Handling a uncooperative boat

sschefer

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Ever get scared when you're putting the hammer down and your boat suddenly heals over? The way to get through it is with gentle bumps, of steering in the opposite direction until your speed increases enough for the boat to catch a little more air an ride on a different portion of the hull. Almost everyboat has the evil spot but with a little practice you can push on through it.

Here's a video of how it works...

 

Bifflefan

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May 27, 2009
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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

My old boat flopped one side, but it would not recover. It just dug in and turned.
I fixed by selling it and buying a new one.
 

sasto

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Coming in a crouded inlet with 2 powerplants under me, Port engine decides to give out. NASCAR can't turn left as fast as I did. Your video shows your coolness under a stressful situation. In my opinon "cool" is in the top 5 things needed to be a.... better than good.... boater. Stress has caused me more problems on the water than a rum and coke.
 

sschefer

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

If you notice, I shut it down as soon as I finished the vid. I don't recommend pushing through the walk of death one handed like I did in the video.
 

180shabah

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

heeling over like that is not normal. I would be interested in seeing your motor height and do you have a hydrofoil mounted to the AV plate?
 

sschefer

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

heeling over like that is not normal. I would be interested in seeing your motor height and do you have a hydrofoil mounted to the AV plate?

I understand why you would think that it's not normal and you're right the boat was never designed for much over 45. I appreciate your concern.

Happens at 56MPH. Once you learn to drive it beyond what it was designed to do you can get the air packed right and it comes up on the hook. After that it rides nice. I only took it up to around 65 then backed it right down as you can hear in the video. The motor is a fresh build with 1:1.87 gear case and 21p prop. I didn't want to push it past 5000 RPM the first day out.

Hope I don't offend anyone with this but Hydrofoils are not something that I would even consider running with this setup. Hydrofoils are designed for boats that don't plain easily. With this motor, this hull is up on plane in about 2 seconds. Those covers say 150 on them, but that motor under that cover is the FrankenMerc. You can read about it over in the Merc Outboard threads. I was taking vids of the first run when I realized I had captured something extra that was worth sharing. I recovered the boat without even thinking twice because I've learned to drive it. Takes time but becomes it becomes second nature.
 

180shabah

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

20mph+ over designed speed - HOLY CRAP! :eek: When we get into that territory, I don't think there IS any such thing as "normal". I definitely have to go read your merc thread, but don't have time this morning.

Just stabbin' in the dark here, but do you think a set of trim tabs would be beneficial - real tabs not smart tabs?

As for offending people with you comments about 'foils. It shouldn't offend anyone who understands them.

Looking forward to more vids of this project.

Good luck and stay safe.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

bet it has a whale tail. get it off.
 

25thmustang

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Coming in a crouded inlet with 2 powerplants under me, Port engine decides to give out. NASCAR can't turn left as fast as I did. Your video shows your coolness under a stressful situation. In my opinon "cool" is in the top 5 things needed to be a.... better than good.... boater. Stress has caused me more problems on the water than a rum and coke.

The first time I was backing down into my slip (maybe 50-60 feet from the beach too) the port motor was giving me trouble and would stall. Trying to drive with one motor, and start the other was not the funnest time I've had on the water.
 

sschefer

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

20mph+ over designed speed - HOLY CRAP! :eek: When we get into that territory, I don't think there IS any such thing as "normal". I definitely have to go read your merc thread, but don't have time this morning.

Just stabbin' in the dark here, but do you think a set of trim tabs would be beneficial - real tabs not smart tabs?

As for offending people with you comments about 'foils. It shouldn't offend anyone who understands them.

Looking forward to more vids of this project.

Good luck and stay safe.

This particular hull has a slight hook in the stern. Think of that as a type of built in trim tab. When the boat reaches a certain speed the stern lifts too much and the bow comes down. Because I am the only one in the boat when I do these stupid human tricks, my weight causes the boat to lay over and chine walk. What I need to do at that point is ease it back over with small bumps on the steering in the opposite direction. As I do that with increasing power the boat lifts up onto the hook as if its a pad and the hull packs air under it holding it up and running on only the last two feet of the hull.

At that point there is no turning the boat quickly, everything must be done in sort of slow motion. A clear and safe path is mandatory.

The funniest thing is to get this thing up and going at WOT then have some guy in a bass boat pass me.:rolleyes:

The reason I posted this is because it can happen to anyone unexpectedly. If you know what to do you can safely recover.. Might need to change your shorts but you'll come home safe.
 

Faztbullet

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Mar 2, 2008
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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

only took it up to around 65 then backed it right down as you can hear in the video. The motor is a fresh build with 1:1.87 gear case and 21p prop. I didn't want to push it past 5000 RPM the first day out.

Huh.. 6500 rpm or 65mph???:confused:
 

sschefer

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Huh.. 6500 rpm or 65mph???:confused:

Is that a question you want me to answer?

Guess so, I said around 65. The boat chine walks at 56 and I know that from previous runs with other motors on it. I went past that enough to get out of it.

I was trying to keep it under 5000RPM. I don't know if I went over or not, I wasn't really watching the friggin tach or the GPS at that point. I was too busy taking a flipping video for the disbelievers and trying to drive.
 

180shabah

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Agree, the numbers don't quite match up.

21" prop, 1.87 gear ratio and 10%(estimate) prop slip = 48mph

65mph would put you in the neighborhood of 67-6800RPM

FWIW - chinewalking is a different issue than the "layover" you are experiencing. Chinewalking is when there is so little hull in the water that both chines are out. This leaves you running on just a very small section of hull and bouncing from chine to chine.
 

sschefer

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Agree, the numbers don't quite match up.

21" prop, 1.87 gear ratio and 10%(estimate) prop slip = 48mph

65mph would put you in the neighborhood of 67-6800RPM

FWIW - chinewalking is a different issue than the "layover" you are experiencing. Chinewalking is when there is so little hull in the water that both chines are out. This leaves you running on just a very small section of hull and bouncing from chine to chine.

Great, another expert that wasn't in the boat or the video...
 

a70eliminator

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

My eyes see a view from a boat cruising between 2500 and 3000RPM, the boat leans a little starboard and then straightens back out. I would have never guessed there was a problem.
 

Faztbullet

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Agree, the numbers don't quite match up.

Yep.... needs to be a 24 pitch or bigger to get that speed. The calculator gets very close...
 

Fed

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

There's something very wrong with that boat or the setup.
 

180shabah

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Re: Handling a uncooperative boat

Great, another expert that wasn't in the boat or the video...

Well, your half right - I wasn't in the boat:rolleyes:

21" + 1.87:1 + 5000 = 53mph

Doesn't matter how bad***** you motor is, you will NOT get ZERO slip. 'ell just to break 50mph would mean 6% prop slip - you ain't gettin' that either.

Sure your 21" prop isn't a 27"???
 
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