Pulling Hard

[imported_74baja]

Hi,
I have a 1974 16 foot Baja with a 1999 115hp Johnson outboard. When I am trimmed in, there is torque on the steering wheel one way and when i am trimmed out there is torque on the wheel the other way. There is less torque the closer I get to neutral trim, eventually none at neutral trim. I have a single cable rotary helm, but I am getting a new helm soon (for other reasons). Can this pulling be eliminated? Does it have to do with the little rudder on the anti-cavitation plate? If not, should I look for something special in a new helm to solve the problem?
Thanks
Jack

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Pulling Hard

Look into a NFB helm and be happy.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pulling Hard

totally agree: avaliable thru i boat store. here's techno info http://www.teleflexmarine.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?site=steering&type=us&product=1085

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Pulling Hard

Just remember, No Feedback and hydraulic steering doesn't eliminate the torque, they just hide it. The torque is still there.

 

[imported_74baja]

Re: Pulling Hard

Dhadley,
Thats what Im most worried about. The fact that I have to fight the steering wheel is annoying, and now I see pretty easily fixed, but I just did a transom replacemnt on the boat last winter and having all that torque there bothers me. Is there an adjustment to get rid of the torque al together?
-Jack

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pulling Hard

you will always hove torque, the engine turns, the prop turns. do you have a whale tail on the engine, they create different problems in different trim situations. that's why i have 2 set in my shed.

 

[imported_74baja]

Re: Pulling Hard

Nope. No whale tail. just a 18 pitch raker.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Pulling Hard

Those props bite hard and are very efficient. Yes, you can eliminate the torque. Do you have a jackplate?

 

[imported_74baja]

Re: Pulling Hard

No. Sadly, no jackplate. I was looking at the manaul kind, but I get the willies about anything that might put more stress on my transom (the setback of a jackplate) that I just replaced. I think these fears are a little extreme, but Im always worried, unless someone can tell me something that will convince me that there is noting to worry about with a jackplate.
Thanks
-Jack

 

[imported_74baja]

Re: Pulling Hard

any ideas?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Pulling Hard

If the transom is strong enough to hold the motor when it's bolted directly to it, it should be strong enough to hold the motor on a jackplate. Now, that being said, you're the only one who can answer that question since you are the manufacturer of the transom.

With boats like a Baja and props like a Raker the set up can be critical. You may not be able to achieve a high enough X dimension without a jackplate. The torque, as you noted, will switch from side to side when going from negative to positive trim. It'll also change moving the motor up and down (raising or lowering the X dimension).

Moving the torque tab under the AV plate will help at wot. At cruise simply adjust the trim so that the torque goes neutral. If you get a jackplate you may find that at some point the torque tab on the motor is out of the water at speed. Then we add one (like the one from Bob's Machine) to the skeg.

Performance guys pay a lot of attention to that steering torque. When you feel torque in the wheel it means the gearcase is actually running crooked thru the water. And that scrubs off speed.

If you had a hydraulic jackplate you'd find that you can actually get the steering torque to go neutral by playing with the trim and the plate at any speed.