COMMUTER OFF COURSE DUE NOT FLYING TO INTXN PRIOR TO TURNING TO AIRWAY AS INDICATED ON CDI.

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IT WAS MY LEG TO FLY ON FLT FROM BWI TO BDR; CT. TAXI AND TKOF PROCEEDED NORMALLY. TOOK OFF RWY 33R; TURNED R AND CLBED. WE WERE THEN CLRED RNAV DIRECT TO PALEO INTXN; ON COURSE; UP TO 17000 FT MSL. WINDS ALOFT WERE STRONG OUT OF THE SW. BOTH THE CAPT'S AND MY VOR WERE DIALED FOR THE SEA ISLE 276 DEG RADIAL. AT 1 POINT; I WAS FINE-TUNING THE PWR SETTINGS AND BRIEFLY TURNED 10-15 DEGS L OF LEADING (160 DEGS). THE CAPT RECOGNIZED THIS AND TOLD ME TO CORRECT TO THE R; WHICH I DID. WE WERE IN AND OUT OF IT BUT MOSTLY IMC AND THE TEMP WAS BELOW 0 DEGS C. EACH OF US WAS WONDERING IF ANY ICE MIGHT BE BUILDING UP ON THE LORAN ANTENNA THUS AFFECTING RECEPTION. AT ABOUT 4.2 DME FROM PALEO; THE CAPT ANNOUNCED HIS COURSE ALIVE AND CTRED. MY SIDE INDICATED SAME. I TURNED L TO FLY EBOUND V44 TO SEA ISLE. PLTS IN THE NE KNOW SEA ISLE TO BE 'GIGEY;' BUT AT ABOUT 12000 FT WE EACH THOUGHT IT TO BE DEPENDABLE. THE CAPT THEN TOOK A MOMENT TO REPROGRAM THE LORAN TO SEA ISLE. AT THIS POINT; THE CTLR QUERIED US FOR OUR DISTANCE FROM PALEO AND ASSIGNED US A 160 DEG HDG. WE COMPLIED. HE ADMONISHED US THAT WE WERE 5-5 1/2 MI N OF PALEO AND HE REALLY NEEDED US TO FLY OUR ASSIGNED RTE TO AVOID SWANN INTXN. WE STATED THAT OUR LORAN NEVER SHOWED US TO BE MORE THAN ABOUT 4 1/2 MI FROM PALEO BUT SINCE V44 WAS CTRED WE WERE FLYING THAT EBOUND. CORRECTIVE ACTION: SHOULD NOT HAVE SPENT SO MUCH ATTN FINESSING THE PWR LEVERS WITHOUT SCANNING BACK TO MY HDG. SHOULD HAVE FLOWN THE LORAN LONGER BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO THE VOR CDI. THIS IS MY FIRST JOB EVER AS PART OF A 2 PLT CREW AND UTILIZING LORAN ON IFR FLTS. I AGREE WITH THE CAPT'S LATER COMMENTS THAT I NEED TO REMEMBER ON MY LEG THAT THE FIRST PRIORITY IS TO PRECISELY FLY THE AIRPLANE. I SHOULDN'T BE BASHFUL TO ASK HIM TO DO SOME COCKPIT TASK. WINDS ALOFT FROM SW EXACERBATED THE SITUATION. WONDER WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME SEA ISLE VOR HAS BEEN INSPECTED FOR TOLERANCE VARIATION? I NEED TO KNOW THAT THE LORAN CAN BE TRUSTED.