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With three adults on board, in order to get my boat to plane, at higher elevation reservoirs, I have found it necessary to have one adult move close to the bow of the boat. I first tried changing from a 17 pitch prop to a 15 pitch prop. That helped a little, but I still had the same issue. I next installed a Doel-Fin and that has solved the problem. The boat gets up on plane with everyone seated normally and an added bonus is that it saves substantially on the amount of fuel that the outboard uses.
[url "http://www.davisnet.com/marine/products/list_marine.asp?grp=m18-2"]Link[/url]
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I have one of those things on my motor. Looking at new prop myself.
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Kent, I have that exact same problem and, like you, to get up on plane in reasonable time, I have to have the third person go up front. I may just have to invest in one of those fins. I am concerned that I probably just don't have enough horse power period an that a fin might not really help.
I wonder if one would fit my 50 hp Evinrude E-tec.
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I have it on a 65 HP merc. I have two props. A two blade and three blade. I get worse performance from the three blade.
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What H.P. motor is your boat rated for Coot? In order for it to perform, even with a Doel Fin, it should have 80% or more of the rated H.P. It also depends on how many pounds you boat is rated to carry. If you're overloading the boat then it will only be marginally helpful.
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If your outboard has a cavitation plate it should fit just fine. Interestingly, it only comes in one size and is designed for 8 horse on up. I have it on a 150 HP Mercury. If your boat will plane by moving weight forward it should plane much easier with a Doel-Fin. It also increases the stability of the boat. If you get one I bet you will wish that you would have gotten one many moons ago.
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When I got my current boat, it appeared to have the holes for this product, I guess the previous owner removed it to install on his new boat. Does your Doel-Fin attach with four bolts, two on each side?
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There are many fins out there. Yes, it installs with two bolts on each side and they are 2 3/8" center-to-center between the bolts on each side.
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Running in choppy/rough water the ride will be rougher and your turning radius will decrease/you have to mess with the trim more when making turns while up on plane. A couple downsides. (SE Sport 300 hydrofoil.)
On my Merc 115 4 stroke/Tracker 175WT and the oem aluminum prop that came on it the advantages was worth it (quicker on plane and a pinch better top speed). Switched to a SS prop and no benefit noticed. Only downsides. This is at 1000ft of elevation on Lake Mead. I might put it back on next time I am on Utah waters. I had a hard time getting on plane the last time at Strawberry with the rear livewell full of water. I always did but it took a maaaany football fields worth of distance to get on plane.
Tom
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Tom, any idea why you had to mess with the trim more, when making turns, while up on plane?
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Nope. I suppose less lower motor in the water biting in?
With a hydrofoil my boat has always been trim "sensitive". There is the spot and that is it. Different prop sizes and material types with and without a hydrofoil, more weight or not in the boat each has it's own thing. Something to feel and sort out. Some cases the hydrofoil adds to the overall performance and is worth it and other cases it takes away and isn't.
Regardless if one gains advantages (quicker to get up on plane) or not some characteristics are always present on my boat. Not as smooth of a ride in waves and turning is extra work/not as "fun". Normal big turns is nothing running down the lake. Bigger turns at full speed is when I have to start really trimming down to avoid the motor blowing out and revving.
Tom
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What brand name did you buy? Do you think brand name can make a difference? I'm guessing there are slight differences in style between brand names.
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SE Sport 300 series.
I am sure each there own on performance. So many variables. It is really a mix between it, the prop and boat weight. Change any one of those things and one or both of the other might need to be changed too.
[url "http://www.basspro.com/SE-Sport-High-Performance-Hydrofoil/product/1103/"]http://www.basspro.com/...rofoil/product/1103/[/url]
![[Image: TrackerV175WT142.jpg]](http://outlawrc.com/stuff/fishing/TrackerV175WT142.jpg)
Tom
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Part of the problem is that when the motor is mounted, they put it right down on the transom. I have the same problem with my Skeeter 1850. That is why hydrolic jack plates are so popular now. They allow you to raise and lower the motor to get up on plane. You can also use an manually adjustable plate, just more problems. The jack plate also gives you 3-6 inches of set back on the transom, which also helps with performance. Only problem with jack plates is they start at about 300 for a manual one to over a 1000 for the hydrolic ones. The fin is a cheaper solution.
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Hey Curtis,
You mentioned on another thread that you purchased a fin. Which one did you buy and how is it working out for you?
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Maybe I spoke too quick because I've only had it out once since I put it on and it was at a wakeless lake, so it wasn't the best lake to test it on. I got the one that you gave a link to above.
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That is the one that Lee of Lee's Marine recommends. Please come back and post again after testing it out further.
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I put an original Dol fin on my 16' aluminum with a 40 hp tiller in 1984 and it has made a huge difference at sea level and seems even better at 6000' .With the boat loaded and the bow high it has more angle and more lift so the trim makes a lot of difference. Too much trim and it will pull the motor down but good for wake boarding. Once I accidently pushed the tiller quickly to one side and slid my sister very fast across the boat seat but it felt very stable but scary as it turned 90 degrees.
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