whale tail

Joined
Jun 27, 2009
Messages
14
what does the after market whale tails (i think thats what they are called) do to the boat? Mine came with one mounted on my boat. I have never tried to run with out it, as i figured it was put on for a reason.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: whale tail

They are made to help the boat get on plane faster.The downside is it puts all that weight and stress on the aluminum anti-cavitation plate.
Some boats they will cause handling problems at higher speeds.

Take it off and test run without it.The boat may actually handle better.
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: whale tail

what does the after market whale tails (i think thats what they are called) do to the boat?


Not a lot in my opinion. They are pretty good for the people that sell them though! They do add extra drag that will reduce top speed.
 

fishinpa

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
221
Re: whale tail

Not much of a beliver here either !

but how do you see it creating drag and hampering top end when its out of the water when on plane !


fish
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
Messages
14
Re: whale tail

when i have it up on plane its still in the water, if not the people in the back of my boat get wet from the spray it makes
 

fishinpa

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
221
Re: whale tail

Yank it off and try it !

they are an add_on gimmick of sorts ! lol



fish
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Messages
20
Re: whale tail

A whale tail is something family and friends have swore on for years. When I bought my boat that is one of the first things i got before hitting the water. Really a buzz kill that yall say they do nothing for handling or performance. Im going to have to take mine off now and see what difference it makes.. Good Thread. Learn something new everyday
 

180shabah

Rear Admiral
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
4,995
Re: whale tail

...but how do you see it creating drag and hampering top end when its out of the water when on plane !

On most boats it is NOT out of the water once on plane. With OBs you can raise the engine height and get it out of the water, but the x-dimension on I/Os is not adjustable. Higher speed = more lift; too much lift along the centerline = instability
 

JustJason

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 27, 2007
Messages
5,319
Re: whale tail

They get boats on plane faster because they lift the stern of the boat up.

On any OB or IO, when you push the throttle foward, the engine pushes the transom both down and foward at the same time. Everyboat has pivot point so to speak, and then the stern goes down, the bow has to come up. That's part of the reason why boats get bow rise before on plane.

To help get rid of bow rise, you lift the stern instead. Those pigeon wings help in lifting the stern, and they typically work as advertised.
What they don't tell you is, the wing put stress not only on the antiventillation plate, but on the entire drive/gimbal/steering that is not normally there. They also lift from the center of the boat, which can make a boat tippy. And just like any other wing, depending on it's angle of attack (essentially your trim angle) If your trimmed out to far the wing will drag the back of the boat down towards, and possibly into, the water. You usually see it with hard cornering that the back of the boat takes a dip.
A much better solution is trim tabs. Smartabs is 1 product that isn't to much more expensive than a wing. And because they mount to the transom instead of the drive. Not only do they not put added stress on the drive. It lifts the boat from it's corners, instead of the center, and the boat actually becomes more stable than factory, not the other way around. And that's at any speed, any cornering angle, any trim angle. You don't have to worry about the trim angle as much, and there's no possibility of dragging the back of the boat down into the water.
 

odie241

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
115
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 ?
31270_1446177395033_1251100943_1235.jpg


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.
 

TahoeQ4Pilot

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
242
Re: whale tail

My boat handled squirely at low speeds and I wanted to cut down on porposing, plus to get up on plane faster when towing a skier. I put on a SE Sport hydrofoil and it did all three pretty well, I was pleased. I havent compared it to anything else, but it worked for me, except I used their new Sport Clip to mount it (doesnt require drilling in to the drive), but the darn thing popped of and now rests at the bottom of the lake somewhere. :eek: :mad:
 

109jb

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
1,590
Re: whale tail

I am one that has had good results from hydrofoils. I have had stingray hydrofoils on 3 boats and have been very satisfied with the results. The main reason I always put one on was to get on plane faster which the hydrofoils absolutely help with. I may have taken a small hit on top speed but I didn't care. Handling was never a problem on the boats that I had the hydrofoils instlled on.

BTW I also never experienced having the motor fall off the back of the boat as many seem to suggest will happen. Never even had a single bend or crack in a anti-ventilation plate
 

wa_ssv197

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
266
Re: whale tail

Three kinds of whale tails
#1 varied accounts of success
whaletale1.jpg


#2 100% success
WHALETALE.jpg


#3 success depends on what you like (sorry couldn't help it)
2075542723_ad4448903e.jpg
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
Re: whale tail

Whale Tails, Stingrays, Doel Fins or whatever brand you ask about, you will get a myriad of negative responses. When someone replies with claims that it increased speed or improved performance, they get flamed. So many love to hate them.

Trailer Boats Magazine did a "shootout" comparing all the brands with and without and published some good data. Based on that info I chose the Doel and have been happy. Seven boats in the family - 4 have Doels. Two of those without are inboard jets and the third is a woodie.

Trim tabs are probably a better choice in the long run, as long as you don't mind the extra cost and all of the holes you have to drill below the waterline.

Bottom line is put the fin on, take it off, raise the motor (OB), lower the motor, get the correct pitch prop, do a performance curve (speed vs. rpm) for each set of conditions and make up your own mind.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
Re: whale tail

#3 success depends on what you like (sorry couldn't help it)
[/IMG]

I would bet that if you referred to either of these tails as a "whale" you would have ZERO success no matter what you liked.
 

wa_ssv197

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
266
Re: whale tail

not the women's tale, the whale tail that the underwear makes :D
 

pinellas50

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
207
Re: whale tail

The only thing a hydrafoil did for my boat was cause it to lean hard to one side or the other while traveling in a staight line at speed.
 
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