www.iFourWinns.com

Hello all,

I'm wondering if anyone else with a 358 sterndrive can comment on how the boat handles? I have one and though I'm overall very please with the boat it's steering performance is a bit odd to me. The boat never wants to track straight. It tends to drift one direction or another and always needs correction, additionally with just a tiny amount of steering correction dialed in the boat tends to respond slowly but then just keep responding until it pretty much makes a hard turn. So for instance if I am drifting off course to port I put a tiny (1 or 2 degrees) correction in to starboard and the boat will respond slowly but then start turning to starboard and unless I then turn back to port (typically more than the initial correction) the boat will eventually end up making a hard turn to starboard.

I was recently on a V-Drive searay 340 that experienced none of this behavior. Do others have this issue? Am I alone?

Thanks
Ben

_________________
2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels

We have the same engine set up as you. Our boat tracks straight most of the time. Now if I am going under 4 miles an hour it tends to wounder a bit but not bad. Are you turning the same RPMs on both motors?

_________________
348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

Make sure you hav the engines synced. Also when backing, make sure your trim tabs are in the fully up position. If they are down at all, they will make the boat act a bit squirrely in revers.

One other question, are the outdrived duoprops or SX drives?

_________________
Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

The RPMs are synced. I have the electronic teleflex controls and these performance is generally exhibited when using the synced mode on the throttles. I am also able to verify sync (to a fairly close degree) using the tachs.

The drives are OSXi (ocean series). I'm starting to wonder if there's something going on like the drives are not aligned (like they are toed in or toed out). I don't know if this would do this but I would assume it would cause some sort of handling difficulty.

Thanks
Ben

_________________
2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels

So Ben, are you seeing this at slow speeds or when on plane? I find the 348 (same hull as the 358) tends to wander a bit when going under 4.5mph. But if you're seeing this wandering when on plane I'd wonder about the trim.

_________________
-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I'm seeing this happen at low speed and on plane. This is my first sterndrive boat so if you have handling tips with regard to trim I'm all ears.

Thanks
Ben

_________________
2001 Cruisers 4450
Volvo TAMD-74P 480hp Diesels