Strange steering problem

[badams]

I have a '98 Nautique that was having difficult steering, mostly in turning to the right. We had the steering cable replaced, but the problem did not improve. My neighbor has a '97 and had his cable replaced at the same time. With his, he can steer with his finger, like you'd expect. With mine, you need to go to the gym before you drive the boat. Here's the rub - not under power, I can steer with no difficulty. I can also move the rudder back and forth by hand with a little effort. Under power, steering to the right is extremely difficult. My mechanic has never seen an inboard with a rudder that was binding or caused this type of problem. Any ideas?

[jedgell]

Chances are your rudder is a little loose. When on trailer see if there is any movement up and down, or front to back. It's easy to fix, you need to tighten the thru hull packing gland. It's just like the drive shaft packing, just vertical. It will take some work but it should take care of the problem. You want to tighten the packing just enough to take all the play out of the rudder, but not too tight to where it binds up. It takes a little while to get it just right. My '95 was doing the exact thing you're describing, now it steers easily. I also added a greese zerk so I could lube the rudder shaft.

[mf01]

Should you be able to turn the rudder by hand? About 2 years ago mine was extremely stiff, so I replaced the cable. It got a lot better. Even after the replacement, it's stiff while under way. The steering wheel is easy to turn when not under load, but I can't turn the rudder by hand. I have greased the zerk on mine every winter, but never opened up the rudder box. I'd probably have to move the fuel tank forward to get to the rudder box.

[AB]

Do you have an adjustable rudder? If so, maybe it slipped and now has too much torque. If you don't ski in a slalom course, you really don't need any torque and can have a neutral rudder like your neighbor. We use our boats in the course and they really handle a lot better with some torque.

The other thing that could happen is the engine alignment could have moved the shaft and now created more offset to the rudder and therefore more torque. I guess you can look at the wear marks and see if the mounts have shifted.

The loose rudder fitting is also a good idea.

[badams]

Thanks

Thanks. I'll check for the loose rudder. I don't have the adjustable rudder, so loose is most likely it.