Question about the "pad" on a bass boat

What exactly is it. I've heard the term used often but dont know the definition. Thanks, Rudy.

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If your keel does not run all the way to the transom, instead spreads out in a small horizontal flat surface just at the transom, that flat surface is the "pad".

Kelly Cook

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And the purpose is to reduce the wetted area which is proportional to how much power you need to move your weight at whatever the speed.

I just don't know why everyone building deep V's don't pad the hull. You see it over and over, here is this V going all the way to the transom, which just settles down in the water, and if they would just flatten that out and make a pad out of it, how much more performance and fuel efficiency their customers would realize.

My 2c

Mark

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Ok, that makes sense guys. I do have a pad on my hull. Thats why when I trim out I can gain 500 rpm's. Thanks for the explanation. Rudy.

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The pad doesent work well for us who have the misfortune of running in rough water 95 % of the time


Tommays

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I do prefer a pad myself. But in fairness there are a couple of downsides. The pad hardens the ride (very slightly I think). And the pad makes the boat more trim sensitive. Which is not a plus for novice boaters.

Some designs have a compromise of sorts, which is a "keel pad". Instead of the pad surface being limited to the area near the keel it is run up to about where the keel curves up to the bow. In effect a flat bottom keel. Does make for a very long, slim pad.

Kelly

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The reason you don't see pads on a lot of V hull boats is most of them are underpowered/overweight for the purposes of the pad. Bass boats are light for the amount of power, and can actually go fast enough to take advantage of the pad. The other factor is the average boater does not want to go on a 70 mph white knuckle terror ride with the wife and kids while he is trying to figure out how to correct for chinewalk. Pad bottom boats suck for relaxed family boating, plus like has already been said, the pad can reduce comfort slightly.

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the average boater does not want to go on a 70 mph white knuckle terror ride with the wife and kids

Click to expand...

Define "average"

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Lots of good info here and I appreciate the rough water running. Hear you on the lard arses without enough hp.

Having had both and running large Texas lakes where wind normally runs 15-25 mph, I found that my padded ranger was the smoothest (and driest) riding of all. It happened to be a fairly deep V (Ranger Fisherman) with the pad. The deep V and pad combination, along with trim that I could push out allowed me to set the boat right at planing speed and take on the big babies giving me tremendous freeboard forward for a boat that small.

Or if waves were only a couple of feet, I'd punch her out and get on top; still very soft ride if you kept your speed up, a little stern settling between peaks and baby life is good.

On the speed thing, I was the most conservative driver of the family. The wife and kids had 2 speeds: Off and WOT :% .

Mark

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Studly, I'll put it to you this way. How many boaters do you see on your water on any given day that can barely handle what they have? On my water, I thank God these people can only go in the 40s or 50s. There are a lot of bad boat driver out there, we don't want to make the boats any harder to drive than they already are. Most people are happy with speeds that current boats provide, and they do not want their leisure cruising to be any more difficult than it needs to be. That is what I mean by "average". Driving a high speed pad bottom boat is not for the average boater. Too much attention is required.

I consider myself to be an above average boat operator, and I really don't want to go 80 mph on the water (but I do want bragging rights )

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Well, Jason, since many a red band pulled up along side my 125 Johnny back in the'70's, when they pull up along side you and give you a 8) what else can you do but engage!!!

But I didn't. After a couple of whoppins, every time I saw a red band I'd run..............the other way. :%

Mark