inthedirtagain
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2011
- Messages
- 321
My family has learned to kneeboard over the last few years behind a variety of boats that I've brought home. Our current boat is a 1969 Silverline DeVille with the original Merc 1000 that we brought home with us while on vacation this summer. Its in great condition, tops out at around 36mph, and has been a reliable fishing/play boat of my grandparents since it was new. We spent about 2hrs on the water yesterday and my wife complained that it wasn't a very smooth ride while on the board. The wake produced by this boat is fat and rideable for an OB boat and provides a great "pop," although none of us are very good at kneeboarding yet.
When I was on the board, I noticed that the area immediately behind the boat and between the largest part of the wake (where we like to ride) has many surface irregularities that makes for a rough ride. Our previous boat was a much heavier Invader sterndrive (2100 lbs vs 1200 lbs) that had a smoother wake. That boat was wider and had a deeper draft compared to the Silverline. I know that the current prop is pretty chewed up and needs to be replaced, but would this contribute to the choppy ride on the board? The water didn't appear to be rough yesterday, nor was it windy. Would some sort of Whale-Tail help? I've noticed a bit of cavitation when entering turns, so I can only imagine that the ugly prop is causing some extra airation. The cavitation plate is about 1/2 in above the bottom of the boat, so I don't believe that raising or lowering the OB is going to make things better. Everything is set up correctly. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Just trying to get a smoother ride.
When I was on the board, I noticed that the area immediately behind the boat and between the largest part of the wake (where we like to ride) has many surface irregularities that makes for a rough ride. Our previous boat was a much heavier Invader sterndrive (2100 lbs vs 1200 lbs) that had a smoother wake. That boat was wider and had a deeper draft compared to the Silverline. I know that the current prop is pretty chewed up and needs to be replaced, but would this contribute to the choppy ride on the board? The water didn't appear to be rough yesterday, nor was it windy. Would some sort of Whale-Tail help? I've noticed a bit of cavitation when entering turns, so I can only imagine that the ugly prop is causing some extra airation. The cavitation plate is about 1/2 in above the bottom of the boat, so I don't believe that raising or lowering the OB is going to make things better. Everything is set up correctly. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Just trying to get a smoother ride.