Pull to left under power

[Charlie Burga]

I recently purchased a 1986 Hunter 34 in very good shape. I have noticed that when motoring the wheel will pull to the left. I had a diver go below to inspect and he did find a large growth on one side of the rudder which he removed. He checked the rudder for play and found it OK. He cleaned the prob which was not bad. After this I still had the problem. If I let go of the wheel under power the boat starts turning to the left quickly. I have not noticed this under sail, but it is difficult to determine under sail. Any ideas?

 

[Wayne Estabrooks]

Mine too.

Mine does it too. I think it is normal.

 

[Andy Falls]

Prop walk

Prop walk in forward is to the right. This kicks the stern to the right and makes the boat turn left. Do you have a monster 3 blade prop?. Its life.

 

[Hayden of OC MD]

Sure sounds like Prop Walk to me.

Does the helm pull to the right in reverse or does the stern move port whne in reverse? If so it's prop walk and I'm not sure what you can to to reduce the pull. Maybe a smaller size prop ( 2 rather than 3)...Good LuckHayden

 

[steven f]

Check cable tension

My friends '86 H31 did the same thing... there was a fair amount of play in the rudder. Once he tightened the cable it went away. I'm not sure you can check this from the water, remove the covering in the stern cabin, check the condition of the cable and tighten if it's loose.hope this helps...

 

[Steve Dion]

Steve F has an idea.

Charlie:I got an autopilot a couple of years ago. I adjusted the gain but the thing really did not respond correctly. I got in the aft berth and removed the panel and found the cables where a little too loose. We just snugged them up and there was a marked improvement. I think you just need a 9/16" socket (cannot remember for sure) and maybe a screwdrive or channel locks to hold the bolt.It is worth checking out. Be sure to have a fan back there when you are doing this. It gets a mite warm working in those cramped quarters.