very hard steering after outboard change

[smee]

jimrib--i will take the prop off this weekend and check for prop size around the hub.

iron dials--the steering is tough in both directions on the water, when im running it in the drive it will slowly fall to one side and is also very easily moved both ways by the steering wheel or even by grabbing the motor itself.

if i get a chance this weekend i will drop 1 hole...maybe 2.

[simonl]

Originally Posted by smee

steering is tough in both directions on the water, when im running it in the drive it will slowly fall to one side and is also very easily moved both ways by the steering wheel or even by grabbing the motor itself.

Are you saying it's equally stiff in each direction when motoring? That's another kettle of fish possibly.
If you can push the engine either way then I guess it's not hydraulic. At least you have feedback which helps you diagnose things. So when under way going in a straight line does it keep trying to pull one way? And do you notice a difference in force required at varying speeds?

If you do a test in 5mph increments & estimate effort required 1=easy 5=hard it will really help.

Speed----------left turn---------right turn
0 mph------------1------------------1
5 mph
10 mph
etc

[smee]

Originally Posted by simonl

Are you saying it's equally stiff in each direction when motoring? That's another kettle of fish possibly.

it tracks pretty straight considering it has no trim tab, im aware how they work and feel that once replaced will be fine.

Its not hydraulic but brand new remotes.

from memory(have not been out for a few weeks) it is pretty much the same difficulty steering both ways.

The skeg is snapped but feel that the missing part is not big enough to make such a huge effect, could be wrong, if never had a snapped one before.

If you look at the pic of the boat in my first post on this thread you can see where the seats are. when we were in pretty flat water i looked over the side and was seeing splashing coming from the hull forward of the seats.

This seems to me that the keel is digging in to the water far to near to the bow so my thoughts are that the steering will be hard steering from the back but pushing down on the front.

this is why im thinking of bow lifting props or moving the motor down to give me more tilt to the outboard and bring the front up.....
i think the motor is too high so when i tilts the prop is trying to leave the water.........Maybe!

[paintman]

Buying various props ££££££
Lowering engine £0.

[smee]

Lol... My thoughts exactly!

If it stays dry tonight and I don't get bogged down with chores I will drop it down and hopefully take it for a blast at the weekend.

[paintman]

Good luck.
I'm away myself from Sat & no internet access for at least the first week but will be interested to see what happens.

[simonl]

can you ask the chap you sold the old engine for a quick measurement?

[smee]

paintman-I will update once i manage a sea trial.

I have dropped the motor down 2 holes tonight-the anti cav plate is pretty damn level with the keel now.

https://db.tt/CjwIHqrca7 BEFORE ignore the photo name, its wrong.

https://db.tt/iHCItdUqys AFTER

[simonl]

Keen to learn what that height adjustment does to the trim. For the same trim setting you're creating more lift at the bow because the thrust is acting at a lower point. Good luck. Let us know

[smee]

Right then.....................
Apart from me having to pay £14 for park and launch at Baiter Poole today for a 2 hour shake down while loads of travellers paid nothing to stay in quite a prestigious spot for a couple of weeks, i quite enjoyed myself!
Poole Harbour to Bournemouth pier and then across to Studland and back to poole must be around 10miles.
So, dropping the outboard 2 holes has made the ride a lot nicer, i have control over the bow height now. Really pleased with that.
The heavy steering...sorry,i may have to backtrack on my previous comments slightly..
It wants to pull to the left...steering left is easy...steering is heavy to the right. very heavy, really takes some effort and feels like you could break something with the pressure.
Im going to order a trim tab tonight-i still cant imagine that such a small part can correct this but its got to be done.
I will report back when i next go and play boaty..

[MatFromPoland]

What about it ?



This item is to adjust steering force to be equal on both side.
If I remember to correct problem with right you need to rotate it a little clockwise ...

[jonp]

Normally the higher the engine is mounted the lighter it becomes on the steering, personaly I would of left the height where it was. My own anti vent plate is about 2inch above the bottom of the hull, after moving the engine up myself for better performance.

There's no real right or wrong when it comes to mounting the engine height, it's more to do with the performance you want to get from the boat. Most people I know would like to get the fastest speed from a rib which is why you fit the engine higher. If you had a big old heavy house boat where you chug around then you would more likely fit the engine low, Unfortunatly most manufacturers fit engines low as this involves less skill to drive for a new boat owner. Check this link that explains The Outboard Expert: Boost Speed with Outboard Engine Height Adjustments - boats.com. There are so many boats out there which people just buy and use straight from a dealer which both handle and perform well bellow what they can, these are the boats I love buying because people sell them cheap!

As for the small Broken part off the skeg of the engine, this will have very little effect on performance. I have several friends who've broken the skeg just like yours while launch and retrieving at the ramp with the engine trimmed down to far, they've never bothered trying to fix it because they haven't noticed any difference.

You can buy a skeg protecters and repair kits that fit over the old skeg if you don't like how it looks.

[smee]

just to add, i did find out my prop size. 14x17 177131.
the revs got to about 5700 and rising before i shut down.

[jonp]

Originally Posted by smee

just to add, i did find out my prop size. 14x17 177131.
the revs got to about 5700 and rising before i shut down.

If you've lowered the outboard your max rpm will drop slightly, 50-100rpm per hole dropped.

Just take a spanner to fit the nut on the trim torque tab and adjust doing a few sea trials.

[smee]

phoned up for a price for a new trim tab....£50!! really?
think ill look for someone breaking an i3 model etec..

[Poly]

Originally Posted by smee

phoned up for a price for a new trim tab....£50!! really?
think ill look for someone breaking an i3 model etec..

Doesn't sound too bad to me! I presume it is an anode as well as a tab?

[smee]

new one ordered and installed, ready to try out.............
when ive fixed the starter motor on the landy!.....