Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

[ahein]

I have a 24' deep-vee hull with an I/O. I have Doel-fins attached to the lower unit for getting out of the hole and on plane quicker. I don't have trim tabs. My problem is at low speed (5 mph no wake). My boat yaws from side to side terribly. The bow will swing three to four feet in either direction as I'm motoring thru the no wake zones.Could the Doel-fins be causing the problem? The steering mechanism in the I/O is nice and tight, so I know that isn't causing the yaw. Could it be a combination of the hull design and I/O ? I working the wheel so much it looks like I'm running my boat through a low-speed slalom course, and it's getting embarassing. Any help or suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

Sounds typical of a deep vee with the bow in the water.

 

[JerseyJim]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

that doesnt sound typical at ALL roscoe... <br /><br />i had a 23' deep V walkaround (an awfully deep V for its size) with a 4.3l merc alpha1 ...it NEVER did anything like this...in fact i think it tracked better and slow/trolling speeds than my outboard powered aquasport. <br /><br />ahein can you see if the lower unit is swinging side to side?

 

[jomac]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

Sorry Jim ,But i have to agree with roscoe every deep Vee I've owned(4 to date 3OB/1I/O) done the same thing the trick is to learn not to-- Over Steer -- let it come back to you, and make small corrections

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

Ditto on the deep-V's not tracking well at low speeds. Never saw one that did. It's a characteristic of the hull. Three to four feet seems a little excessive though. Try taking the fin off and see what happens.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

On mine (23' with twins) the fin reduced the swing by a small bit. Still a pain but all deep Vs but Jim's do that. Wonder what Jim is doing right?

 

[Specks n Reds]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

 

[Crazy]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

Yep got a deep V and the same thing here to ... you'll get the hang of it ....

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

My 93 Sierra with I/O wanders quite a bit also.I've spent the last three summers getting the hang of keeping it straight at no wake speed.I hear through this forum that it is very common and the best and cheapest solution is practice-practice-practice!!!

 

[ahein]

Re: Boat yaws at low speed -Help please!

Thanks, mates, for all the responses. I'll have someone else steer the boat while I check the outdrive for play, just to rule that problem out. I'll also try taking the fins off to see if I get any improvement. But it sounds to me like I'm just gonna have to live with the water dance, and stop sawing on the wheel so much to correct.<br />I just love these forums and remain very impressed by all the fellow boaters who are willing to help. Thanks to all.