2013 Chaparral SSi Owner’s Manual
Chaparral Boats, Inc.
Nashville, GA
chaparralboats.com
5-10
Steering Your Boat
Watch the stern when you turn!
Steering a boat can be compared to
driving a car on slippery or icy pavement. Be cautious always. When you
turn the wheel, the stern responds fi rst by swinging out in the opposite
direction of the bow. When you are trying to avoid an object in the water,
this swing could turn out to be critical.
Always give yourself plenty of room to make a turn. You also should slow
the speed of your boat while turning. Never make sharp, fast turns as this
could cause loss of control. Remember that your passengers should be
seated whenever you’re underway.
Trimming Your Boat
Trim refers to the way a boat fl oats on the water. Your boat will work best
when it is trimmed to run at an angle between 3 to 5 degrees to the water.
You can trim your boat by shifting gear or passengers or, if your boat is so
equipped, by adjusting the drive unit angle or the trim tabs.
Power Trim
The operator can adjust his craft to the ideal boat angle for load and
water conditions by trimming the drive unit (Figure 5.3). The power trim
system allows the operator to adjust the drive angle while underway by
changing the angle of the outdrive in relation to the boat’s transom. It also
allows the operator to raise and lower the drive for trailering, beaching,
launching, or operating in shallow water.
Note: Refer to your engine owner’s manual regarding the operation
of the power trim controls installed on your boat.
Drive Angle
The drive angle of the boat is the relationship between propeller thrust
to the planing surface of the hull’s bottom. You can improve the perfor-
mance of the same boat under varying conditions by adjusting the drive
angle.
Moving the drive unit angle towards its innermost adjustment brings the
propeller in as close as possible to the transom. The angle of the propel-
ler causes an upward thrust which pushes the boat’s bow downward as
shown on Figure 5.3.
By gradually shifting the drive unit from its innermost adjustment towards
the outermost adjustment, the propeller thrust pushes in a downward mo-
tion. This motion, as shown in Figure 5.3, tends to lift the bow.
CAUTION:
Never trim drive unit up and out using TRAILER
switch while boat is underway. Use extreme caution when oper-
ating with drive unit raised. Severe damage to drive unit may
result if unit is raised beyond the gimbal ring support flanges at
engine speeds above 1200 RPM.
CORRECT
G
i
ves
m
ax
im
u
m
perfor
m
ance
INCORRECT
Causes boat to "plow"
INCORRECT
Causes boat to "porpo
i
se"
Figure 5.3 Trimming the Drive Angle
