Hi guys;
I just bought my first good sized fishing boat. Its a 16 ' 04 Smokercraft with a 90 4 stroke. I've only had it out once but I had trouble going in a straight line at trolling speeds. It kept wandering and I was constantly having to correct the steering. Is this normal or are there some adjustments to be made? There was a mild chop on the water but not really rough. Thanks for any ideas you might have.

K-rap.  This probably out of my league although I do a lot of trolling both with gas motors and electric motors.  When I am trolling for fish offshore, usually have a second smaller gas motor to troll with and have it either mounted with steering section of main motors or mounted separately and stir by hand.  I prefer trolling with electric motors even if it means going to 36 volt system.  I mounted 36 volt system on my center console with a 250 Yamaha to do the hard work.  Usually, you can get by and find some really nice 24 volt systems with either hand or foot controls and they have some nice models that are remote controlled.  Really need to know what you are trolling for and under what conditions--tell us a little more about the boat and its dimensions and shape, flat bottom or V-shaped, etc.  Good Luck  Uncle Tom

Sounds like a nice rig. A couple of things to think about. Is the boat stern heavy when you troll? This will raise the bow and cause all kinds of problems. A suggestion  is that it might be a good idea to stream a trolling sock or drift sock behind the boat when you troll if it doesn't mess up your fishing too much. Tom

Thanks for the input guys.  I'll probably take it out tomorrow ( too windy today ), and play around with it some more.  I think it may be too heavy in the stern with that big 4 stroke, but we'll see.  Uncle Tom, its a 16 ' deep vee, aluminum sport model with a fishing platform in back that converts to a  bench seat (which adds more weight to the stern).

Thanks again
Lee

K- rap,

You say "its wandering"? Is it Wondering to one direction or heading left and right? If it heading in both directions , thats quite normal ! If its heading left or right there is an ajustment you can make on the "trim tab" on the motor. Its located on the anti-ventilation plate just above the prop, and has a ajustment bolt so you can move it left or right. Since the prop produces "torque" it can cause you boat to pull in one direction, so an ajustment may be required.
Also, make sure you distribute the weight evenly throughout the boat. Check this by looking at the waterline when trolling. Have some one take a pic or watch as your trolling. The bow should be a touch "high" and not "dig-in" to the water. Make any ajustments until it "feels" right".

Joe

Thanks Joe, I'll check it out as soon as I can.

Lee