wandering

1wakeup

Just bought a 2004 Fundeck 20' . Didn't test drive adequately and on first outing found it necessary to turn the steering wheel lock to lock to keep straight. Very difficult to drive into lift.  Discovered this normal for deck boats.  What can be done to help correct this?

pmracing

Not really anything don't have to go lock to lock on mine but I found center on my wheel and put a piece of tape to show dead straight.  If you just leave it straight it will wander left to right and you will find it keeps pulling back straight

FlyingV5

hello,1wakeup,
 PMracing has a good idea, marking the center of the wheel is something I have seen done on large craft and it might help. You have described a situation that is very commonly mentioned regarding these boats. It is a result of the wide bow. As the boat drifts slightly to one side it presents a great deal more drag to the water on that side and will immediately begin to swerve in that direction. I find it helps to stand up while going dead slow, it seems to give me a better perspective as to when I need to correct. If the situation allows, try going just enough faster so that the bow rises and you make a really big wake. This "plowing" attitude makes it steer more predictably. I have learned to dock my Hurricane without bashing the guide posts (usually) but the hull design is very demanding at low speeds. It is rather like backing a trailer, if you are making large corrections you need more practice. A deckboat will never steer like a deep vee.

pmracing

The trick comes from the racing days.. When your wheels come off the ground all you see is sky and if your steering leaves center your in a nightmare of trouble.  I noticed when loading the boat I couldn't get straight so out came the race tape lol

1wakeup

I should have done more research.  I had very positive feelings about how the dealer conducted the sales process, but now I feel the opposite.  He could have been honest and still sold me a different boat.