Vibration and noise coming from steering wheel when I accelerate hard from a dead....
 

So when I'm pulling someone I get a wicked vib and knocking noise coming from the steering. You can feel it in the wheel. It lasts about 5 seconds, then goes away. Only happens when I come out of a dead stop with hard acceleration. And the boat pulls hard right when you let to of the wheel... Any ideas??

What type of boat?

Sounds like you either hit something (probably a bent the prop) or have something wrapped around the prop and shaft. Out here in FL even getting weeds wrapped around the prop can make the steering column feel like it's vibrating and shaking. Check your prop and shaft.

Sounds like a dinged prop.

I was thinking also a possible rudder issue, since he said its pulling hard to the right. I assume he means pulling harder than usual. They all pull some.

I get that too when I am heavily weighted. I always associated it with the rudder if you are feeling it in the steering wheel, but I am a bit curious too.

A dinged prop will cause some cavitation. Depending on the boat, it will manifest itself in the steering wheel, in the tower, in the seat, on the dash - something's going to start shaking. The pulling issue is odd. Maybe whatever dinged the prop messed up the adjustment fin on the rudder. It doesn't take much to make a boat pull one way or another. If you have them, check the tracking fins too to make sure they are still in allignment.

It is caused by cavitation. The boat pulls hard right because the rudder has not ben tuned properly. You can reduce the vibration by making sure the rudder is straight before you accelerate

Harold has the answer.

Rudder shudder. What kind of boat is it? Some have adjustable rudders that you can do easily yourself.

I hate to jump to any conclusions. Like Chris and myself said...what kind of boat is it. We are assuming its an inboard. Another thing that would be helpful to know to me is has it always been this way or is this something that just started. If it just started I doubt its just tuning, a rudder doesn't simply fall out of tune. So if it was fine and now its not I would think the reason is what we need to know. IE..added new ballast to the boat, struck the prop, fins, rudder etc.

Boat usually doesn't just start shaking one day when it was fine yesterday for no reason is all I'm saying.

He is talking about vibration feedback through the steering cable to the wheel. This is common in wake boats after the cable has some hours on it. It is caused by cavitation during acceleration when the rudder is not straight. The boat pulling to the right is also common in LH rotation boats lots of builders don't take the time to tune the rudder. No need to make it complicated two different issues in the same steering system

on my rudder there is a small plate, the the middle of the rudder, that you can adjust with an alan wrench. I was getting rudder shudder at high speed on turns, and occasional shudder when starting into a turn. I adjusted the plate and no more shudder on the steering wheel

It's a 2000 Moomba Kamberra with 245 hours on it. It has done it since we bought the boat in April. I've never hit anything with the prop or beached the boat. I will crawl under and check the prop out closer today but I've never noticed any damage to it or the rudder. Idk how hard the boat is supposed to pull to the right (yall say this is common) but when I let go of the wheel at crusing speeds it automatically pulls right and tracks right at a pretty good angle. It does it (vib and pulls) with or without any ballast in the boat. And it does seem like the vib is coming from the housing where the cables run to the steering wheel.

It does seem to go away/not be so bad when the rudder is perfectly straight also... Could this just be a feeling of water being forced against the rudder when it's at an angle?

Are you sure the propeller nut is tight? I had a similar vibration out of the hole, especially when turning port (I think) at start up. Never could figure it out and just lived with it a couple of years. Then one day I changed the prop. The old one was loose just a very little bit. Unscrewed the nut and pulled it off by hand. Put the new prop on, tightened it up snug and the vibration completely went away. I felt like an idiot not figuring it out sooner.

Crank you prop nut one more notch (or two) on the cotter pin and see if that does it.

Yea I'm gonna crawl under there when I get off work and check out the rudder and prop real good.

Should the prop have any kind of play in it on the shaft? Played with it yesterday and with no load it doesn't do it. With a load (pulling someone) it doesn't do it but just a tiny amount if the wheel is straight.