Pulling Hard Right

Question
Mr. Ron, I am new to boating. I just bought a Nitro 16 foot bass boat and it pulls really bad to the right. Have to fight to keep it straight and if I let up on the wheel at all it would spin out going to the right. Is there some king of alignment on the outboard 75 hp tracker motor. And being new to boating it is really hard to plane out, where should your trim be while getting started. Thanks for any feed back you can give me. Edward

Answer
Hi Edward...Thank you for selecting the undersigned to respond to your question.

Since you're new to boating, I recommend you take a power squadron boating course. It's a valuable and lasting investment. Secondly, re-read your o/b mtr manual. It explains how to make the necessary adjustments for steering and planing.

Underneath the cavitation plate of your o/b mtr. (the horizontal flat plate just above the propeller) is a small fin. Undo to the screw and turn the fin in the opposite direction or to the left. Then test the steering. You may have to make 3 or 4 adjustments before there won't be any significant strain on the steering wheel. In fact, when properly adjusted, the boat should almost steer itself.

One thing to keep in mind when making the above adjustment, is to ensure all equipment kept onboard is evenly distributed, including passengers.

When initially starting from a dead stop, make sure the o/b mtr is vertical. As you accelerate, press on the forward portion of the trim tab, which will raise the eng. up and force the bow down and level with the surface of the water. Also, there's an after-market fin available that attaches to the cavitation plate and assists with planing sooner.

Safe Boating
Ron