Mercruiser 4.3 alpha 1 steering play- is this excessive

[milligsc]

Newbie boater question, I know the v hull (I am in 2003 18' crownline) will wander at slow speed I'm wondering if my play is wheel is excessive though. Steers fine at speed but I have to turn the wheel about 15 degrees at slow speed before I feel any resistance or action in turning the drive. Is this normal? The boat only has 60 hrs of fresh water time and appears to have the rack steering system.

Any info appreciated.

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Mercruiser 4.3 alpha 1 steering play- is this excessive

Sounds like the normal V hull slow speed wander. To be sure have someone turn the wheel while you look over the transom- does the movement of the drive match the wheel movement? There should be no play. You will with practice learn to anticipate the wandering.

 

[gozierdt]

Re: Mercruiser 4.3 alpha 1 steering play- is this excessive

Do a search on "SmartTabs" on this forum. Many users have found they cure the slow speed
wander on V-hulls, and they aren't expensive if you mount them yourself.

 

[jestor68]

Re: Mercruiser 4.3 alpha 1 steering play- is this excessive

What you are most likely experiencing is the delay in the boats response to steering inputs while operating at idle speeds. The prop is creating little thrust at that speed, while the hull tends to wander back and forth. Increasing your idle speed a little will create more prop thrust; helping to settle the boat and reduce the tendency to wander, while improving steering response .

You should see my first mate try to steer at idle speed. It's like one of those key stone cop routines.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Mercruiser 4.3 alpha 1 steering play- is this excessive

Sounds about normal.

Among many things that cause the wandering, one of them is you.
Unlike a car with tires that do not slide sideways, a boat will not stop turning when you center the rudder.
Consider you want to turn a bit to the Left.
You turn the wheel Left and when the boat is headed in the proper direction you center the wheel.
But the boat keeps turning and eventually takes a heading too far Left due to the inertia of 3000lbs sliding sideways in the water.
You then turn Right to correct the overshoot and end up too far Right!
And so it goes, Left, Right, Left, Right.

To correct this, just before you reach the desired heading you need to to turn a little to the opposite direction to stop the turn and then back to center to hold the heading.
A little practice will let you determine the amount of opposite rudder needed to stop the turn.