All of a sudden boat pulls to the left

[Landry1]

My new to me SV-211 has been running/performing great yet this weekend we had an issue arise.

Two weekends ago we had the boat out and it ran flawlessly. This weekend I noticed the boat pulled to the left, but only at certain speeds. I hoped in the water to check the rudder and everything seemed ok.

When I pulled the boat out I noticed the trim tabs were pointed to the right side of the rudder. My only guess is the last time we had the boat in the water someones foot might have brushed the rudder and moved the trim tabs. However, seeing as they are held in place by set screws I find it a bit hard to believe.

So now for the question. Would the trim tabs affect pull at certain speeds or at all speeds? At around 23mph the boat seems to track just fine (this is the speed we pull at). When bumping it up to about 30-32 to run to/from the dock it pulls fairly good.

And secondly to readjust do you simply loosen the set screws, move the tabs a bit and run the boat; making small adjustments until corrected?

[WakeSlayer]

RE: All of a sudden boat pulls to the left

Trim tabs? Your boat does not come with trim tabs, nor should it have them. Are you referring to the hydrogate? Or the tuneable rudder? If you actually have trim tabs I would remove them entirely.
My friends that imported the python SAN to AUS had trim tabs and they destroyed the wake. They removed them and all was well.

[skiinxs]

RE: All of a sudden boat pulls to the left

Yes, the adjustment tab on the rudder will have more effect as the speed increases. Generally you will want the boat to pull to the left for improved tracking on right hand rotation boats. (This takes all of the slack in the steering system out of the equation so a slight movement in the steering results in an actual movement in the rudder) If tracking is not high up on your priority list and the boat running without pulling is more important to you, all you have to do is loosen the two screws and move the tab a little to the left. You have to tighten the screws pretty well to keep if from moving. It is very possible that bumping it caused ti to move. Moving the tab to the left increases pull to the right and vice-versa. What the tab does is actually creat lift just like on an airplane wing, only to the side.
Dave

[j2nh]

I think Landry1 is referring to the tunable rudder. Yes it can be adjusted by loosening the set screws. This started with drivers in a slalom course where a straight line is required. By having the boat pull to one side the wheel has constant tension and is more responsive to input. A neutral wheel will have a little slop and tend to wander. Adjust to fit your preference. Yes as more water pressure is put on the rudder the effect of the tab on the rudder becomes more pronounced.

[WakeSlayer]

I hope that is what he means. There are some meatheads that have put trim tabs on these boats.