Leaning boat of Florida

Sort of a play on the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Bad joke out of the way, time for the problem/question!

While going at WOT my boat will lean to one side then the other, sort or a rocking back and forth motion. Although I do not spend much time at a slower speed, it doesn't seem to happen when doing so.

The boat is a 15' v-hull CC with a 60hp Merc on the back. It is a VIP Seasquirt if familiar with the particullar boat. Everyone on board is always siting right down the middle, so I don't think it is a balance issue. I have not been out on a calm day, always when it is a little rough. Could it be the water curents dong this to me?

No trim tabs, no hydorfoil and I have played around with the trim on the motor while moving with no success.

Any ideas what is going on or is this normal?

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

i had a boat that did that, but the hydrofoil caused it. what is the level of your av plate compared to the keel.

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

Doesn't sound like a boat that would be prone to chine walking.
Does it have a list at all when at rest?

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

The AV plate is 3 inches above the the ?keel?, I think that is the right word. The back of the boat has a shallow v bottom, the front a deeper v shape.

What is chine walking?

and

what is a list when at rest?

Thanks for the help guys!

Re: Leaning boat of Florida


list. nautical term. means leaning.
at rest. not a nautical term. means not under way.
Chine walking. more of a bass boat term. the chine is the edge at the intersection of the bottom and vertical sides of the boat. not all boats have hard chines. If the chines are out of the water when the boat is on plane it can start to become unstable, rocking (bouncing is more descriptive) from one chine to the other. More of a problem with a pad-v hull at speeds in excess of say, 60 or 70. Just to be clear, my boat isn't capable of that kind of behavior, but I've been there, adds some excitement to the day.

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

your motor may be too high. usually 1 1/2 to 2 inches is normal.

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

At rest the boat doesn't rock on its own, but if someone moves from one side to the other it will lean to that side. The boat doesn't do a bouncing, it is a slow smooth shift from right to left and I certainly don't go 60-70 on the water!!

The motor doesn't loose bite unless I go into a tight turn at WOT. WOuld that also be a caracteristic of the motor being too high? I bought the boat with the motor at this height, which doesn't make it right, but I just figured it was at the right height since it must have worked for the previous owner!!

Re: Leaning boat of Florida

Dropping the motor down 1 hole fixed the problem!

Dropping the motor also fixed another problem I was having. The rear of the boat was riding very low in the water, so low that a little water would constantly come over the side and collect in the splash well. It wasn't hurting anything, it just caused the bildge pump to run.

Anyways, thanks for the help guys, my boating just got a bit more enjoyable!