Boat wonders at slow speed

[rwash91]

Thought I would run this past everyone and see what thoughts there may be on this.
I have just aquired a 1976 areocraft mustang 2 trihull boat. It had a johnson 140 on it and I took it off and put on a suzuki 115. I use the boat to catfish out of and when up on plane the boat runs good and drives as expected,but when idling along or even just over an idle the boat likes to walk back and forth from left to right. It is a constant effort to keep up with it. When I hung the new engine ,I mounted the skeg about an inch above the bottom of the boat. The boat has power trim and tilt and it doesn't seen to matter if I tilt it up or down when it is doing this. There is a rod that runs through that the motor bottoms out on and it does have a spot where I could move it to let the engine tuck under the boat a little more. I havn't tried this yet? I havn't tried yet because the boat jumps up on plane easily where it is at now.
Anyone else have this problem??

 

[Solittle]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

I hope you meant that you mounted it so that the cavitation plate (not the bottom of the skeg) is 1" above the bottom.

On the wandering - - All boats do this unless we are talking about one with an autopilot - - and even then it will attempt to do it but the autopilot compensates. A sailboat with a deep long keel will do this less than a powerboat - a deep V will do it less than a flat bottom and so on. To minimize the wander use small movements of the helm and so it promptly but don't chase it excessively. In some wave conditions the boat will wander one way only to wander the other in the trough of the next wave canceling the wonder out.

If you ever take a cruise go to the sterm and you will see the "S" of the wake.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Boats just Do That,........

It's Very Rare to find Any boat that doesn't Wander at trolling speeds...........

Between the Water,+ the Wind,...... You're Always adjusting your course........

Try Not Fighting it so much,.....
They'll Usually come Back the way they were with Very Little Correction........

If Ths is your Only complaint about your New Set-up,......
I'd say you've got it,.... Just Right.......

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Low speed wonder is very common on most boats.Sterndrives are the worst.
Not much you can do except adding Smart Tabs or get used to not over correcting the steering.
I put Smart Tabs on mine and it took 90% of the wonder out.

 

[rwash91]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Yes the cavitation plate...lol. My bad. The steering is a little hard so maybe thats why I am compensating so much or just noticing it so much. I am planning on taking that tube off that the cable runs through at the engine and see if it's all gunked up. I read on this forum where you can clean them with a hone which I do have. Highly possible that thats where the stiffness is coming from. The engine unhooked from the cable is free as a bird. I'll check on that more in the future. Thanks for the help.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

this is why avid fisherman use bow mounted trollling motors, it pulls the boat rather than pushing it. and they still wander from wind and waves.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Yes, constant steering correction is just the way it is !!
Looking too close in front of you makes it easy to over compensate. Looking well ahead will minimise the amount of correction you give. It is just like driving a car in that respect. Watch any new driver and they will want to look just over the hood and oversteer, teach them to look well ahead and use their peripheral vision and the over correction improves and gradually disappears.

 

[DJ]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Yes, constant steering correction is just the way it is !!
Looking too close in front of you makes it easy to over compensate. Looking well ahead will minimise the amount of correction you give. It is just like driving a car in that respect. Watch any new driver and they will want to look just over the hood and oversteer, teach them to look well ahead and use their peripheral vision and the over correction improves and gradually disappears.

Ditto. Overcorrecting is the issue.

 

[rwash91]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Gunk in the tube was not my trouble as far as the hard steering goes. I pulled the cable out today and it is so hard that I cannot move it by hand with one end in the vise, no wonder I am overcompensating !! I happen to have a spare and should have it on tomorrow. Thanks for all the input....Randy

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Low speed wonder is very common on most boats.Sterndrives are the worst.
Not much you can do except adding Smart Tabs or get used to not over correcting the steering.
I put Smart Tabs on mine and it took 90% of the wonder out.

Ditto, ditto, ditto, except I put on Smart Tabs and it took care of 99% of my wandering at no wake speeds. I can literally get up from the helm and walk around the boat and it will stay near dead ahead. The difference was mind boggling.

 

[QC]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Ditto, ditto, ditto, and ditto on the tabs too. I have had helm adjustable tabs on my last two boats, and same thing, full down and I can also take a little stroll. Full up, and they both wandered like drunken sailors . . .

 

[aerwin]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

mine wanders also, just the way it is, I need to get some tabs, with the omc stringer, I can't trim!

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Boat wonders at slow speed

Ditto, ditto, ditto, and ditto on the tabs too. I have had helm adjustable tabs on my last two boats, and same thing, full down and I can also take a little stroll. Full up, and they both wandered like drunken sailors . . .

8) Actually id prefer to thnk of them like women

They have little direction
They require lot's of maintance
They all come with there little quirks
They all have there own beauty
One tend's to obcess over them
If the littest thing is wrong it has to be fixed
But they dont talk to much .....so what's with a little wandering.....