# tiller steering effort how much is normal?



## Rumbles1960 (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm operating a tiller powered boat for the first time and it's working out fine except that the steering effort is very high, so high in fact that after about 3 days of fishing on Baptiste my left arm was having major fatigue. I have a new 25 hp 2 stroke on a 14' Grizzly jon boat with a modified V hull. Being my first tiller I'm not sure what is a normal steering effort for an outfit like this or similar. When I steer the boat under power at a cruise speed I have to force the tiller arm right or left to turn the boat, it's more of a jerky turn than a nice smooth one due to the high effort required to move the motor. Can anyone comment on what kind of effort is required with their tiller powered boat? I have backed the friction screw on the steering pivot right out and made no difference.


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## Specknreds (Aug 8, 2009)

It should be very smooth. I have a lever on mine and I keep just enough tension on it that it stays straight if I let go. Something is definitely too tight.


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## bassboy1 (Aug 8, 2009)

Is it tight when it is turned off, or just on? Also, you mention it being real tight in both directions, or is it tight in only one direction?


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## Rumbles1960 (Aug 9, 2009)

It is not tight at all when the boat is not under power but when you are at cruise it is tight all the time, turning left or right or just maintaining a straight direction.


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## CarlF (Aug 9, 2009)

Should be pretty effort-less. Does it have a trim vane on the cavitation plate? Most motors 25 & up do. This counteracts the tendancy of the prop to push the boat to one side.
You may need to adjust it if it does.


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## Zum (Aug 9, 2009)

Even if his "trim vane" was at a 90degree angle,it shouldn't be that hard to turn.
You say it turns easily at rest?(so you must have the tension set right)
I don't know enough about motors to give a good answer but if it turns overly hard when powered maybe a bushing is bad??
A new outboard....I might be inclined to take it back to the shop,to see what they say.
Did you have a experienced friend(tiller use) use it, to see what he/she thinks?


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## pbw (Aug 9, 2009)

any photos of the motor on the boat?


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## bassboy1 (Aug 9, 2009)

Since it is tight going both ways, I would say worn out bushing, but then you also mention say it is hard to keep straight. A worn out bushing would make it easy to keep straight.

My motor (1975 Evinrude 40 tiller), does not have an adjustable torque tab (trim vane, as some call it), and the factory setting on it is way off. Thus, it has a lot of pull to starboard (tiller goes to port), and it takes a good bit of strength to turn the boat to port at WOT. But, going back to starboard is easy, as you don't have to push the tiller away - it will do it itself if you relax your arm a tad. 

Are you sure it isn't pulling one way, and the reason it is hard to steer in that direction is because you are still fighting it trying to pull away faster than you want to turn? 

Zum, you would be surprised how much a slightly misadjusted torque tab will pull. On motors steered by a rotary or rack and pinion steering, 2 - 3 degrees off can make it where you physically cannot turn the motor to port at WOT. Hydraulic steering is a different story, as there is enough mechanical advantage to fight it. A tiller steer would need more than 2 - 3 degrees to get where you cannot turn it, just due to the leverage the tiller has, compared to the leverage of a steering wheel, but that 3 degrees will put a noticeable strain on your arm.


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## CarlF (Aug 9, 2009)

torque tab

Thats what I was trying to remember and just couldnt get it!

My 18 has no torque tab. Depending on how the boat is trimmed and planed, at WOT it has anywhere from no pull to alot of pull (good bit of muscle to keep her straight) to starboard.
At idle, she will spin in circles if I take my hand off the tiller. This can be a pain in the butt when picking up decoys, so I have a bungee on the motor that I use to keep a little tension on it. I havent tried to tighten the tension nut because I need effort-less steering at idle when picking up decoys.


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## aro (Aug 9, 2009)

This sounds very much like my problem. I have a 1994 16ft Grumman v hull with a 30hp Evinrude. At WOT it takes all my strength to keep it from turning right, and I'm 5ft 11in and 286lbs. To actually turn left takes more. I tilted the motor up some which helped some, but then the porpoising was so bad it was scary. I took off the torque tab and put on a stingray with the anti torque tabs. No help. Except for the porpoising. Put the torque tab back on (almost 45 degrees) and it helps a little,but, if you let go of the tiller at WOT it will still turns hard right. I'm about to give up.


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## crazymanme2 (Aug 9, 2009)

Make sure the steering shaft is greased good & than loosen steering friction enough so when you let go it will keep going straight.If it turns when you let go add just enough so it will stay straight.Doesn't take much to adjust.A few degrees on the adjustment screw goes a long ways.


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## Rumbles1960 (Aug 9, 2009)

thanks guys for your suggestions, for sure I know now that the effort should be way less than what it is to steer this boat. Today I looked it all over again and tried greasing it again in different ways for example while turning the motor back and forth while pumping grease into the steering pivot grease zerk. I can't say this did any good till I put it into the water again but I will keep my fingers crossed. Also I don't know if this means anything but now when I tighten the screw that increases the steering tension I can still move the motor side to side compared to before I greased it when there was no way you could move it with the tension screw tightened. Hopefully I got some grease everywhere it needs to be and it will help, if not I guess I will take it to the Yamaha Dealer in Bancroft (not the dealer I bought it from) and let them have a look.


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## Rumbles1960 (Aug 9, 2009)

my motor does have a trim vane but I think it is set ok, the motor does not pull one way or another it is just really stiff as if the friction screw setting would be set too tight. Like I said it swings effortlessly left or right when not under power in gear.


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## TrackerTom (Aug 10, 2009)

I would think that the trim angle would have a lot of effect on this. I have power tilt/trim on my engine and with it trimmed all the way down if I let go of the steering wheel it will turn hard to the right. I can trim it up to where I guess the prop shaft is parallel to the water line and it goes completely neutral and the steering is very light at that point. On a tiller that is not power tilt/trim, do you normally just adjust the trim to be where it would be parallel to the waterline once you get going and deal with the slower planing time that it would cause?


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## Zum (Aug 10, 2009)

If his trim vane was to much one way or the other,it should steer real easy one way and hard the other,I guess I was only trying to say I didn't think it would be the trim vane.
I've used a 40hp tiller for years,have a 30hp now,it shouldn't fatigue you.Hopefully the grease you put in it helps,maybe it never had any to start with?
TrackerTom,most people start with the cav. plate,even or just below the stern line.Theres alot of varibles,boat,motor,how the weight is distibuted,etc,kinda trail and error till you find the boats sweet spot...you may even find that the boat has a couple sweet spots depending on how many people are fishing/boating with you and what you are doing.


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## TrackerTom (Aug 10, 2009)

Zum, I'm referencing the trim angle not the height.


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## Zum (Aug 11, 2009)

I guess I'm still not sure what you mean...
if theres no power trim/tilt,the height and tilt/trim angle is set before you go and it all depends on what i said above.
Guess I'm not understanding the question.


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## TrackerTom (Aug 12, 2009)

I guess I thought that most of the outboards that didn't have power tilt and trim, still tilted and you put a pin or bolt through the hole to select the angle you want it to run at and it just couldn't be adjusted on the move.


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## Zum (Aug 12, 2009)

Exactly right on your thinking.


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