"Scott" wrote in message
...

when we try to correct, it has a slow responce and we end up
overcorrecting.
we look like a bunch of drunks.
at higher speeds on the lake every thing seems fine.


At higher speeds the reaction to a turn of the wheel and the boat actually
turning is a lot faster and is closer to what you are accustomed to in your
car. At low speeds, things are totally different.

In a car, you turn the steering wheel and the car's wheels change angle, and
the car turns, immediately.

On a boat, you turn the wheel, which changes the angle of the
rudder/outdrive and it applies a lateral force to the stern of the boat.
This force may eventually make the stern move in the appropriate direction
to so that the boat ends up going the direction you wanted it to. It
doesn't happen immediately, however.

The common mistake is that you turn the wheel a little and expect a little
response. The response is so slow, however, that you don't notice it so you
turn the wheel some more. By the time you have observed the result you
wanted you have put too much turn on the wheel. When the boat is pointed
the direction you wanted you turn the wheel back, a little. Which is not
enough, so you end up overshooting, and then have to correct back.

Consider it as the boat has momentum in the turn. You start the boat
turning, and it wants to keep turning. To stop the boat from turning you
have to apply a force in the opposite direction.

Let's say you want to change course 15 degrees to the right. You might turn
the wheel one turn to the right, and hold it there until you turned 15
degrees, and then turn the wheel back one turn to the left. That works on a
car, it doesn't work on a boat.

What you should do is turn the wheel one turn to the right. As the boat
starts turning, take about half of that off. When you get close to the
desired course, turn the wheel back to center, then on to one full turn to
the left. As soon as the boat stops rotating, center the wheel.

You turn the wheel to start the turn. You turn the wheel the opposite way
to stop the turn.

How much you turn the wheel, and how much you have to counter to stop the
turn will vary boat to boat and with speed but the basic idea remains.

Rod