Pulling to port

[jfkraus]

My 2010 242 LS has a tendency to pull slightly to port at cruising speeds causing me to turn the steering to starboard to keep going in a straight line-- even when the engine RPMs are matched. I have a set of Cobra Fins and I thought one might be bent, but they look straight. Anyone ever experience anything like this before? Any thoughts?

 

[Andy S]

That is normal with these jet boats. In my opinion it has to do with both engines and jet pumps turning in the same direction, no counter-rotation to balance things out.

 

[Scottintexas]

how much is a slight pull ? you have to keep the wheel at 1 or 3 o'clock,
is it only at cruising speed? what about full throttle or no wake?

Do you have a YDS to confirm your tachs are reading correctly?

The easy ones to check,

1. I would tell you to look at your gates to make sure they are both open the same amount when you are in full throttle position,
2. then get a straight edge and make sure both nozzles are pointing squarely back when the wheel is straight,
3. make sure your intake grates look flush and there are nothing hanging down that could cause a drag

 

[Scottintexas]

@jfkraus and welcome aboard!

how long have you had your boat?
have you checked the oil cooler bolt issue yet ?

 

[jfkraus]

Thanks for the replies! We've had the boat for about a year and love it.

Typically I have to keep the wheel at around 1 o'clock at anything above 15 mph. No wake seems fine. I don't have YDS, but I'll check all those other things!

 

[Bruce]

Increasing the port throttle a little should correct the turn.

It is likely that your port engine is not producing the same amount of thrust. This might be due to condition of the impeller, it's housing or simply the design of the hull.