheel. Where a smal turn - maybe from 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock on an I/O "sportier" boat would get a strong response from the boat, the same movement in the wheel on my boat gets nothing.
When moving slowly through the water (8-12mph), I can't seem to keep the boat pointed in one direction. I am always playing with the wheel from left to right to keep the boat pointed straight. It's like the boat starts pointing itself left - I correct it by turning right - then the boat starts going too far right so I have to go back to the left. Cruising in nowake/minimal wake zones is a very "busy" process as I am making corrections non-stop. I can't simply find "straight" and hold it there (to a reasonable extent).
Further complicating things this weekend was two or three occasions where I would be moving along (around 22-25mph) and I would be able to turn easily in one direction but I would get no response going in the other direction. I would literally spin the wheel (counter clockwise I believe) SEVERAL times around and not get any movement out of the motor. If I backed off the throttle, it would behave "normally". It was almost like some sort of internal gear was not catching between the wheel and the engine.
I am still learning how this boat and its systems operate so I am not quite sure what is normal and what isn't. Is this a sign that the cable linkage between the wheel and the motor needs adjustment?
Should I be expecting a much tighter feel with much quicker/firmer response between steering wheel movement and actual boat response? I understand that my boat shouldn't/won't turn on a dime but I feel the amount of movement I need to give at the wheel in order to get a response to the actual boat is quite excessive. This may be normal - I am not sure.
Any thoughts? What is normal?
Thanks in advance.
