Boat pulls to left

[danielcasey01]

I just bought a 2008 SX 230 after having a stern driven boat for many years. Having a ball, learning how to operate and will probably add Lateral Vectors and Thrust Vectors when I pull the boat in the fall.
One problem I am hoping for some help with is the boat pulls some to the left when driven at high speeds. Any idea what this might be would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sysinu]

Typically, it's due to weight distribution. People put 1000 items in the head compartment and it causes the boat to list to port. This is particularly the case in older models because the hull shape is even less deep (and is more flat).

If not that, then your jets are pointed wrong or your impellers aren't performing right (maybe stbd impeller is lower RPM or has been dinged up)... But it's probably weight distribution.

 

[anmut]

It's completely weight distribution! I used electrical tape to mark "center" on my steering wheel so I know when the jets are straight at slow speeds. This has caused me to notice that, depending on who's in the boat, speed of the boat, and amount of junk packed, that line will either be straight, 25% to the left, or 25% to the right. Move people around and it can get worse or better.

 

[danielcasey01]

Thank you! Had a bunch of stuff packed into the head compartment and it never dawned on me that would potentially pull boat to left!! Greatly appreciated.

 

[Daren and Heather]

Congrats! So first, as others said - I wouldn't be too certain it pulls to the left, until you've driven it multiple times in multiple conditions, and it consistently pulls to the left. Current, waves, wind, passengers/weight in the boat, or since you have a twin engine - one engine slightly higher RPMs than the other will all make your boat easily pull one way or the other at speed. Once you're sure it really pulls to the left, there's a couple things you can do...

Center your steering wheel as best you can, put your throttles all the way in the forward position so both shift gates are open. Then get behind your boat visually inspect both jets, take a straight edge of some kind (ideally a level if you have one) and place it flat against both jets. The straight edge should be touching both sides of both jets if they're aligned correctly. If they're not aligned correctly, the steering can feel squirley, especially at higher speeds. Each jet has a control arm that can have the length adjusted to change the angle. Once you've got both jets perfect, some people adjust them ever so slightly so there is a "tow-in" to help the boat track straighter.

Finally down the road if you want better high speed tracking, go with the Cobra Jet Steering system, not Thrust Vectors. The TVs are designed to pop-up above the water at high speed and do nothing to help high speed tracking.

 

[Matt Phillips]

In addition to what's been said above, you also have 1-2 batteries on the port side which can easily add weight to the boat.

When I got the 17, it was hard to tell when the wheel was centered as there's little feedback. One day while in a bookstore I saw a sheet of kids stickers and boutght it. Now I have a little monkey sticker indicating center and the motto is: the monkey is the middle.

On a serious note, wind weight and such will affect what appears to be center. it's not uncommon with a 10MPH wind or so and some waves on the lake for my wheel to be almost 90 degrees off center in order to keep going in a straight line.

 

[sysinu]

This is why they made changes to the keel in the new hull design. Deeper V hulls typically hold in the water better. That's one thing I miss about my cobalt.

 

[mrcleanr6]

jet boats will naturally want to pull to the left. i have a 232 limited so same hull as yours and i tried all the things mentioned above. i have been chasing this since i got the boat 2 years ago. the biggest thing is what darren and heather said about making the nozzles centered. also you want to make sure you dont have one reverse gate hanging down in the jet stream compared to the other when in full fwd. they sould both be equal. if both of these are good and you are not listing to one side from weight distribution then you need to look at the impellers and your rpms. your port impeller is actually pitched differently than your stbd. yamaha actually does this to try and counteract the natural left pull these boats have. make sure at wot you are hitting max rpm and the engines are running even. you may want to look at the impellers to be sure there is no damage there. port side will be pitched higher for more thrust. the last thing i will mention is that if all checks out, pay attention to wind. not even wind just air direction. i have noticed that this hull is more prone to be pushed and pulled by air movement than any other boat i have driven. just a slight breeze will cause you to have to steer into it. i have never once been in my boat and had the steering wheel at center. i am either at 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock. i thought it was always a left pull but if i really paid attention i was noticing it really was both directions. its just something you have to get used to. i have cobra fins that i have set to stay down all the time too. there is no question that you are going to need these on your boat. the low speed control is terrible without them. adding them makes it like a completely different boat. great boat though. just some little quirks you need to get used to.