Best way to put the engines straight?

[NFA Avance 33]

I have a 33ft V bottom with twin 300x's with Marine Machine external steering and it has an adjustable tie bar. What is the best way to line up the motors straight back make sure they are not crooked a little to the left or to the right . I wanna make sure the motors are 100% straight to get 100% out of the props. Thanks

[DRHOBACK]

I take the props off and get another person to help hold tape measure. Measure center to center of propshaft and center to center of nose of lower unit, adjust the tie bar till they match. Torque under load affects them staying truly parallel though. Some one else here may have a rule of thumb to compensate for this. Something else would be to make sure they are vertical in relation to the bottom of the boat.
Danny

[ChrisXS2003]

Typically, the gearcases should be running either "toe-in" or "toe-out". Which way is dependant on the hull type, prop rotation, water flow to the props, etc. Parallel will most likely NOT yield the highest speeds.

Most guys turning the props "out", run toed out (Nose tips farther apart than the prop shaft tips). It negates the props' paddlewheel affect trying to pull the props out. The goal is to have the shafts running parallel at speed, not necessarily at rest.

Conversely, my twin engine Stoker turns the props out, but likes "toe in" between a 1/4 and 3/16 inches. It's because of the way the hull is feeding water to the props.

Check with other owners or the manufacturer....or experiment

Chris