treat me like a total beginner. ..

[ccarver80]

So took the boat out this weekend (2004 16' Crestliner side consol w/ 75hp Yamaha 4 stroke outboard )

It was interesting to say the least. ..I kinda felt like I had no idea what I was doing. .. (first real boat I've owned. . Everything else has been dinky little tin boats with 10hp motors)

My main concern was getting it on plane I had no idea if I was to high or low. ..

Do I start off with the motor trimmed all the way down?

I noticed I had a rooster tail looking deal coming from my starboard rear..

Like I said any simple rookie advice would be awesome! (Legit ones only don't tell me things like "put the key in the ignition and turn to the right" I'm not that big of a noob! Haha)

 

[JASinIL2006]

Start with the drive trimmed down and as you start to get up over the bow wave, ease the trim up a bit. You should feel the speed pick up a bit. When you no longer are picking up speed, your trim is about where it should be. In large part, you want to experiment with when to start trimming up. On my boat, it's right as I'm climbing up on plane.

 

[bonz_d]

Start with the trim down and trim up as you gain plain. Want to be running flat to a bit raised at the bow. Play with it and you will find the sweet spot.

As for the spray you are seeing it's really hard to judge why w/o actually seeing it or what is actually causing it.. Engine, transducer, speedo pick up.

 

[fhhuber]

once on plane...

Trim up till the nose starts bouncing up and down.
Trim down just until it smooths out.
That's where you want it.

The exact engine angle changes a bit with load, balance and wave conditions.

 

[ccarver80]

Start with the trim down and trim up as you gain plain. Want to be running flat to a bit raised at the bow. Play with it and you will find the sweet spot.

As for the spray you are seeing it's really hard to judge why w/o actually seeing it or what is actually causing it.. Engine, transducer, speedo pick up.

I have a video in had my go pro camera in the boat with me I'll have to see if I can trim out a clip and upload it for you guys.

My transducer is on that side.... I guess that maybe could be it ...

 

[roffey]

IMHO, you have the perfect boat to learn on. Not to big not to small. Go forth grass hopper.

 

[ccarver80]

IMHO, you have the perfect boat to learn on. Not to big not to small. Go forth grass hopper.

haha that's what it thought too... already have my first chip in a brand new prop! if I may quote Monty Python "Tis but a scratch" ... really it is a scratch though... haha it buffed out with the file on my Leatherman... but yea... learned to trim my motor up while putting it back on the trailer... I heard a slight "CLINK" and checked it out.. looks like barely hit a pebble.... doesn't affect the motor that I can tell... this whole year is going to be a learning experience... I need to learn how to fish with the wind and make it my friend instead of enemy. Living in North Dakota wind is very common up here .... I was out in 18-22mph winds this weekend.... it was a bit sketchy... I couldn't maintain a straight line..id hold in 14' of water for about 100' or so and if my concentration would drift to looking at poles or sonar... next thing you know id be way off course and in 28' of water... ha-ha ... made a drift sock out a 5 gallon bucket .... struggled to learn how and wear to place the bucket.... so much to learn!!!

 

[roffey]

Sounds like you are learning fast. The factory props will ship if you look at them wrong. I keep a spare prop in the boat. As you say, I go with the wind and drift. Works great as there is no motor noise. Going from a 10 horse to a 75 will be a blast. I bet you can hit high thirties, you will love it, enjoy.

 

[ccarver80]

Max i saw so far was 32mph... maybe if I trim it out better, also thinking of re propping to something with a bigger bite.... I was at 5,200 rpm WOT ..

More worried about getting out and catching fish though ! Spring is awesome and awful at the same time.... walleye are spawning and the bite is crazy! But the weather on my days off from work has been really sketchy. ... haven't had a day yet the wind has been below 15mph. ..

 

[GA_Boater]

Practice, practice practice. After a while you will feel the the boat telling you what's right and what's wrong. Kinda like that moment of Zen.

The rooster tail - Have you changed the transducer positioning brought up in this thread?

 

[steelespike]

In heavy wind and waves you may want to trim down into the wind and trim up in a following sea.
Drift sock off the bow to minimize wave action.

 

[Alumarine]

Practice, practice practice. After a while you will feel the the boat telling you what's right and what's wrong. Kinda like that moment of Zen.

The rooster tail - Have you changed the transducer positioning brought up in this thread?

On my transducer I wrapped tape around the square opening between the transducer bracket on the transom and the transducer itself.
No more rooster tail.

 

[flyingscott]

Max i saw so far was 32mph... maybe if I trim it out better, also thinking of re propping to something with a bigger bite.... I was at 5,200 rpm WOT ..

More worried about getting out and catching fish though ! Spring is awesome and awful at the same time.... walleye are spawning and the bite is crazy! But the weather on my days off from work has been really sketchy. ... haven't had a day yet the wind has been below 15mph. ..

Do what post #4 says and see what your rpms are. You may need to got to less pitch on the prop as that motor operating range is 5000-6000 rpm you want to be closer to 6000 rpm with a light load. With your numbers you do not want to go to a prop with more bite.

 

[slw2206]

So took the boat out this weekend (2004 16' Crestliner side consol w/ 75hp Yamaha 4 stroke outboard )

It was interesting to say the least. ..I kinda felt like I had no idea what I was doing. .. (first real boat I've owned. . Everything else has been dinky little tin boats with 10hp motors)

My main concern was getting it on plane I had no idea if I was to high or low. ..

Do I start off with the motor trimmed all the way down?

I noticed I had a rooster tail looking deal coming from my starboard rear..

Like I said any simple rookie advice would be awesome! (Legit ones only don't tell me things like "put the key in the ignition and turn to the right" I'm not that big of a noob! Haha)

This is exactly the same situation I was in last weekend. "New to me" Tahoe 215 and learning how to trim the engine correctly.

What I figured out in short order was I needed to put the trim all the way down and get up to plane, then just bump the trim up slightly. The boat accelerated noticeably when I bumped the trim up and we were hitting 46mph in no time. Was a very smooth ride to once I figured out what I was doing.

My best advice (and why I went out early in the season here in PA) is to get to the dock and on the lake when traffic is light so you can make those rookie mistakes and learn before activity really picks up.

Have fun!

 

[redneck joe]

Assuming the trim fin/tab is set corrctly, and since you are not asking about excessive steering pull im assuming it is, i trim up umtil the steering is not pulling any or very little depending on the porpoising

 

[ccarver80]

Practice, practice practice. After a while you will feel the the boat telling you what's right and what's wrong. Kinda like that moment of Zen.

The rooster tail - Have you changed the transducer positioning brought up in this thread[/URL]?

I did level it out, I wonder if I wasn't trimmed way high and the tip of that was dragging thru the water.

All really great advice everyone! !! You guys rock!

 

[JASinIL2006]

My transducer produced a rooster tail, too. It was caused by that gap in the mounting bracket just in front of the pivot pin. I heard that Humminbird had a plug that would take care of spray, and when I wrote to them for info, they sent me a whole new mount. Did the trick. In your case, if repositioning the transducer doesn't help, try wrapping some electrician's tape around the bracket to cover that gap, as was suggested above. I bet that takes care of it.