daviddraper
Veteran Member
I'm a year in with my new-to-me 2006 single screw MS 34T. My wife and I love the boat except for its handling in a following sea.
If we have to run in anything higher then 2' seas, my auto-pilot can't handle it and its a very arduous and concentrated time at the helm keeping the boat straight. It often requires lock-to-lock steering which is a lot of effort (not to mention stress on the rudder and rudder stock).
A few weeks back we had to cross Tampa Bay and were running with the waves during a small craft advisory and winds 30+ kts and 4+ foot swells. Often as I rounded a wave top, the boat would start broaching (even with pro-active counter steering), once it got a little off square with the wave, the wind would catch the boat. Now I was fighting two forces; the natural boat tendency to broach after a wave passes under, and the wind that once it catches, pushes the boat in the same direction as the broach as the wind has more force on the aft end (more wind force on the aft end of the boat). As my boat would start broaching to port, I would have to go hard over to starboard. Even with the hard over, I would still get the wave on my beam and it would take seconds for the boat to answer to the helm and straighten out. This was obviously creating a very rolly ride, and at one point my wife slid off the salon's couch to the floor.
The above was the worst its been, but its always a challenge running before the wind. I can't steer anything close to a straight track and must look by others to be a little 'under the influence'.
I've tried running at different rpm's and while some speeds are better than others, nothing stops the boat from wanting to wander.
Do any of you out there use your trim tabs to assist steering? (i.e., starboard tab down to help stop a port broach). I have tried this, and again, the boat is still a bear to steer.
Looking for input here, as the boat's tendency to so easily broach is a safety concern and at this point would be my #1 reason for wanting a different brand of boat, maybe with a longer and/or deeper keel, and larger rudder.
If we have to run in anything higher then 2' seas, my auto-pilot can't handle it and its a very arduous and concentrated time at the helm keeping the boat straight. It often requires lock-to-lock steering which is a lot of effort (not to mention stress on the rudder and rudder stock).
A few weeks back we had to cross Tampa Bay and were running with the waves during a small craft advisory and winds 30+ kts and 4+ foot swells. Often as I rounded a wave top, the boat would start broaching (even with pro-active counter steering), once it got a little off square with the wave, the wind would catch the boat. Now I was fighting two forces; the natural boat tendency to broach after a wave passes under, and the wind that once it catches, pushes the boat in the same direction as the broach as the wind has more force on the aft end (more wind force on the aft end of the boat). As my boat would start broaching to port, I would have to go hard over to starboard. Even with the hard over, I would still get the wave on my beam and it would take seconds for the boat to answer to the helm and straighten out. This was obviously creating a very rolly ride, and at one point my wife slid off the salon's couch to the floor.
The above was the worst its been, but its always a challenge running before the wind. I can't steer anything close to a straight track and must look by others to be a little 'under the influence'.
I've tried running at different rpm's and while some speeds are better than others, nothing stops the boat from wanting to wander.
Do any of you out there use your trim tabs to assist steering? (i.e., starboard tab down to help stop a port broach). I have tried this, and again, the boat is still a bear to steer.
Looking for input here, as the boat's tendency to so easily broach is a safety concern and at this point would be my #1 reason for wanting a different brand of boat, maybe with a longer and/or deeper keel, and larger rudder.