Direct Drive Steering Help

[MakeWake]

OK, so this will probably point out how new I am to this kind of boat but...<br /><br />I have a Ski Centurion inboard direct-drive. I want to take up wakeboarding so this was the boat for me. <br /><br />So now I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the boat. It is the hardest boat to dock/trailer I've ever encountered. If you put it in neutral, it immediately starts to drift to one side. You loose all steering (understandable I guess). Leaving it in gear at idle just takes you in too fast.<br />I've taken to idling in so I have steering and at the last minute, putting it in reverse for about a second. This is a little dangerous because if you shift from forward to revearse too quickly you'll kill the engine and you can guess the outcome of that.<br /><br />Is there something wrong with my boat? Shouldn't it go straight when coasting in neutral? Also, it feels like the starboard side sits a little lower than the port side. Unless someone did a fantastic job, there hasn't been any hull damage. I've had nightmares of finding 400lbs of drugs under the driver's side floor or something.<br /><br />Any help to this newbie would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

Sounds to me like it is the nature of the beast. Inboards are renowned for very poor steering control at low speeds. It appears that you are developing the necessary techniques to deal with it.<br /><br />Unlike outboards and I/O's, inboards do not have vectored thrust. The rudder is virtually useless without a high flow of water going by it.<br /><br />and ps, no it won't go straight when coasting. A mid engine inboard does not have any weight bias to the rear so when you go into neutral the nose digs in and tries to steer.

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

With a fixed driveshaft your boat is steering by a rudder. This only works when the water has a certain (although low) speed, passing the rudder.<br /><br />An outboard or outdrive on the contrary work as soon as you engage gears - in the direction the prop is pointing.<br /><br />Once going forward, your hull design, keel and the rudder determines where you are going. With only a little movement a side wind will have more power than those parameters can withstand and you loose control.<br /><br />Apart from the rudder/drive design, outboards/drives acts the same. Some (larger boats) fit a bow prop to get control. A good long, deep keel is what it takes - unfortunately this prevents the boat from planing. <br />I'd suggest you steer your boat under power as long as you can, staying in control. Beyond that it's fenders against the bridge, hand guidance by rope and a calm mind.

 

[salty87]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

hi mw,<br /><br />i have a supra dd and a few thoughts on your post.<br /><br />"if you put it in neutral, it immediately starts to drift to one side"....are you saying in neutral your prop is still pushing you? if so, your tranny may need a look at. prop shouldn't spin in neutral. is this wind or current pushing you? if so, you'll need to plan for that when you're making your approach to the trailer.<br /><br />leaving it in gear at idle...what are your rpm's at idle in neutral and in gear not giving it gas. your idle may be set too high making idle speed too fast. your engine should idle out of gear around 6-700 rpm's.<br /><br />even if your engine is set at the correct idle, you'll see this same effect as you approach slowly. your engine spins in 1 direction and creates torque, as you speed up you create more torque and as you slow down the difference in torque will effect your steering. this torque will make the starboard side heavier, i have to correct for this when boarding with only 2 other people. nautique's props spin the other way to counter-act the torque with the weight of the driver, at least that's the theory.<br /><br />straight in neutral is kinda hard without working the steering wheel a bit. you'll get the hang of how your boat responds, stick with it. with no speed, the rudder isn't much help. the boat will wander left or right, short bumps into and out of gear can give you a little steering boost...forward and then reverse is probably overdoing it. slow and steady around the docks and trailer, the less gas the better.<br /><br />go out into the lake and when no one is around, throw out a couple of fenders and practice moving between and around them as slowly as possible. learn how to turn your boat 360 degrees in the same spot. you also need to learn that these boats really only back up in 1 direction because of the direction the prop spins. figure that out in the middle of the lake so you don't have to bump around at the docks. you'll be glad you did!<br /><br />inboards, esp direct drives, are the hardest around the docks. outboards and i/o's have props that they can point around, we don't.<br /><br />good luck, it's just a matter of practice and time.

 

[MakeWake]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

Thanks all for the help. Sounds like it's just something to live with. I can do that, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong or my boat wasn't doing something wrong.<br /><br />I did take a big plastic jug to the lake a couple of times and me and my wife spent a while pretending it was the dock or the trailer. It helped a ton, but I still feel a little unconfortable with it. <br /><br />Anyway, thanks for all the a advice. I feel better knowing something isn't wrong with my boat.

 

[MakeWake]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

salty87,<br /><br />I'll try the bumping it into and out of gear. When it's idling in gear, I can gain a little control. <br />Oh, by the way it starts to drift (to the right I think) when in neutral and the prop is not spinning at all. It happens almost immediatly even on a calm day. Very frustrating when trying to trailer it. Thank goodness for the guides.

 

[salty87]

Re: Direct Drive Steering Help

that's the result of the torque letting up as you take it out of gear. water isn't flowing over the control surfaces with the same force so you kinda slide around instead of track straight. it'll do the exact opposite when you put in it gear, the back end will line up with the direction the rudder is pointed. just some nuances to get used to, doesn't sound too unusual.