| Outdrive trim, like outboards, is meant to provide the optimum
position for the prop and it's relationship to the boat. The ideal is to trim the outdrive so that at the ideal rpm, the boat
is on plane and the prop is at it's most efficient. As a general rule, if you don't have a trim indicator, the idea is to
lower the outdrive, apply power and as the boat comes up on plane,
trim out that you have the max speed for the rpm you are producing.
For example, you start off with the drive fully in, apply power and
the boat gets some bow lift. As the bow lifts, the boat comes up out
of the water and goes on plane. Once the boat is on plane, you can
move the outdrive out to produce more rpms and increase speed. Don't
get too carried away with the trim - a little adjustment can do a lot. There is a limit to how much speed you can induce that way, but that's
the general idea. You can also use the trim to keep your boat speed up in turns by
adjusting the trim angle as you turn at speed. That takes some
experimentation to get used to. With respect to your steering situation, it's probably prop torgue. On
your outdrive, right above the prop, is a trim tab - looks like a
little fin - on a plate with a bolt in the middle. Loosen that bolt a
little and move it to starboard (right). It doesn't take much, just a
little to make your steering more neutral and easier to turn against
the torgue. Make any sense to you? --
Disclaimer: This is a boating post and applies to boaters. It is not
intended to provoke, annoy, irritate, bother, aggravate, anger,incite,
inflame, infuriate or create controversy resulting in unacceptable
behavior on the part of other posters nor is it intended to generate
political commentary or off-topic debate. |
Short
Oct 19
|
| The outdrive steering trim tab needs to be adjusted to offset the prop
wash & torque when trimmed out. Your take-off technique is correct. Trim down for out-of-the-hole. Running trim angle is to be adjusted up & out to maximize speed &
efficiency for a given engine RPM by getting the wetted surface of the
hull minimized, and the drive partially out of the water to reduce drag.
With the outdrive steering trim tab adjusted properly, steering should
be light & responsive on plane, & for the most part on-center. You are
trimmed out too far if the prop breaks loose or ventilates - too much of
the prop is out of the water and/or the trim angle exceeds the point of
diminishing return while trying to propel the boat forward. This is the point where prop design & features beyond basic pitch(rake,
material, progression, diameter, blade shape & cupping) make the largest
gains or differences. Rob |
trainfan1
Oct 19
|
