98 Sportster with wedge difficulty turning left

[Aromeo]

Hey people,

New boat owner here. I bought a 98 sportster with only 350 hours on it and everything ran pretty much perfect all summer long. Had a mechanic check it out before buying it and he said the engine is in great condition and that I should be able to get at least 1000 hours out of it. The only thing issue with the boat is with the wedge down it is really hard to turn left. Is that normal with the wedge?

Thanks

Edited October 4, 2023 by Aromeo

[GaleK]

Hard as in the steering wheel is hard to turn, or the boat just won't go left?

[Aromeo]

2 minutes ago, GaleK said:

Hard as in the steering wheel is hard to turn, or the boat just won't go left?

Hard to turn the wheel. Turning the wheel right is no issue, turning the wheel left requires a lot more effort. However with the wedge up there is no difference between left and right steering.

[Woodski]

Check the amount of play or slop in the rudder.  Sloppy rudder bushings can allow the rudder to bind.  Might also just need some grease.