looseconnection

I have about 10 hours on the boat so far. We were lucky enough to have some 70 degree weather down in coastal alabama this weekend so I took the boat south. I am really amazed on how this boat handles the coastal waters, seems like the faster you go the smoother the ride is. It took me a few big boat wake crossing to get comfortable with how the boat responded, while I was waiting for the big bang to come it didnt. lol.

BUT

It may have just been the wind/current (narrow section of the ICW) but while over 60mph i continually have to adjust heading of the boat to keep it going straight. sawing the steering wheel. I do not have hydro steering, only the stock mecruiser style. May have been a bit over trimmed but if I lower the drives too much it increases the amount of driver input, if i tab down a bit and adjust the drives to get them "nuetral" it settles down but I still have to saw some.

Do you guys get this feeling? Almost as if the bow is getting pushed around by wind or current and when I correct I over correct and have to recorrect and it happens over and over.

May just need hydro steering or more seat time.

diverkr

I have hyd steering, but I can take my hands off the wheel at 70 mph and track straight as an arrow.

4mulafastech

Same here. I have Latham hydraulic steering and she tracks straight and never have to saw at the wheel in any condtions. I have not driven a 292 with stock steering so don't know if what you are experiencing is normal. May want to have it checked out to make sure everything is tight, etc.

I highly recommend upgrading to hyd steering in the future though. K-planes are a nice upgrade too.

That is great you are able to get some time behind the wheel, especially this time of year!

Expensive Date

Too much tab will do that,as too much trim.Are you trimming to neutral?

38fountainecman

Put on external full hydaulic steering and she will ride like a new boat. Had a 292 SR1 that did the same thing. Added the hydraulic steering and never will own another without it. With the boat out of the water, if you can move the drives left and right any amount, that is the issue.

looseconnection

I am trimming to what I think is netral, I do not have mech indicators so my only reference is how humped up the prop wash is, the crappy dial indicators plain suck.

I can move the outdrives side to side on the trailer, maybe some slop in the cable???? I guess I need to start looking for a steering system.


Thanks

AIRFOIL292

I HAVE A 1991 292 SR1, I had the same problem.The wheel I could move a 1/4 turn before it takes out the slack by that time you need to move in the other direction. I put in a full Imco hydraulic system and it is like driving a corvette.It has no feed back and tracks straight as an arrow.I highly recommend external hydraulic steering. A friend of mine has a new 353 and it wanders at high speed,it has the stock teleflex power steering.External Hydraulics is the way to go.....

diverkr

Looseconnection, where did you put in this weekend? I took mine out for a spin to get the fluids moving this past Friday. The weather was fantastic in Pensacola!

Expensive Date

[QUOTE=looseconnection;3584392]I am trimming to what I think is netral, I do not have mech indicators so my only reference is how humped up the prop wash is, the crappy dial indicators plain suck.

I can move the outdrives side to side on the trailer, maybe some slop in the cable???? I guess I need to start looking for a steering system.


Check the cable but in all honesty, thats the way they are. You can put full hydralic on it or live with it. There is no way Formula should have not put hydraulic steering on these for the price they went for.

As for what is nuetral with the boat on the trailer run a string from the bottom of the first step (front) to the transom. when the drive is level with that string that is nuetral trim. Which .....and some will say otherwise is were a stepped hull should be run.

looseconnection

diverkr: cotton bayou in ob. went out friday, what a nice day ran down to mobile bay and back to a buddys dock for a few cold snacks then a long idle back to the trailer. Saturday---fog day--- idled to the icw, fog cleared and went to the new tacky jacks, ate then headed towards ob, fog moved back in real heavy and we made it to Barbers Marina and decided to go back to the wharf and rent a slip, best 40 i ever spent. there was a barge aground from bear point to orange beach, they went the wrong way and headed towards ob. sunday got the boat from the wharf after shaking the fuzz from the party and just ran all over the place to get some bread crumbs on the gps incase I get fogged in again. got back to the ramp, dead truck battery, got a jump and salt awayed then sucked 7 gal of anti freeze down and headed north to the frozen tundra of north alabama.

lets get up and ride this summer, glad to know of another 292 close by.

ED no pun intended:
I have a good sense of how steps work on a hull, just havent spent much seat time in the boat yet. I will do the string thing and make reference on the crappy trim dials. I know drew marine makes stabilizers typically seen as a band aide, but since I am not adding power or changing anything else it may help calm the drives down.

Thanks for all the input. I really need to get some picks and post them so I can offically join the Formula Family.

LC