whale tail

[whit71]

Re: whale tail

Yes,I agree,great thread.I also have one of those whale tails on my boat,at least i think it do ?

The guy I bought the boat from said to NOT ever take it off,as it is a scary ride without it on there,but maybe this thing is whats giving me my pulling issue i have when i throttle the boat pretty hard at takeoff,it locks the steering,slow down,and it turns.I think I am going to take everyones advice,and take it off,and put some trim tabs on instead.

He probablely told you not to take it off because the cavitation plate is broke. As for the steering issue you need to tighten your power steering belt.

 

[JimS123]

Re: whale tail

You should see how much faster a gimbal ring wears out when an IO has a fin on it, and gimbal rings are 700 bucks should you need a new one.

Wow that's right out of left field.

How about some statistics? Real Data! How long does a gimbal bearing last under "normal" circumstances and how long with the fin?

I'm not asking for decimal place quantification, just a ball park.

 

[JustJason]

Re: whale tail

The only statistics I can give you are my own. 75+% off all boats I see with excessive steering play all have a pigeon wing on them. I'm sure a big part of it is from lack of maintenence and not tq'ing those gimbal bolts every year, but it's a common theme that I see up my way.

 

[180shabah]

Re: whale tail

pigeon wing on them

Caught myself earlier today - called it a pigeon wing - THANKS!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: whale tail

I kind of go along with the magazine article on this, I can't see how the added stress from a fin can even come close to what the prop is imposing on the transom and steering components.

 

[JimS123]

Re: whale tail

The only statistics I can give you are my own. 75+% off all boats I see with excessive steering play all have a pigeon wing on them. I'm sure a big part of it is from lack of maintenence and not tq'ing those gimbal bolts every year, but it's a common theme that I see up my way.

If you've read my posts, you'll know I'm a great Doel fan. All I can say is that my 26 year old boat has had a fin on it for 25 years - that amounts to about 1150 out of a total of 1200+ running hours. My gimbal bearing and steering are all original.

I lubricate the steering cable annually, but have never touched the gimbal. Could you explain retorqing the bolts?

 

[perchin]

Re: whale tail

You should've raised the motor more, before giving up on the 'foil.

lol... nothin gettin past you. I should of gave the long story, but did not.

 

[ScottinAZ]

Re: whale tail

the tail I have on my '82 Evinrude 115 is nothing more than a chunk of 1/4" aluminum plate that looks homemade, not stamped like a "genuine whale tail". I keep it on there more to protect feet from the prop when boarding over the stern than anything else. I have had it on and off, and notice no real difference in the handling of the boat, and little to no difference in speed when on plane. It does however make a handy auxiliary step when boarding.