SLOW SPEED WITH STERNDRIVE

[Alrob]

Hi there
can anyone give me advice on slow speed cruising with a single sterndrive . My boat tends to wander at slow speed, I think I should maybe have the drive trimed up ???

 

[LeytonC]

Just need some extra info to really help...

What boat, what leg and what water are you on? (i.e. inland etc.) and what speed are you doing?

Welcome to the forum BTW

 

[[2068]]

Having the trim tabs fully down can help, and I found that having the drive trimmed right down helped a little as well. It depends on the hull.

But mine still "snaked" a bit whatever I did.

dv.

 

[Chris_d]

No trim right in and lower your trim tabs fully as well, the bow will still move from side to side, but the secret is to not try and correct it just leave the wheel alone, you will get used to it honest /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BrendanS]

What type of boat do you have. Is it planing? Stern drives and planing hulls will inevitably end up with a bit of wander.

Find somewhere open in flat water to have a bit of a play. Set if off straight, often it will wander side to side, left to right, but end up going in the direction you pointed it (unless wind or tide take over).

The trick is not to over correct this wander, just a tiny input to correct, not a big one. After a while it gets easy and instinctive.

 

[Alrob]

thanks for good info guys
the boat is a new bayliner 285 with 350 magnum - bravo 3 leg

 

[DavidJ]

Single stern drives will have a tendancy to wander at low speeds however most 'wollowing' is due to over control or over correction. A piece of good advice on this forum some time ago was to keep your hand on the top of the steering wheel on the straight and make plus and minus corrections from there.
best of luck and welcome to the forum
David

 

[byron]

If you are using your craft on a river or somewhere that you have to be continually at a slow speed, you would be well advised to get yourself a sort of rudder fitment which fits over the leg and gives you extra stability. These are not suitable for use at speed as the strain is too much. No doubt someone here will tell you where to purchase one.

 

[LeytonC]

You can get one that lifts out of the way - cannot remember what it is called though, but i would have thought trim tabs fully down and - what water way are you on? is that type of craft well suited for it? otherwise its just something (as BrendenS says) you will get used to it and automaticaly correct without thinking.
(Like me!)

 

[JKay]

Course keeper aka Rudder safe

cheers Joe

 

[landlockedpirate]

Fitted a rudder safe to a Bayliner for a trip to the broads a few years ago. To be frank, I couldnt see any difference. The whole thing was then lost after a 5 min blast up Bredon water. (It was fitted correctly ).

Best advice, tabs down and just get used to it. After a bit of practice you wont even notice it.

 

[BrendanS]

unless the Bayliner info on their website is incorrect, there are no trim tabs on the new 285

 

[Alrob]

thanks for your response - I can confirm that there are trim tabs on my 285

ta

 

[BrendanS]

stick them down then! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif


the bayliner website makes no mention of them. Are they standard fit?

 

[Alrob]

yes the boat came with them - I have noticed lots of gear that is not in the spec (maybe it was part of the "option pack" that was part of the deal) !!

 

[BrendanS]

Sounds interesting, what else did you get in the option pack?

 

[Alrob]

crickey now your asking.

would need to dig out paper work but what I remeber is that it was like comfort pack, freedom pack ,upgrade pack all rolled into one eg blue hullside, macerator, cockpit carpet, transom shower, marble worktop, teak floor in cabin, etc

 

[JKay]

Wibbly wobbly steering? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

cheers Joe

 

[BrendanS]

sounds like quite an upgrade package. What did it cost? (doing a Powerskipper and being inquisitive!)

 

[chuckaduck]

fit hydrofoils to the stern drive they help lots cheap and easy to fit