Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › 2010 Bass Cat Pantera II Steering messed up!
clownshoes.
Let me start this by saying I have owned my fare share of boats, the last 3 has been a 2005 Cougar FTD, 2007 Pantera II, and now a 2010 Pantera II. (so I know when I feel something is wrong) Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that while running and you hit a wave just right the bow will turn right without moving the wheel. Like it is catching a wave and forcing the boat right. When this happenens the steering feels very loose. Almost like it is loosing pressure. VERY DANGEROUS! I am not going that fast when it happens though (because of the boat wakes), maybe 50 MPH. After you regain control the pressure seem to be fine again in the steering. At first I thought I was “blowing out” not sure if I have ever experience that before…. but my Detwiller is set around 1 or 2. (I running the motor low) so I did not think that would be an option. So of course I thought I might be low on fluid or air in my hydraulic lines. I had my mechanic bleed the lines with this machine and I thought everything would be fine. Well during the fishing tournament tonight, it did the same thing only worse. What the heck is going on. My mechanic fishes the tournaments with us and he looked at it again after the tourny and said maybe it has something to do with the helm. He thinks everything at the motor side is fine….. Please help, I know Sherm would look at it but he is 4 hrs away….. Can I talk to someone at the factory. What number and who. Thanks a bunch. I have a tournament next week.
Rick is supposed to be out tomorrow, though contact Stuart and not Service. Service is not going to be able to act on this. Only start the process. This one needs Stuarts input and he works directly under Rick. Stuart will coordinate with Bobby and then they will start a process to figure out if it is helm or something else. Simon and Pete are good for most things, though this one is out of their league. They will need to know where you are located and your schedule also. BCB Admin.
What motor? I assume merc?Where is OT57?To me I cant imagine that youre shaking anything mechanical/hydraulic in the steering components as they are well away from any contact with a wave. Cant imagine anything on my detweiler that touches much and then recovers- I assume the knob would move if the plate moved? I know my needle would- if the motor dipped significantly and then recovered. To me if its a reversible situation something is moving and then moving back to position or some sort of wave turbulence is generated that gets you loose(too much air around prop? air in steering?) and your boat of course leans right because you are on that side? If it grips in that position it gets ugly fast.Now I have a totally different boat- puma ftd with 250. But I know that when I run my plate low the steering gets way too loose for my liking at speed and if I got it loose enough with an angled wave I would assume the lower unit would lose grip and the boat would lean right no matter what I did. That nose hit the water at more than a few degrees off and its nose hook time depending on how big a boy you are. My lower unit aint big with an evinrude and its easy to do particularly with a shorter diameter prop like a fury is. A buddy of mine that is a former boat racer simply doesnt like the fury for that reason. But thats boat racers not bass fishermen- I have come close once running down the river 72 or so with the plate too low after running through boat traffic waves in a tournament. got lucky and it landed without biting.Man I gotta believe its a prop jackplate setup position that gets you loose when you dont expect it. Be interested to hear the answer from the man on this one. Last edited by clownshoes on July 22nd, 2010, 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.C.O.D. Jr. III
My bet is its the prop and youre either trimmed too high or the engine is too high on the jack plate. The prop is coming out of the water and the re-entry is forcing the transom left. Speed has nothing to do with the prop coming out of the water. Though, the faster youre going the more dangerous it could be. Ive done it with mine several times using a Fury just playing around with heights. That prop likes needs to be low. I doubt its the steering and I doubt its the plate. Not much left other that set up……………prop and engine height!
I have talked back and forth with bass cat today and they feel it is my driving. It has done it with 3 different props. I will rule that out. I feel something is wrong with the hull or the hydraulic steering. From what I read on the internet it seems like it is blowing out. That should just not be possible with this boat and at that speed. I cant imagine it is my driving, trim, or engine height. I have too much experience behind the wheel for that to happen, plus I have had a pantera II for 4 years. I have only have had this one for six months…. but it is a new problem. And yes the prop height that I am running at is correct. (did extensive measuring to make sure)Well it sucks (because of the drive) but I am taking the boat to sherms and we are going to drive this dang thing and figure it out. I dont even want to be in the boat when this happens… It is scary. The problem is I dont want to try to duplicate the issue…. At least on the water… Sherm said he is not scared though . I will leave the driving up to him.Well, I will keep you posted. If it is my fault I will admit it… Im not that stubborn. Last edited by badhabitfishing on July 23rd, 2010, 1:25 am, edited 3 times in total.
Hope you get it figured out and be careful! Let us know the results!
We understand that this could be the driving, though we do think another hand on the throttle is the answer to what is up. We spoke to Stuart today and he had already spoken to you and he informed us he had passed it on to another person. Hopefully Sherm can get us the answer. BCB Admin.
There isnt any fault to it man- I figure theres only something new to learn here for all of us-C.O.D. Jr. III
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