198 Fundeck

rainmkr2230

I just purchased a used 2004 Fundeck 198.  It has a 115 HP Yamaha and in general we are very pleased with the boat. As usual there are a few niggling bits to complain about.  My wife says I would be very disappointed if I did not have anything to work on.

1. First the steering.  It is very wonky (technical term).  Boat does not want to hold a heading.  High steering effort. Small inputs generate large changes in direction or very little change.  I've altered trim but that seems to have little effect. It is better at high speeds.  Anyone have any suggestions?

2.  Trim indicator on dash worked initially but then quit.  Any quick fixes?

3. The dash speedometer does not work.  The sensing unit is in place on the back of the boat and as far as I can tell it is not obstructed.  

All help and recommendations are appreciated.

Gary B.

mlmeador

can only help you with #3...there  will be a small hole of the front of the outboard engine (~1/8 inch) that needs to be unplugged....just put in a small drill bit/similar to unplug....Marty

Ernest_T

For #1 You may need to change the trim tab at the engine. Initially my boat pulled starboard. I adjusted the tab 1 or 2 notches and it fixed the problem. If you have a hydraulic steering system, you may need to purge and refill the hydraulic fluid. Its not hard to do, but requires 2 people. The instructions are on the Teleflex website and you can buy a kit with the fluid and the filler hose: [link=http://www.teleflexmarine.com/support-2/installation-manuals-controls-cables/installation-manuals/hydraulic-installation-manuals-filling-purging/]http://www.teleflexmarine...nuals-filling-purging/[/link] Don't know about #2, and mlmeador is right about #3.

bprovs

Is your speedometer working off of your outboard or a add on device. Usually it works off of the outboard motor system. If that's the case, then what could stop your gauge from working is the hole on the outboard is plugged.  You should be able to locate this very small pin hole by sliding your finger down the front of the lower unit (the front being the portion of the motor that faces the stern). You made need to check your motor manual to locate this hole. But when you do locate it, you can take a paperclip and push into that hole to clean any blockage, such a muck, weeds or sand. Pushing the stuff in won't harm anything. Hopefully this helps.

clp311

Did you ever figure out anything with the steering issues? I have the exact same boat/year/motor and oddly enough have the same exact same issue with steering. I have tried altering the trim tabs with no change to the horrible steering. I have not tried changing the hydraulic fluid yet. 
I also have an issue with the trim indicator. just wanted to see if you what you found that works mainly about the steering.

Thanks 

cjjjdeck

Getting a response from a thread from 2012 is probably pretty slim.  Always better to start a new post.

Having said that, since I'm already looking at this, I'll give a response.  You own a boat with a shallow draft hull by design, which means it rides mostly near the top of the water surface.  This characteristic makes the boat more vulnerable to water surface conditions and air movement, especially at slower (docking) speeds.  There are some things that can help this situation as long as your steering system checks out to not have a problem, weight (more weight makes it ride a little deeper), trim tabs (adds drag at slow speeds and can help minimize the constant-correction), opting for a "dual prop" drive system (more propeller surface area also helps minimize constant-correction, along with adding much better overall performance).  Longer/heavier models are effected less by this condition, smaller/lighter models are often more effected.  Even with this steering condition, many outweigh this by what the deck boat design yields in added benefits over other hull designs.

Faria is probably the manufacturer of your trim gauge, or sometime dealers may install a gauge from the engine manufacturer.  If it's a Faria trim gauge, you can contact them to help troubleshoot your unit.  They also have a number of downloadable manuals that also might be helpful:

Main website link: https://fariabeede.com

Manual webpage link: https://fariabeede.com/2-pages/manuals.php