About that little fin above the propeller....

[QC]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

Don't be confused Stevens. If you have never felt the wheel tightening in your hands, or hard to steer one direction when at other RPM it steers fine, then you don't need it. That simple.

 

[stevens]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

Thanks! Every time I take the boat up, it costs me some $'s, plus the time. You just saved me some of both..<br /><br />Edit: follow-up in this next post:<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=012718

 

[shep70057]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

Maybe I'm chiming in a little late but I have hydraulic steering and I do feel the torque from my motorbut at slower speeds. Amazingly, it starts to go away at higher speeds when the lower unit is at it's highest point out of the water. I do use "steering tab" to counteract the torque that being felt turning it in a manner that would oppose the torque on the steering wheel.

 

[vonway]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

Ok .. how do you adjust these ? I have an old OMC 88 outdrive on my Fourwinns with Pwr Steering and i think it may need adjusting. When i get on plane, the boat leans to the port side. not steers port. just leans like there is a 300 pound person standing over there.?? Why is this. and is it easy to correct.? I dont have trim tabs, however i have not tried to trim the drive itself while cruising. Any suggestions or pics would help. THANKS

 

[stevens]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

The lean could be due to uneven weight distribution, propeller torque, an incorrect trim tab adjustment, and/or an assymmetrical hull.<br /><br />That little trim tab is fastened with a bolt going through the hole above the propeller. Look closely at these pictures and you'll see the hole on top of the drive.<br /><br /> http://home.broadpark.no/~ssjoborg/Smart Tabs Installation/target18.html <br /><br />Loosen the bolt, turn the tab, and retighten the bolt.<br /><br />I had the same problem as you, due to uneven loading and propeller torque. I ended up putting on one of these little tabs, pointing it almost straight back, and then adressing the lean with the Smart Tabs. Manually adjustable trim tabs would probably be even better at this.<br /><br />See these other threads also:<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=012718 <br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=012588

 

[walleyehed]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

That is list from prop-torque.....the drives trim-tab won't fix your problem. you have a couple of choices....move some weight to the right side or install transom mount trim-tabs.

 

[vonway]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

Why not,,, everyone is saying the little tab on the drive is the prob???? NO or is it

 

[craze1cars]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

You won't know for sure until you try it. It takes about 30 seconds to loosen and adjust, and you can do it right on the water if you're a bit limber or don't mind standing waist deep a few times while playing with it one day. I'd sure try this possibly free fix before I went out and spent money on other possible solutions. Same with trimming the motor to different levels...that's even easier. You just need to experiment with both of these adjustments to see how they affect the ride of your particular boat.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: About that little fin above the propeller....

yknots, then adjust the tab that "everyone" is telling you is the problem....<br />when you find the trim-tab anode is not the problem, refer to my above post.<br />If you are indeed not trimming properly, you may experience the same symptoms, but it still has nothing to do with the tab.