Throttle Sensitivity

[gregski]

I find that all new drivers struggle to control the speed but not specifically the throttle. For example: you want to go 2mph faster so you give it some more throttle, then you are going 5mph too fast, so you cut some throttle, then you are going 5 mph too slow and you can never find "just right" on the throttle. It sort of acts like it's "touchy" or maybe hyper sensitive but the problem is actually the opposite in that there is much more lag time between throttle adjustments and speed changes than in a car for example and the driver's reactions aren't in synch with the boat.

The best advise I can offer is to use the tach when making adjustments for speed. If the boat is running steady at some speed and you want to go a little faster (like 1-2mph), look at the tach and give it enough throttle to increase the engine speed by some small amount like 50-100rpm, then wait and see what speed it settles into and then repeat with a little more or less engine speed change on the tach to get the boat speed that you want on the speedo. With experience, you will get the "touch" better dialed in, especially as you get used to the boat, you will start to know what rpm equals what speed, like 3000rpm=25mph, or whatever. Obviously, this will change a little with variations in weight, wind, etc. but you'll be able to get close without much thought and then adjust slightly to get exactly what you want.