first time posting so if this is not the place let me know


the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??


TIA Scott

Scott wrote:
first time posting so if this is not the place let me know


the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??


TIA Scott


Nothinbg wrong, just normal reaction to an inboard boat...... simply
stated , you need to learn how your particular boat handles

Scott,

Propellers spin, that spin puts a small amount of force on the stern of the
boat which may be what is causing the boat to wander. Also was there wind?
current? they will all cause the boat to move around in one way or another.

Boats are not cars, they are very dynamic and they are effected by a number
of forces some of which (like current and prop walk) may not be obvious.

Good luck


"otnmbrd" wrote in message
ink.net...


Scott wrote:
first time posting so if this is not the place let me know


the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??


TIA Scott


Nothinbg wrong, just normal reaction to an inboard boat...... simply
stated , you need to learn how your particular boat handles

That's what I call *wander*, every outboard and IO I've had did it to some
degree. Some boats seem to be self correcting so they just wander from
side-to-side when at idle speed or just above. Some wander side to side
turning a little more in one direction than the other, the best you can do
is learn your boat and anticipate it's motion, resulting in a straighter
course thru the marina.
Yeah right............

Bill

"Scott" wrote in message
...
first time posting so if this is not the place let me know


the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??


TIA Scott

Planing hulls can act like this when they aren't planing. Mine does.

Capt. Jeff

"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

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 19:50:20 -0400, Scott
wrote:

the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??

You don't say what kind of boat you have, but if
it is an IO or outboard on a planing hull (most
likely) then you are seeing something fairly
common. The long hull down in the water at low
speeds is like balancing a pencil on your finger
tip. It isn't that it wants to tip in any particular
direction, but that once it starts it wants to tip
farther in that direction.

I have found that tilting the outboard or IO drive
out (up) a bit so as to lift the bow a little will
help quite a bit. It won't cure it completely, but
you won't have to make such big corrections. Don't
crank it all the way out -- just a little.

This assumes that you have power tilt, and I am assuming
you will be able to REMEMBER TO LOWER THE DRIVE or
motor back to its lowest setting when you want to
take off. If you try to take off with the motor/drive
tilted out the stern of the boat will squat down
into the water under power, which will make it hard
to get up on the plane and hard to see out in front
of you while you are doing it.


--
--Pete "Peter W. Meek"
Rec.boats caps and burgees at:
http://www.msen.com/~pwmeek/cap-main.html

More information needed:
do you have Outboard or I/O -Inboard/Outboard?

I/O's tend to hunt in idle speeds.
Try trimming outdrive to full down position.
If you have a I/O drive check gimbal bearing.
move the outdrive drive left and right manually by hand best to check
outdrive when out of water. You should not feel any free play as you
move the outdrive left to right.





Scott wrote in message ...
first time posting so if this is not the place let me know


the boss and i just took out the boat for the very first time,
and we noticed that a slow speeds leaving the marina, the boat seemed to
be wandering to the left.
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.
any ideas??


TIA Scott