Hi Italo a couple of weeks you were fishing with a friend from down east onLake Ontario in his white fiberglass boat. I noticed that every time you let go of the steering wheel the boat would steerhardto starboard. I have the same Yamaha outboard motor on a 17′ Tracker boat and it does the same thing. Is it normal for that ro happen? ThanksRuss

Posted on October 23rd, 2015

Yes, this is normal. A “right-rotating” propeller has about 50 lb. torque to the starboard side.

Lake Erie Dipsey tip graphics

To neutralize this torque, outboards on the cavitation plate have a small “keel” that points down and can be adjusted to compensate for the normal starboard torque produced by the propeller when in gear. You can easily loosen the bolt that holds that small “keel” in place and adjust its direction so that your outboard will propel the boat streetlight. This will also help at higher speeds and will make steering much easier…God bless you, Italo

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