Do these work???

[JB25VIP]

I was at academy the other day and came across these stabalizers to go on your outdrive. It says they are suppose to help plane faster, stop bow rise, etc. I was wondering, does anyone have one, or know if they work???

I got to thinking........if they worked well, i would see a whole lot more on boats, so i was pretty skeptical.

Thanks guys.

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/marine/outboard_accessories&start=12&selectedSKU=0148-01758-0006

 

[QC]

Re: Do these work???

There are some applications, particularly very small planing hulls, that seem to respond favorably. The consensus here, however, is that trim tabs serve the purpose much better and safer. AV Plate mounted Hydrofoils can introduce some potentially dangerous handling characteristics and also put stresses on the drive or OB that were not intended or designed for.

For trim tabs, there are passive types like Smart Tabs and active, helm adjustable types like Bennett's. Both are very effective at reducing time to plane, lowering planing speed and in some cases even increasing top speed. If anything they make a v-hull much more stable and potentially safer to operate.

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: Do these work???

I bought a used Stratos with a 115hp Johnson that came with one of those things. It was not attached to the motor but just placed in the boat from the previous owner.

I too wondered if it would help me get on plane faster, etc. I installed it and it seemed to drag me down a little bit. I really didn't observe any positives from it so I removed it like the original owner did.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Do these work???

they usually cause more problems than they cure. i had several sets in my shed. trash man has them now.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Do these work???

I think they look ugly......

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Do these work???

They will push the boat up on plane faster, at a lower speed but they put a lot of added strain on the outdrive and transom which was not meant to hold such weight. They also can drastically affect the boats handling, usually in a negative way.
The few boats I've driven with them had issues on hard turns with the outdrve catching the water hard and either creating a roll effect or a sudden stop as the boat is taking a hard banking turn.

I've got a barrel of them outback, the first thing I do is remove them.
If you need help getting on plane, look into a pair of smart tabs.

(Those fins will also scrub off several MPH from you top end).

 

[JB25VIP]

Re: Do these work???

thanks for the info guys, i'll prolly save my 150 bucks

 

[ArkBoater]

Re: Do these work???

All this talk has got me to thinking, would these fins cause the boat to be harder to steer? My boat had/has a fin on it now from the previous owner and I haven't taken it off and the steering is pretty hard to the right. Would this fin affect that? Think it would steer easier if I took it off? I hadn?t even though about the fin being the problem till I saw this thread. Thanks guys!

A little added info. The boat is an 88 with a 3.0l I/O mercruiser.

 

[QC]

Re: Do these work???

ArkBoater, your problem could be associated with the hydrofoil, but also could be a simple steering trim tab adjustment. Without power steering the forces on the steering system can be pretty strong.

You should repost this as your own thread in the Mercruiser section. If you do a search over there you'll even find a diagram on how to adjust the little vertical tab . . .

 

[ArkBoater]

Re: Do these work???

ArkBoater, your problem could be associated with the hydrofoil, but also could be a simple steering trim tab adjustment. Without power steering the forces on the steering system can be pretty strong.

You should repost this as your own thread in the Mercruiser section. If you do a search over there you'll even find a diagram on how to adjust the little vertical tab . . .

Thanks QC. But I've already adjusted the tab and it didn't help at all. Also already greased the cable in the tube. No help either. I'm about to the point that I think I need a new cable. Tracks straight, steers fine to the left but hard as heck to steer to the right! (See the "Steering Issues" post a couple below this one. I'm having the same issue.)

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do these work???

Set up correctly they can possibly help, set up incorrectly and you become a "fin hater". On an O/B you can do some adjusting to fine tune it, on an I/O there isn't much you can do to make it work right, so you have to live the negative aspects if they appear. Tabs do a better job of fixing most issues that people try to fix with a fin because tabs and fins are designed to do much different things.

 

[Jello Shot]

Re: Do these work???

What are "Smart Tabs"?

 

[grego]

Re: Do these work???

imho. fins on lower end help get on plane faster. trim tabs only help to take you in direction you want to go when you get on plane ,as far as faster on plane? with trim tabs NO WAY!,you must have much more rpms and bigger engine to get on plane with two "brakes" holding you back. Put the fins on lower end, You will be happier!!!

 

[LOW-LIFE]

Re: Do these work???

my boat has a fin and that sucker will get on a plain with the quickness, it drives well at "idle" speeds with not to much wander, and even handles well at full throttle when being trimmed out.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: Do these work???

"smart tabs" improved my boats handling. They are just hinged plastic flaps with shocks on them. They mount to the bottom outer edges of the transom. An adjustment for can be made by moving the shock mount angle. At low speeds the water pressure pushes the boat up on plane faster. At higher speed they lay flat and don't 'brake' really at all. In turns they compensate, carving smoothly, and coming out lay the the hull nicely flat and on it's way. In chop they do tend to brake a little but it smooths out the ride as they do so.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Do these work???

imho. fins on lower end help get on plane faster.

I don't think anybody will argue this one.

trim tabs only help to take you in direction you want to go when you get on plane

Do you understand what a trim tab does? They are certainly not used to steer.

as far as faster on plane? with trim tabs NO WAY!,you must have much more rpms and bigger engine to get on plane with two "brakes" holding you back.

Again, I am assuming you have no ida how trim tabs work. When transitioning from displacement speeds to planing speeds a boat pushes water in front of it that it must "climb" up and over. The bow is light and has no problem lifting. The stern with all the extra weight of the engine, drive etc. tends to squat and you literally have to power OVER the bow wave. The heavier the stern, or higher the deadrise angle, the more pornounced this problem is, and the more power that is required to get on plane. Trim tabs work similar to the flaps on an airplane. The provide additional lift, but they also increase drag. At low speeds the lift is more important than a little "inefficiency". However, they MUST be retracted after planing or they will become brakes and introduce some same handling traits that plague "fins".

When retracted to a poiunt where they are even with the bottom of the hull, tabs offer the added benefit of extending the running surface. Some boats respond very favorably to this, lifting slightly higher out of the water and allowing a higher top speed.

Put the fins on lower end, You will be happier!!!

Only if you don't know what you are missing.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Do these work???

and even handles well at full throttle when being trimmed out.

Define "handles well". What happens if you throw the wheel hard over at higher speeds?

 

[bpmcl00]

Re: Do these work???

iv got a stingray hydrofoil, not the one pictured, mines plain black. it was put on by the previous owner. i can deff say that my boat plane
s quick though

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Do these work???

Bass boats seem to benefit from a 'foil, since the bassin guys tend to put way to much prop on their boats and can't get out of the hole without help

My fishing buddy's 18' Nitro will do over 60 mph once he gets it going but my ol' MFG will be on plane at 30-ish mph and well ahead of him by the time I hear him stop feathering the throttle when the prop stops cavitating long enough to get him on plane. THEN he trims it and passes me!

He almost can't plane the boat with the prop he has on there without the hydrofoil. So I wouldn't call them completely useless. Although I likely will never own a bass boat- and I think hydrofoils are ugly too

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Do these work???

Bass boats seem to benefit from a 'foil, since the bassin guys tend to put way to much prop on their boats and can't get out of the hole without help

My fishing buddy's 18' Nitro will do over 60 mph once he gets it going but my ol' MFG will be on plane at 30-ish mph and well ahead of him by the time I hear him stop feathering the throttle when the prop stops cavitating long enough to get him on plane. THEN he trims it and passes me!

He almost can't plane the boat with the prop he has on there without the hydrofoil. So I wouldn't call them completely useless. Although I likely will never own a bass boat- and I think hydrofoils are ugly too

Sounds like he doesn't use his tilt n' trim well when he's blasting off. The motor should be tilted as far in as it will go at idle speed, then when full throttle is hit, he should be tilting it up as he moves along, climbing over the bow wave quickly. My 17' bass 'n' ski boat with 150hp Mariner would get on plane in 2 or 3 seconds and hit 72mph with just me aboard and 68mph with a passenger. That boat did NOT have a fin.

As for hitting hard over at speed... I've been driving boats for several decades and have NEVER had an occasion to do such a thing. The only time I was in a boat when that was done was when I was a teenager and my sister's boyfriend was showing off with his runabout. He thought it was really cool, right up until the passenger seat (with me in it) came loose and fell on top of him. Of course, he was an idiot.

I don't drive a car at high speed and hit it "hard over" just to see what happens and don't expect to do such a thing while boating either. YMMV.

-BWR