19
Oct
I have a Tracker fishing boat and it wanders at low speeds as well. Also agree use the wake mode for slow maneuvers.
During my test drive I really really appreciated the guy taking time to show my wife and I how to operate the jetboat at low speeds using wake mode and throttle inputs.
Boat wanders at slow speed. And thats why sterndrives and outboards are more prone to low-speed wander. Here are four tricks that might help minimize its effects. - Trim up slightly.
Trimming the drive or outboard up a bit can minimize the effects of prop torque and this might help keep the boat on a straighter course. I have a searay 240 sundancer and at slow speed it just wanders all over the place. It can be a pain to try keep it in a straight line do other boats in its class do the same.
Also do the 30ft boats with similar hulls do the same at slow speeds. Boat wanders at low speed There is one method of correction that I can suggest if youre doing a lot of slow work. Bolt an oversize rudder to the rudder skeg of the drive unit.
Make the holes small and keep them where they wont need to go through hollow areas. Youll find this keeps the problem of wandering away. Alternatively make a clip on arrangement to do the same job.
The turbulent water at the stern of the boat and the low velocity of the water flowing over the drive makes the drive as a rudder ineffective at low speeds. The outdrive or lower unit doesnt have enough rudder area to counteract the turbulent water created around it and the boat wanders. The same forces that allow some boats to more easily porpoise than others also contribute to the wandering at low speeds.
Being heavy in the rear contributes to exhibit these traits. Some boats are more prone to this due to their bottom width and shape compared to their weight distribution. Sterndriven powerboats are a prime example.
Its a great boat in all regards except one. We have to travel a few miles up a narrow channel to get out to open water. Its speed restricted and we usually travel along at 16001700 rpm which gives us a 7kt cruise speed.
At this speed its like steering a. The wander is normal at slow speeds. My 26 Cruisers did also with a Volvo Duo-prop.
However wander is not the same nor near as bad as squirm or prop steer as you would be getting with a single prop drive. My 22 Sea Ray with an Alpha would squirm at slow speeds that is the stern would have a tendancy to drift to starboard. 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 cant 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. Stop your boat from wandering at low speed.
Improve poor low speed steering. Improve Fuel use handling and safety. A simple bolt on device for most Stern Drive boats to stop the wandering at low speeds and greatly.
At low RPM under 1800 or so the boat wanders left and right constantly and requires steering corrections. This has become so annoying I am considering selling the boat. Is there another kind of prop or lower unit modification that will allow the boat to go straight at cocktail cruise speeds.
Steering wanders at slow speed. 1988 2858 Ciera Fly Bridge. While cruising at slow speed the boat does not hold a straight line and wanders left and right.
Assuming it is due in part to heavy Ford 460 OMC. Steering improves with trim tabs and outdrive down. They will correct the low speed wander get you on plane faster with very little bow rise keep you on plane at slower speeds they do increase cruise speed and can increase wot speed a little makes the boat handle rough water much better you will also use less gas with Smart Tabs.
1988 2858 Ciera Fly Bridge. While cruising at slow speed the boat does not hold a straight line and wanders left and right. Assuming it is due in part to heavy Ford 460 OMC.
Steering improves with trim tabs and outdrive down. Wandering stops with higher speeds. In 28 years I have not noted this tendency to wander at slow speed in any of them.
I do know that any time you bias the bow with more weight the boat will not steer straight. Try this in a dinghy or canoe. With the boat balanced fore and aft you can paddle it straight.
Climb into the bow and you will find it very hard to control. This is typical behavior for many deep V boats with a flared bow. At low speeds with the engine trimmed in the bow digs in and will steer the boat from the front and you will keep correcting in an endless zig-zag the hull steers from the bow you steer from the stern and youll never be in sync.
If we look at the cause of low speed wandering the low velocity of the water flowing over the drive makes the drive as a rudder ineffective at low speeds. The Wander Fin puts the rudder behind the propeller to effectively direct the thrust created by the propeller. My boat 17 foot in board out board wanders back and forth by itself at slow speeds bad.
Please help thanks - Answered by a verified Marine Mechanic. Living and boating so close to downtown Cincinnati it was nice to take people out for a slow cruise down the riverfront. This boat wanders so much at no wake that it is almost impossible to do that.
I have even actually considered fabricating some kind of big ass rudder that I could mount to the rear table mount on the swim platform just to. A swimmer who can maintain a constant speed of vS 12 ms in calm water heads upstream at angle θθθθ 30 o. The stream measures D 50m across and the current flows at a speed of vW 03 ms with respect to the shore.
We want to determine how far downstream the swimmer will be when she reaches the other side. VW vS θ D x y. The Orca-Performance Fin triples the effective rudder area providing a tighter turn radius and sharp crisp directional control at any speed.
The larger surface area of the Orca-Performance Fin blocks cavitation better than hydrofoils while adding the benefit of enhanced slow speed maneuvering and heading control. My 18 foot Sea Ray with a 165 Mercruiser wanders like crazy at low speeds. I spend most of my time going less than 10 mph because my wife doesnt like fast boats.
But occasionally I actually get it up to plane. As far as fuel goes I doubt seriously that I am saving any fuel by going slow because it simple isnt designed for displacement speeds. Even then it has a slow wander.
Conversely she tracks straight as a die if you start pushing the limits of displacement speeds. And has a very slow wander at planing speeds but that I think has more to do with trim tabs. I think the clue wrt.
Deep V may be ballast. My boat leans into a turn rather majestically and is great fun. I have a Tracker fishing boat and it wanders at low speeds as well.
Also agree use the wake mode for slow maneuvers. During my test drive I really really appreciated the guy taking time to show my wife and I how to operate the jetboat at low speeds using wake mode and throttle inputs.