Motor pulling!

[Rivernut]

After adjusting the tab on the motor, both directions, It still pulls to the right. 25 hp Merc. tiller, '96. Done it since new, finally tired of it. Call me lazy, or stubborn. Shoulder starts to complain after a while. Any ideas? Thanks

[Valv]

Is it bolted on transom or clamped on.

If clamped it might be slightly off center.

[Rivernut]

Bolted. Would it pay to take the bolts out and see if its off. And just use the clamps? Had a feeling you'd get on this one. Thanks Valv.

[RobertELee]

Mine does the same thing. I have traced it to the mount on the middle of the lower unit.

It helps when I am out of the water and I kick the lower unit back in place I have tied everything to prevent it. Could it be the rubber mounting pads inside of the bracket?

[Rivernut]

One thought I had, my boat is a V-hull all the way back. So Im wondering if the motor isnt perfectly centered, will the force of the water push the one direction or another?

[sparcebag]

I have a 15hp purpusely set off center to make elec troll motor closer,maybe off 4 inches,very little pull if I even notice,but its only 15hp not much torque!

[Rivernut]

I just was out and measured, about 1/2" off. Any other ideas? thanks

[RobertELee]

Rivernut, check the mount that I show in my pictures.... is the gap the same on both sides of the lower unit?

[Rivernut]

It's right on the nuts.

[Ufatz]

Bent skeg? Is there a dent right at the stern, in the bottom? Does hull have strakes and if so, are they straight? Is there a dent on either side of the bow, right at the water line?

Or, something is not properly adjusted in the tiller to motor assembly to begin with?

Evil spirits?

[gunflint]

I'm not being sarcastic when I say this but it could be due to the fact that it's a Mercury. We had 2 out of 8 that pulled to the right, out of the box and nothing I did helped it.

[Rivernut]

Could very well be. Thanks for the ideas, I"ll check them out. I will not drive myself nuts trying to figure it out though. I have put up with it this long. Later, have a good, safe fishing season.

[DTro]

My Merc 25 pulled pretty bad, until I realized that the anticavitation plate (the fin) was riding too low. Make sure that it is level with the bottom of the hull. Any lower, you will get to much drag, pull and water spray.

[uglystick007]

I raised my 60 hp Johnson an inch and a half and it made great difference in how strong my left arm had to be. After that I kept my eyes open on how other boats are setup and very few motors set exactly level with the top of the transom. Most are 1 to 2 inches higher than the transom.

[mtheis]

I have 25hp Merc on my 16ft Alumacraft that pulled to the right also. What helped me was I raised the tilt (away from the boat) actually quite a bit. This removed the pull and the boat handled much better. Try it! Worked for me. I think my problem was the boat was plowing into the water making it steer very hard and off course.

[Surface Tension]

Quote:

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My Merc 25 pulled pretty bad, until I realized that the anticavitation plate (the fin) was riding too low. Make sure that it is level with the bottom of the hull. Any lower, you will get to much drag, pull and water spray.

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Thats what I'd check as well. The boat will go faster too if the motor hight is set correctly.

[Rivernut]

That is perfectly even w/ the bottom of the boat. But thanks for all the input guy's. Its always very much appreciated!

[john.wells]

I looked back at all of the info, and noticed that all of the bases seem to have been touched. Two things to note- that half inch could easily be the culprit. Another could be the type of prop you are running. The torque of the prop alone will pull an engine, but the trim tab should counteract the force. You may want to consider a hyfrafoil. I put one on a 20 hp outboard I once had and it made a WORLD of difference! Not only did it make steering easier, but the hole shot-yes, hole shot, was amazing. It planed out nice as well. One thing is for sure-it is frustrating to have a vessel pull hard. Hope you can get it going good, but if not, at least it will get you on fish!