Rudder and Maximum Turn Speed

[ricofrancois]

Hi

I have a 1997 Nautique 196. I was wondering if there is a maximum speed to respect while doing a 180 turn. Would turning the steering fully damage the rudder at 30 mph +?

Thanks

E

[ricofrancois]

The reason I am asking is because after a hard turn, I feel like the steering wheel is not centred anymore.

[DanielC]

Either it changes, or it does not. It should not.

If it changes, and you still are not sure what you are looking for, take the boat to a dealer.

I would pull up the floor board behind the engine, and make sure the steering hardware attaching the steering cable to the boat, and the rudder is tight.

There are two bolts, safety wired to each other that hold the rudder in the boat. Lose these bolts, and your rudder falls out. This leaves you with a large hole in your boat, and no way to steer it back to shallow water.

[Mikeski]

should be fine to turn that boat as hard as you can at wide open throttle, just hang on. It's possible that the cable block is slipping back by the rudder.

[ricofrancois]

Okay thanks for the replies. I will take the boat out next saturday but as far as I can see now the boat is on the trailer, turning the steering wheel turn the rudder as it should left and right.

The only thing is the steering wheel is not centred anymore and I could swear it was before.

[Mikeski]

remember it depends on the speed, the center will move one direction as you go faster, the other as you go slower