Offshoreonly.com - nose cone question

Offshoreonly.com (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/)

- Drives and Lower Units (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/drives-lower-units-217/)

- - nose cone question (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/drives-lower-units/240626-nose-cone-question.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireboatpilot (Post 3229021)

No, its not a big problem, "IT IS THE PROBLEM!" Forget the stabilizers. Bandaid on an artery. Do yourself a favor, either rebuild the gimble and replace the cables or look into a full hydraulic system. Still need to fix the gimble either way. Something "WILL" break and that's never fun. Trust me, been there!

thank you very much. i will just look into a hydraulic system. and fix what ever i can. i still like to know if there is a way to measure to see if the nose cone is straight. just to check.

Look, I'm no expert on this stuff. Learn as I go and the faster I get my boat to go the more critical all the tolerances are. Any slop in the steering will be exagerated at those speeds and more above. Everything needs to be rock solid tight. Slop in bolts, bearings, pins ect. needs to be fixed. I'm not familiar with the Volvo drive, cable over a single hydraulic slave inside the transom? If it's like the stock Merc set up it's WEAK! Old stretched cables that are not secured to the hull can cause a problem too. Very small hyd. cylnder trying to control alot of torque steer. Doing 70 in a 19' boat is fast. I'm not saying that the Drew stuff won't work for you once everything is fixed. But I do know that once you drive a full hydraulic boat, you'll never want to touch anything else. You could start out by fixing the slop then go with a partial external system withoout the helm. Probly find a used partial set up for about 2 grand. Your pump might not be up to par too? If the nose cone is still in doubt for you, grind it off. But I don't think thats the problem.

For the nose cone just make a paper/cardboard template that fits perfectly to one side then see if it fits perfect to the other.

Tape measure from the tip on the cone to the back gearcase on each side, you will know quick

You guys think that is accurate enough? I would think it would have to be off by a bit to see that error?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dd24skater (Post 3229305)

Tape measure from the tip on the cone to the back gearcase on each side, you will know quick

thank you. i measured it today by doing it that way it is off to the right 1 mill. would that be enough?

With a single engine boat if you are running a raised X dimension the faster you go the more it will pull to one side. It is because the prop pulls the boat to the side.
I had to install a torque tab to the back of the skag to correct the pull. Worked great.
a twin engine boat with counter rotating props counteract the pull.

Well if the sides are symetrical, then the measurement should be the same. The one mill indicates something is not symetrical.
You should be able to see it by looking at the drive and lining up the middle of the drive with the point on the NC.. Should all line up.. and both sides need to be symetrical.
Prop torque usually is corrected with power steering, but the tab on the skeg, will correct it, but that was in the OB days and no PS.

Dick