Rookie Question.....Sorry

Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
11
Am sorry to ask this question but as a new beginner to this sport i would like somebody to explain in basic english what hole shot is? I have spent hours looking through all the topics on this forum to avoid asking what is probably really obvious. I have recently bought a 17ft power boat with a 115 mercury outboard and have been trying to take in any info on this site so i can begin to enjoy the technical side of boating but the answer to "what is hole shot?" has eluded me.... Many thanks for any answers you may provide
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 20, 2005
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14,544
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Good vibes Jason. Just about said it all.

Mark
 

JasonJ

Rear Admiral
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Aug 20, 2001
Messages
4,163
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Holeshot is the time it takes for the boat to go from a standstill to being on plane. On plane means when the boat is riding on top of the water. You cannot mistake this sensation. When you are sitting still, and wish to get going, you give it full throttle or at least 2/3rds throttle. this depends on how powerful the boat is. If it is a screaming bassboat for example, you could end up in trouble. If it is an average powered runabout, then you can give it full throttle. The front of the boat will come up, and as the boat starts running on top of the water, the front will come back down and you will run level.

At this point you can throttle back to a cruising speed. It is never wise to just drive around at full throttle all the time. It wastes gas. If you throttle back to about 2/3rds throttle, you save considerable gas and are still going a good speed. For a lot of boats, cruising speeds in the mid to high 20s can be the most efficient. Again this depends on the boat/motor combo. A bass boat might be most efficient at 50 mph whereas a runabout may be most efficient at 30. You have to experiment.

Holeshot is also affected by trim. For the quickest holeshot, you want to trim the drive all the way in, accelerate to planing speed, and trim the motor back out. Again, this takes experimenting. The easiest way to trim out for a certain speed is to trim out until you lose propeller bite (you can hear it, the rpms climb). Trim back in just enough for the prop to hook up. At this point the boat should be in an efficient running position with the least amount of drag. A good running position is when the rear 3rd of the boat is the only part touching the water. You have to just experiment. You can get a feel for it. Or you can just drive around on full throttle and burn gas....
 

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Yep. Good info Jason! That's why it's never a bad thing to ask questions....
 

ohknow

Recruit
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Aug 11, 2006
Messages
2
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

I believe that "hole shot" refers to starting from a dead stop to planed out. In other words, how fast your boat gets up on plane from a starting position. Not unlike a race car getting the "hole shot" on another by beating them off the line. I hope this is right, and I believe it is. Good luck!
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
11
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Jason Many thanks for your response. Am trying to gain as much of an understanding of this stuff as possible and youve set me on the right road,

Many thanks for having the time and patience to explain to a rookie.
 

swist

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
678
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Giving it full throttle may be hard on the passengers who just flew out of the rear seat into the water! It also wastes gas and stresses the engine. Of course the opposite also has problems, too little gas and you will lug the engine for a long time (thus stressing it even more) while it slowly climbs on plane (or refuses to).

The boat may also squat a lot and you will lose vision of the horizon if you give it full throttle from standstill.

All these things need to be taken into account before you decide that full throttle is the right strategy (it might be!).
 

ED21

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
Messages
828
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

I thought about it & full throttle hole shot it is.
Like I tell my passengers- ready? Hold on!
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,544
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Well, if you talk with the bassing dudes, having a good hole can mean the difference between you and someone else getting to your "honey hole" first. 8)

Getting the bow down can be a safety issue for long hole shots. Some boat mfgr's bend the gunwhale down at the bow to help improve the view......I personally dislike this (even though my current boat is done that way) because in rough water, I want all the boat in front of me I can get to keep it above the oncoming waves.

Mark
 

Jdeagro

iboats.com Partner
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
1,682
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

iainstevenson;

The explanations above are as good as you will get, and never be timid about asking questions.. I think all of the group on this forum would rather be answering your questions than hearing about some trouble you had.

Anyway, the origin for the term is "Hole Shot" comes from the typical attitude of a boat when accelerating from a very slow or stopped position. The bow rises during acceleration for a few reasons but mostly because air is less dense than water and the resistance is less. When the bow goes up the stern drops creating a hill (Hole) for the boat to climb. Once the speed increase to a point where the water pressure is sufficient to support the boat (ride on top of the water) the boat levels off.

For some additional information we have published a short booklet addressing some of these issues.

http://www.nauticusinc.com/tech_bulletin/nauticus_pdf_book.pdf

Full or 2/3 throttle acceleration is costly in terms of fuel consumption and engine wear, and it is not necessary.

Likewise, changing a prop to a lower pitch (like dropping down into second gear) is also inefficient and increases fuel consumption.
 

JasonJ

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 20, 2001
Messages
4,163
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

"Full or 2/3 throttle acceleration is costly in terms of fuel consumption and engine wear, and it is not necessary."

Which is very true if you happen to have a set of Smart Tabs...

For the rest of the tab-less world, getting the boat on top of the water in the least amount of time is what needs to be done. Lugging an engine part throttle and hoping it gets up on plane some day is the absolute hardest on an engine because it is not in its powerband, and it wastes a ton of fuel. The only way you are getting on top of the water is 2/3rds throttle or more, unless you have a 225 horse motor on a screaming bass boat hull. In this guys instance, he has a 115 horse 2 stroke on a 17 ft boat. He needs full throttle if he is carrying extra people and gear.

You have a product to sell, and that is fine, just be clear when you make a statement like the above quote. Otherwise you will have people out there destroying their 2 stroke motors as they lug the thing up on plane. Not everyone has Smart Tabs, as glorious as they are, nor does everyone want to spend the money/effort to have some. I myself would like a set because I know they work, I just keep forgetting to get them.... :(
 

Jdeagro

iboats.com Partner
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
1,682
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Jason J;
I was not trying to mislead anyone and am sorry if my statement was misleading. The link to the booklet on our site would explain things in more detail. It is not a issue of trying to sell one set of Smart Tabs as any Trim Tab system would be a solution to the necessity for 2/3 to full throttle acceleration.

Unfortunately most people do not know what they do or the benefits. It is especialy unfortunate with the Gas Prices at $3.00 per gallon.

Again, i did not mean to mislead anyone.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
11
Re: Rookie Question.....Sorry

Gentlemen Many thanks for the invaluable information.
This forum is probably one of the most usefull things i have managed to acheive in a long time.
many many thanks again
 
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