Boat wanders all over at troll speed

[Xxx]

I have a 22ft Sea Ray cuddy with a 350 Mercruiser and at trolling speed it wanders all over the place, someone told me that the torque plate behind the propeller should be slightly turned, this will eliminate that, mine is strait, which way should it be turned and how much?? could someone please shine some light on this for me thanks PAP.

[Twister]

I have a 265 Pro Hunter with an I/O and it does the same thing. I was told that this is a characteristic of the I/O. I'm not sure if this info was correct, but I live with it. (Of course I let the autopilot deal with it). I wish I could be more help. Good luck!

[ray koziatek]

natural "chine" gotta toss some lead in the front

[Gill-T]

Do you have trim tabs?

[shadrapper]

Been in tin boats that do the same, with kickers batteries and all the other good stuff on the rear end. Had to move passengers to the front of the boat to get in and out of port. Try adding weight to the bow.

[bigblue]

Turn the anode plate and fin to the direction the boat wanders to .As to how much trial and error inch at a time . Easy fix.

Edited August 6, 2013 by bigblue

[mudflat]

If adjusting the anode fin and/or weight distribution doesn't solve your problem you could try this:

 

http://www.wanderfin.com/main.sc

 

I installed one on my 25' Penn Yan and it definitely helps the low speed handling and really improved the manuverability  around the docks. 

[CaptSpike]

I was told yrs ago and I may not be remembering it correctly that the plate was turned if you felt pull in the steering wheel while underway. As for moving the plate be careful not to correct a problem at trolling speed to have another show up at cruising speed.

Then again I had an outboard not an I/O so maybe the effects are different????

 

Spike

Edited August 6, 2013 by CaptSpike

[ray koziatek]

the little anode thingy is only for high speed,,to help offset the torque ..at the wheel

[Tim Bromund]

yeah what Ray said, that low speed wander is just the nature of the beast with an I/O

 

Tim

[skipper19]

the little anode thingy is only for high speed,,to help offset the torque ..at the wheel

Ray is right, that anode and tourque fin is not going to change anything at troll speed. I had a bayliner and it was a characteristic of the hull design that made it wander at slow speed. The hull has an over abundance of lifting strakes added to help with getting on plane with the deep v hull. At slow speeds it was fluttering so to speak as it tried to lift the hull at lower speeds. Putting more weight in the bow will probably be your best remedy and trim your drive down in its lowest position, tabs down too if you have them.

Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[bigblue]

Everybody has a opinion worked on my boat and it didn't cost a dime .Take it off altogether and see what it does to your low speed steering you will be all over the place . Don't knock it if you haven't tried it .The guy is talking Sea Ray heavy boat they sit tight in the water unlike a Bayliner.

Edited August 6, 2013 by bigblue

[outback kennels]

I found that my boat was all over the place if my trim tabs were down put thm up no more problems

[Jack]

Kind a sounds like deep v wander .

 

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/142414-low-speed-wander.html#b

[jekyll]

My 28 Penn Yan IO wanders but, it averages out to a pretty straight line in the end. It wanders plus and minus about 5 degrees but generally averages out to a straight heading. It is only an issue when going in and out of the Little Salmon River where navigation is tight.

[ray koziatek]

OK maybe this will make more sence to some..your setup is about center of ballance (too much weight in engine area)

try this ..sit in a canoe way in the back and paddle hmm what just happened yup ya just did some serious chining ... now put 50 lbs in the front and see what happens.or better yet put your foot on the floor with 95 % of your weight on your heel and pivot your toes side to side .....easy eh? now ballance your weight on heal and toe ................little tuffer to move toes side to side?? with proper ballance...kinda stinks to have to add 2 to 400 lbs of weight .... hey ya know any heavy chicks ya want to sunbath on the front of yer boat...problem solved.......unless ya got food in the back then yer sunk!

Edited August 7, 2013 by ray koziatek

[Xxx]

Thanks guys, I'll try the weight thing, how many pounds do you think I should add? That wandering plate sounds like an idea, but $189.00 I can add a lot of led. My led sled opps I mean my boat is a tank already adding more weight to the bow, I would assume a couple hundred pounds to make a difference? does it make a difference loading it on the trailer or no? because I load and unload every trip. Thanks to all the responded I'll figure it out, Pap.

[RYE]

fire the driver.......

[rolmops]

The wandering thing while trolling can also be taken care of in a completely different way. Put your otter boards or amish boards out and they will act as natural stabilizers.

[Kevin J Legg]

I had a 22' StarCraft Offshore that did the same thing. I was told it's a characteristic of deep V hulls.

[LongLine]

I don't get this.  Are you saying the lower unit wanders all over the place like the steering is loose or are you saying the steering wheel says put but the boat goes all over the place like the wind & waves push it around?

 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Adk1]

My 221 Islander does the same thing. I noticed that it is worse when I added the 9.9 kicker to the back..i.e. lifting up the front more. add 200lbs of weight in the bow

[Tim Bromund]

I don't get this.  Are you saying the lower unit wanders all over the place like the steering is loose or are you saying the steering wheel says put but the boat goes all over the place like the wind & waves push it around?

 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

 

The boat just wanders at idle, you're always adjusting the steering slightly to correct course.  The only time I really notice it is coming in or out through the piers.  My Bayliner always did it and my Thompson does too.

 

Tim

[mudflat]

I don't get this.  Are you saying the lower unit wanders all over the place like the steering is loose or are you saying the steering wheel says put but the boat goes all over the place like the wind & waves push it around?

 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

Some  deep vee boats just seem to wander a little to port and starboard at slow speeds, nothing wrong with the steering or outdrive and not caused by wind or waves.  I always said it was because the boats are female and can't make up their minds which way they want to go  .  You constantly are trying to correct this by counter steering which sometimes just makes it worse, can be aggravating particularly in tight channels and makes it difficult to relax when driving.

 

My Penn Yan wasn't too bad and I installed a Wander Fin mainly because a corner of my cavitation plate was broken off on my outdrive and the fin covers that up which helped me to justify the cost.  However the fin definitely improved the handling characteristics at slow speeds.  This problem disappears once you throttle up a little or put in your trolling bags.  Some boats wander more than others

[LongLine]

Sorry guys...the engineer in me is trying to figure out why this occurs.  If fixing the cavitation plate helped then I'm thinking exhaust and prop has something to do with it.  I know when in neutral, the exhaust has a tendency to push my little guy forward.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)