Boat rolls to port

[Joe DiLorenzo]

I have a 1999 700LX with a 120hp and the boat always wants to roll to the port side when I'm coming up on plane. It's not that bad when I'm the only one in the boat but if I have a buddy with me it makes it much more dramatic. Anyone know what's going on and any suggestions to make it stop? Thanks.

 

[Mike Lauzon]

I

 

[TrepMan]

jdilo1 - is this something new or something its always done? I have a '99 700lx with a 115 Merc, with having standard cable steering when you put the hammer down the boat will naturally try to roll/drive towards the left as the prop is right spinning, so when I put the hot foot to the floor I hold the wheel tight, and trim up (as Lauson4 said) as it gets on plane and the push left quickly disapears. Now, also, when I have a heavy partner the boat will pull harder to the left, when that happens I have my partner sit in the center seat and it helps till we get up on plane.



So if this is new, you might want to look at where you have batteries/weight/storage in the boat and put more on the right side vs. left side.



Hope this helps.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Do your motors not have a Torque Tab?



TOXIC

 

[Mike Nelson]

I have a 640lx with 90 Opti, it appears quite normal. If you are trimmed right down it will do it. Just start trimming up as you come up on plane and you will find there is a paint in the trim angle it will cause it to lean.



I would put this down to normal v hull behaviour. id guess most v hulls would do the same thing at times.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

My tracker did it, but my Champion does not. The tracker at no wake speeds listed pretty bad even after adjustments to the trim or tourque tab (what ever you want to call it). Adjusting the tab did help with sterring pull on take off but not the listing? Engine torque vs boat weight was the issue I thought. Like Trep sugessted, I moved tackle and tool around until I found the right balance. My Champion rides better with a full load of fuel than a 1/2 tank? It's all about balance, trial and error and lots of seat time.



BF

 

[Joe DiLorenzo]

This is something that I've noticed ever since I've owned the boat (about a year now). I do have a torque tab on the motor and it seems to be adjusted properly since I don't notice any pull other than the problem I'm describing. I'll try experimenting with when I begin to trim the motor and see what works best.



It has seemed like the longer I wait to begin lifting the motor the less I notice the problem with a passenger in the boat. Does anyone think that could be the problem? Maybe with just me in the boat it doesn't make that much difference but with a passenger that's enough weight on that side to cause problems if I trim up to fast?



My main concern was that this is just normal boat operation. Again, I'm kinda new at this. My old 15' john and the 20hp merc didn't require so much.

 

[Joe DiLorenzo]

Hey, I have another question now....I just read lauzon4's post about his boat and that got me thinking about my set up (prop size/pitch/motor height). Is there any place out there that will describe how to achieve the best performance?



The one guy in that post says he get's 46 mph with a 75hp. On my best day with little fuel and water that's like glass I can barely get 47-48 mph @ 5000rpm which I think may be over-revving my engine so I don't do it for long. Seems to me like I could be getting a little better performance.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

You would need to look the specs on your engine and see what max rpms are. To much prop and you will not reach max rpms, speed or best hole shot. To small of prop and it will jump up on plane like a rocket but loose top end and over rev the engine. My 150 xr6 is rated at 5800 rpm max and thats right where the rev limiter kicks in. My current set up runs 5600 to 5700 right at 60 mph, gps with a full load. On a good day with just me it will touch the limiter at 5800 @ 62 mph.



BF

 

[Joe DiLorenzo]

Thanks to everyone for your help.