02 Outback DD listing to starboard, with pics.

[Crittr]

Good day,
This is my first post, I have read everything concerning this problem and more on the forum. I am hoping that you can help with some advice, or if nothing else confirming that I'm not way out to lunch.
I bought this outback a year and a half ago. It has always listed to starboard from about 25 MPH up. It sits level and rides level up to 25 MPH. I aligned the engine last year to a .0005 runout at the transmission, (I have been a jet engine tech in the Canadian Forces for 25 years), this puts my engine quite high up and to the starboard so far the exhaust rubs on the engine cover.
I have ordered a new strut as mine is bent, I hope this fixes my alignment issue. I have also sent my rudder away to be straightened as it seems to be bent, hooked to the port side, (this boat has hit something in the past). There is a fibreglass repair that needs to be done where the strut mounts.
While I have it apart, and with a clear sight line to the tracking fins, I noticed that they both seem to be pointing to the port side. This leads me to believe that they would push the bottom of the boat to port, possibly causing it to list to starboard.
I removed the tracking fins to find that they are straight… however…. the mounting holes in the fins are not square at all.
So my questions are,
1. Are they supposed to be drilled and mounted facing slightly to port, or is this a possible manufacturing issue?
2. Can I have them welded in and re-drilled?
3. Can I elongate the holes in the hull to accommodate the poorly aligned holes in the fins?
4. Are the strut and rudder mounting points supposed to be this far offset?
Any advice would be helpful, or pics of your 98 to 02 Outback Direct drive.

[Crittr]

19623

View from under the boat, you can see that the holes are drilled squarely, but the fin is way off.

19625

Holes offset in fin

19624


19626

Rudder attachment aligned to the left of the strut, is this correct?


19627

Last year was countless hours of wet sanding and brand new decals

[kaneboats]

I thought they used to offset the shaft from the rudder to allow easier shaft removal. I also thought it was to offset the rotation direction of the prop. Not positive on any of this though. I cannot imagine a reason the center tracking fins would not be dead on though.

[Crittr]

Thank you for replying, I spoke with my local dealer and they say the alignment of the mounting locations for rudder and strut are normal. I'm sure the new strut will help with engine alignment. The tracking fins are confusing though, I believe they were like that from factory.

[Stazi]

Rudder is meant to be offset. If you have a bent tracking fin, there is a good chance it's causing your issue.

[Crittr]

Yes, I've learned that it is supposed to be offset, it was however quite bent towards the port side with a significant bend halfway down to the left as well.
The tracking fins are not bent, it's just that the mounting holes are drilled in such a way that it points the fins off to the port. I took one of them to the local dealer and the mechanic said that it won't cause the problem of listing at speed, but the bent rudder would. I'm not sure if I believe this completely.
Like you guys are saying, I think that having them pointing off centre certainly doesn't help the issue.
I'll see about getting the mounting holes filled in and re-drilled, instead of putting it all back together and finding out the rudder fix doesn't fix the problem.
Thanks for responding

[Crittr]

Thanks for Responding guys,
I received a PM from John Buescher, Customer service at Skier's Choice. He indicated that the alignment of the engine due to the strut and the bent rudder are most likely the cause of the problem of listing at speed.
The Tracking fins are fine up to .125" (1/8th") from dead straight. Above that they can cause the boat to pitch fore or aft.
He said I can elongate the tracking fin holes to put them within that .125" limit.
Very impressed with Skier's Choice, and the Moomba brand. I guess I'm loyal now, when it's time to upgrade, I'm not looking at anything else.

[Crittr]

Ok, so I put it all back together and finally got it on the water. I had my rudder pressed straight, new strut, shaft is straight and true. I put the tracking fins back on they are very straight. I aligned the engine, it is much more to the left than it was, and a bit lower. Took it out on the water and guess what...... it lists to the starboard,,,son of a b____.
I'm out of ideas. The boat does not lean at all when still, or under 20MPH. It has a pretty major lean when above 20MPH, but it comes a bit more level (not all the way), when between 40 and 45 MPH. It performs the same with or without the tower on.
Anyone have other ideas?? Any help would be appreciated.

[Crittr]

Also, should the prop be to the left or right of the rudder?

[zabooda]

Does it list when it is at rest? Adjust the items in the boat to make it level at rest. While at speed there should be no discernable list except for the placement of items from the static condition (i.e. placement of people). The only thing that would change that is the front fins and rudder creating a lifting affect. That would occur if they were not vertical. I take it that the front fins were verified with a laser sighting?

[Crittr]

Laser sighting no, eyeball sighting. When I reinstalled them, I clamped them both between two pieces of 2X4, they look very straight. However, I will check tonight to ensure that they are vertical.....but I don't have a laser sight :(.
No, at rest it is level, and under 20MPH it's level. The rudder was straightened by a contractor that my moomba dealer uses.
When I spoke with Moomba, they said that through testing they have found that the tracking fins only affect fore and aft movement when more than .125 away from straight. But I guess that means pointed toward the side, not vertical top to bottom.

[kaneboats]

What are you using to offset the weight of the driver?

At this point I would suggest adding trim tabs to each side of the transom so you can manually adjust on the fly.

[Crittr]

Well.... to keep the boat level at speed, three people, two in the spotter's seat and one up front on the left.

[Crittr]

Last week, I read about trapped water possibly causing listing. I don't have a ski locker, so I was looking around for a place to drill a hole in the floor to check that possibility out. I found a huge crack running from front to back under the driver's seat. The crack went from half way up the bow seat area, to under the back seat. The floor on the right side of the crack was slanted down toward the outside (the hull must have been bulging out). I was getting the windshield spread as well.
I used 5 cargo straps around the boat, one in front of the winshield and 4 more aft of the windshield evenly spaced to about the rear of the engine. I slowly cranked them one step, one strap at a time until the crack closed up, this made the floor level as well.
I ground out all the glue between the two pieces of floor (this is a seam), and cut out a dog bone shaped piece of the floor across the crack, under where the seat mounts, to kind of stitch the two pieces of floor together. I used a piece of 5/8th plywood for the insert. I then ground down the seam and fibreglassed the whole thing. When I finally released the straps, the floor held, and my windshield gap went from about 1 1/2 inches to about 3/8 inch. The floor is now level. Perhaps, hopefully, maybe, fingers crossed, this will help with the listing problem.
Sorry about the lack of pics, I always intend to take them, but I get in a hurry and keep my head down and chug along. The final step will be to cover the whole thing with Flex Seal, and lay the carpet back down.
Then I'll back where I started on Saturday morning.....looking for a place to find trapped water. It did seem pretty dry at the location under the seat, but the boat has been sitting nose down for a couple days, I guess if there's water in there, it's at the low point of the hull, centre front.

[motosno963]

What the hell did the last owner hit that caused that much damage?!

[Crittr]

There was a fairly big oops on the right front just under the rub rail, right about where the box beam stringer (? I don't know what you call it) runs up the side of the hull. I repaired the gel coat, but it must have been enough of a hit to crack the floor. He also told me that they used to surf with the boat and he put a 400 lb bag on the right side by the dog house, I think that must have worsened the crack and caused the right side floor to sag, taking the side of the hull with it. I'm sure the crack lead to water getting into the foam on the right side, which could very easily be causing my list to the right. It makes sense to me that the boat would sit level at rest as the soaked foam would be under the water line, but when we get up on plane, it would be up above the water line.
I read also on another thread that someone had the same cracks on both sides. It's a weak point in the floor by design I think. Moomba told him to fibreglass the cracks. I will post some pics of the fix that I do have. It has been a learning experience, I'm very intimate with my boat now..... This forum has been super helpful.

[kaneboats]

Amazing. Sure hope your fix holds.

[Crittr]

Thanks, I can't see it being weaker than the glue moomba used

[Crittr]

So, the moomba rep got back to me about trapped water. He said I could drill a 1/2" hole through the stringer where it meets the transom and the water would weep out of there into the bilge. I'll try that I think, seems easier and less invasive than drilling a four inch hole in the floor somewhere.

[Crittr]

Well damn,
I drilled the holes in the transom stringer, next to nothing came out, but the flotation is totally saturated on the right side. I rigged up the shop vac to fit into the 1/2" hole and let it run for a few hours. I got about 2 or 3 cups of water out. All my research points to pulling the floor up and replacing the foam or drying it out over the winter. It seems I don't have much water running around in there. I'll live with the list for the rest of the summer, and consider it permanent ballast. We're really just learning to wakeboard right now anyway. Thanks for everyone's input.
I'll post pics of the crack fix.

[Crittr]

20368
Squeezing my hull together to close the floor crack.
20369
The black part under the steering wheel is where I put in a dogbone shaped piece across the crack to hold it together fiberglassed it and put some flex seal over it.
I put screws through the floor into the stringer to hold it down behind that.
I'll post more pics post fiberglass.