255xd Neutral Steering Assist

[MattJL]

Thanks. 252SD has similar software settings. Once weather improves here in Seattle, I'll try a couple different options to see which works best.

 

[TommyMcK]

Although Neutral Steering Assist was the title of this thread, it isn't related to the issue of reversed controls while in neutral. Turning this setting off does not change the fundament issue that neutral isn't actually neutral (on some boats at least...maybe it's an adjustment issue from the factory). With the wheel centered and the boat in neutral, it will very slowly inch back. Not a ton, and depending on current, you may not even be moving, but there is enough torque on the stern to cause the boat to rotate when you turn the wheel. It's so effective in fact that I can't see why you'd ever need to use the spin mode.

As an aside, even with neutral steering assist on, I don't see a change in engine RPM that is a function of steering input or boat speed through the water while in neutral. They don't say what the "gain" or RPM increase or boat speed range is in an absolute sense is, so maybe it's too subtle to notice while just going a few miles an hour. I don't notice a change in behavior anyway with the setting on or off. I haven't really tried to chop the throttle to neutral while underway at some non trivial speed, so maybe it's more of a safety thing when you want to avoid something but you want to limit your forward motion.

 

[TommyMcK]

Although Neutral Steering Assist was the title of this thread, it isn't related to the issue of reversed controls while in neutral. Turning this setting off does not change the fundament issue that neutral isn't actually neutral (on some boats at least...maybe it's an adjustment issue from the factory). With the wheel centered and the boat in neutral, it will very slowly inch back. Not a ton, and depending on current, you may not even be moving, but there is enough torque on the stern to cause the boat to rotate when you turn the wheel. It's so effective in fact that I can't see why you'd ever need to use the spin mode.

As an aside, even with neutral steering assist on, I don't see a change in engine RPM that is a function of steering input or boat speed through the water while in neutral. They don't say what the "gain" or RPM increase or boat speed range is in an absolute sense is, so maybe it's too subtle to notice while just going a few miles an hour. I don't notice a change in behavior anyway with the setting on or off. I haven't really tried to chop the throttle to neutral while underway at some non trivial speed, so maybe it's more of a safety thing when you want to avoid something but you want to limit your forward motion.

So, the mystery continues. It is bizarrely coincidental given I was just responding to this thread yesterday, but today we had guests over and took the 255XD to a local restaurant on the water. The wind and current were fairly significant (gusting quartering tailwind up to 20 knots but an incoming quartering current off the nose from the opposite side). I continue to be more impressed as time goes on with dock assist in these conditions, but I had nearly full-scale paddle and steering deflections with max side thrust as I maneuvered sideways into a space that was about 6' longer than the length of the boat. During this time, controls were reversed as is typical on my boat when you let go of the paddles. So I was doing my normal wheel reversal when I let go of the paddles. So far, just a typical day, even though conditions weren't ideal.

When I got back to my dock, something seemed very "wrong". Took a minute to figure out, but for whatever reason, neutral was really neutral. The boat was moving with the current in neutral and wheel position didn't do anything (as would be normally expected with no thrust) to push the stern. I shut down a couple of times and re-started, left the dock and came back, and sure enough, it is now "fixed". Ironically, I now need to re-program myself. We'll see if this holds...