09-19-2011, 02:10 PM
Well, i'm not necessarily going to disagree with Greg and Jim, but humbly say it depends; in regards to the hydro foil helping you get on plane. It's definately not going to make it worse. I think it really depends on the boat. On a smaller, lighter boat, they will definately help the boat jump on plane quicker. On your application, i'm not so sure. Since it's a tad bit older boat, it's probably pretty heavy, so it's hard to say.
Like already mentioned, i'd get the boat set up with the appropriate prop, as that will make a huge difference in performance. Also, just out of curiosity, what size motor is that boat rated for?
The tabs will definately fix the issue, but I think that's over kill. I don't bass fish, and have never had an actual bass boat, but I don't see the point of tabs on a bass boat, honestly. I've always had them on my saltwater boats, but never had a need on a freshwater rig. If your boat is powered properly(not too big/heavy of a motor), and has the right prop on it, it should be jumping on plane fine.
My buddy has a 21' Hydrasport Center Console we fish out of regularly. Well, he repowered the boat with a newer Yamaha 200 4 stroke. The boat is rated for a 200 hp motor, but 2 stroke. The 4 stroke is bigger and heavier, and causes the boat to drift pretty bad at low speeds (making live bait trolling a complete pill), handles rough seas poorly(because the motor drags the back of the boat down into the swell), and makes the boat difficult to get on plane at times, depending on weight distribution. This is with the appropriate prop and tabs. He has a buddy with the same boat, but a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. It's like a totally different boat. Handles the seas 10X better, gets better fuel mileage, it's faster and jumps on plane easily, and it tracks beautifully at low RPM's.
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Like already mentioned, i'd get the boat set up with the appropriate prop, as that will make a huge difference in performance. Also, just out of curiosity, what size motor is that boat rated for?
The tabs will definately fix the issue, but I think that's over kill. I don't bass fish, and have never had an actual bass boat, but I don't see the point of tabs on a bass boat, honestly. I've always had them on my saltwater boats, but never had a need on a freshwater rig. If your boat is powered properly(not too big/heavy of a motor), and has the right prop on it, it should be jumping on plane fine.
My buddy has a 21' Hydrasport Center Console we fish out of regularly. Well, he repowered the boat with a newer Yamaha 200 4 stroke. The boat is rated for a 200 hp motor, but 2 stroke. The 4 stroke is bigger and heavier, and causes the boat to drift pretty bad at low speeds (making live bait trolling a complete pill), handles rough seas poorly(because the motor drags the back of the boat down into the swell), and makes the boat difficult to get on plane at times, depending on weight distribution. This is with the appropriate prop and tabs. He has a buddy with the same boat, but a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. It's like a totally different boat. Handles the seas 10X better, gets better fuel mileage, it's faster and jumps on plane easily, and it tracks beautifully at low RPM's.
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