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Steering issues

This has nothing to do with Bennington, this is servicing dealer issue. Like a lot of shops these days, they have young kids working for them and they let them do the easy stuff. That was me 50 years ago at our local Evinrude dealer which is where I learned about how to set a trim tab. We were still working on boats that still had the pulleys and cable systems. I remember once, I had respooled the cable drum under the dash backwards and when turned the motor to port it turned to starboard! The boat never left the shop that way (thank the lord) but I remember the 20 minutes of getting my butt reamed for that mistake...That's how you learn!!!
 
Honestly, I would take it to another Bennington dealer and ask them to troubleshoot. Or if there isn't a close by dealer for Bennington, take it to another Yamaha boat dealer. If Bennington agrees with there assessment, they will cover costs. But a 2nd opinion with experience with a Yamaha setup will be fine.
 
Problem has been solved and the boat steers like a dream ( Like it had for my first two years.) Bennington had gone above and beyond in everything they did. I was just simply caught in the middle, knowing their was a serious issue that was not normal in any way.
I actually drove around and took pictures of other Yamaha 90 hp engines from another dealerships with Rotary steering and then went into the dealership where I bought the boat. I showed them all the pictures with the tab in a totally different position and they were still insisting that the reason my tab was in that position was to try and correct the steering problem. I even asked them to bring a tech out so I could ask him that with the tab in that position, which direction would it make the boat turn. He said it would make it go to port ( left ) and they all once again said it was because of the rotary steering I had. I was LIVID. I finally said if they came to my boat, put the tab back to a 12:30-1:00 position and we went out on the water and if it did not fix the issue I would buy the upgraded helm. To their surprise, it fixed the issue and my boat was back to normal. Thank goodness! So glad to have my boat back and be able to enjoy it again AND finally feel like I wasn't a crazy woman. Thank you to everyone who helped me here on this forum and a huge shout out to Bennington. I am a customer for life.
 
Fantastic that it is fixed. Good job sticking with it and so sorry that you had to go through everything. Hopefully the dealer learned and takes care of you somehow.
 
A lot of talk before final resolution. On the first sentence of my first reply I asked “Does the symptom change when you change the trim angle of the motor? If so the steering trim tab might have been maladjusted during your last service”. A answer to that early question could have led to a quick resolution. I am curious why you took it in for service after which you noted the problem.
 
Wow..
DVW we apologize for not recognizing your initial response and an attempt to provide a solution to the steering issue. This will be the third time you have mentioned this. I just wanted to make sure you receive the accolades you deserve.
 
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DVW said:
A lot of talk before final resolution. On the first sentence of my first reply I asked “Does the symptom change when you change the trim angle of the motor? If so the steering trim tab might have been maladjusted during your last service”. A answer to that early question could have led to a quick resolution. I am curious why you took it in for service after which you noted the problem.
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DVW - I had heard what you had asked, but without taking the boat out again to specifically answer your question, I had no confirmed answer. I believed to the best of my memory, no matter which level I set the trim, the boat was still veering heavily to starboard. Of course at a lower spped it was not near the issue as once you hit 3/4 to full throttle. And then after hearing the advise from so many on this forum ,I felt firm it was most likely the misadjustment of the trim tab. But as I am no mechanic (and I did not want to do anything that could be used against me in the future and possibly void a warranty), it became a matter of convincing the dealer to do something other than their constant answer that I needed a new upgraded helm package. I am gratetful it was finally resolved - mostly due to the help in this forum. I am also grateful for your input- I was listening to you ... you may just not realize it. I was going to tell you the full story to answer your last question, but I get the feeling it would be too much "talk". Happy Boating - Phyllis
 
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