best way to plane?

[a1akeywest]

grettings all,,,

when i bought he boat, the owner of the marina took me out on the water and he showed me how to accellerate...

he floored the throttle and then gradually eased off on it...

im personally not a fan of this,, id rather slowly give it throttle and let it plane eventually when it gets up to speed...

does anyone have any comments? also if the boat "plows" a bit.. meaning the nose goes up in the air,,, is this bad for the boat??

thanks/??

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: best way to plane?

hammer it. get on plane then back it off to stay on plane. You do not want the front end in the air more than you have too.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: best way to plane?

hammer it. get on plane then back it off to stay on plane. You do not want the front end in the air more than you have too.

+2 .

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: best way to plane?

To plow means the bow is pushing into the wave created by the boat. That the bow is pushing into the trailing edge of the wave causes the bow to raise into the air and the stern to squat. Such a condition will cause a higher rate of fuel burn for very little increase in speed. You may experience yawing as the boat wants to fall off to alternate sides of the wave. It really isn't a good place to be although it won't directly harm the boat.

But you were talking of planing. Coming up to a plane is actually a process. The bow sticking into the air means you are on step but not on plane. This should not be confused with plowing. In this case, a bit more RPM should get you onto plane...assuming you have the available horsepower for your hull design. Once on plane, gradually reduce RPMs until you feel you begin to fall off plane. Excess power is what it is really about. Thrust is a product of power.

Yes, put the hammer down to transition from step to plane quickly. Although it is good practice to intentionally remain on step to figure out boat characteristics and handling. Practice, in the sense of instruction, not in the sense of std op practice.

 

[veritas honus]

Re: best way to plane?

If you don't have a captains chair or leaning post, I can sort of understand why you don't like the idea of "flooring" or hammering the throttle. for safety reasons, it's not good to "ease naturally" onto plane. The longer your bow is up, the longer your view is obstructed. It's a safety issue. In this case, hammering it is not abusing your boat or acting like an irresponsible kid. If you do have a captains chair or leaning post, then relax, let your boat press you back into the seat/post, and enjoy the power... It's OK to be a kid

Post some pics... Tell us about your new boat... Kinduv an unwritten rule around here

 

[5150abf]

Re: best way to plane?

You don't have to whack the throttle wide open but you should accelerate hard until the boat lifts then back off, I know on mine there is a spot where it plows and water spray comes over the bow so I want to get through that as soon as possible.

Brass tacks it is your boat and you are the captain so do as you like.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: best way to plane?

Also, as you plow water, your prop and out drive sinks deep, thereby increasing your chance of striking any underwater object, or the bottom. Always have your drive , full in [not trimmed up at all] when you are attempting to get on plane.

 

[JoLin]

Re: best way to plane?

hammer it. get on plane then back it off to stay on plane. You do not want the front end in the air more than you have too.

+3. The owner of the marina did it right. Hard to get used to at first, but as others stated, you need to launch the boat out of the water and get 'over the hump' quickly so you can level off and see where you're going.

My .02

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: best way to plane?

i agree with everyone else here that you should plane off quickly. when plowing along slowly waiting for the boat to plane you are burning a lot of fuel, and youre lugging the motor.

 

[1fishbone]

Re: best way to plane?

i agree with everyone else here that you should plane off quickly. when plowing along slowly waiting for the boat to plane you are burning a lot of fuel, and youre lugging the motor.

X2
Also, learn our boat's characteristics, mine is a little under powered, I trim in half way, ease the throttle to get it moving, I know that moment just before it begins to 'plow' then hammer down, and start to trim out.

I know when I get it right, it practically leaps out/up, and planes real fast, then I can throttle back, trim, and enjoy the ride.

This few seconds also is the time to make sure the kids and new boaters are ready!

 

[Unleadedaddict]

Re: best way to plane?

This is how to plane! Btw my 8 year old daughter was at the controls!

 

[steelespike]

Re: best way to plane?

The video pretty much shows the procedure.No need to slap it wide open from no wake, a firm steady progression to full throttle then throttle to your desired speed once on plane.If you describe your boat motor combination with prop info, weight, typical load, empty and loaded performance,max rpm and speed.We may be able to help improve hole shot and bow rise.Is bow rise so much it blocks vision?

 

[scooper77515]

Re: best way to plane?

Your 8-year old seems to be pretty comfortable with that boat! That is great! My parents taught me how to drive our 455 jet boat when I was around 4 or 5. I had to sit on their lap until i could reach the pedal, but I believe get em started early and get em comfortable, and it makes it easier later on to focus more on safety, and not have to worry about how to control the boat.

Anyway, I also don't like to hammer it down 100%, but I still give it a good 80-90% throttle immediately with trim all the way down, or down almost all the way. It will plane almost immediately, and as the nose comes back down you can pull throttle back to whereever it is you want to be cruising at.

Of course, I have done the hammer down 100% a time or three. Will not hurt the boat.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: best way to plane?

The guy that told you to hammer it isn't telling you anything wrong but if its not the way you want to boat then don't do it, it doesn't matter one bit. You may find that situations dictate the hammer down method so I would at least play with it but that's just getting to know your boat. Here in Colorado the Ramp areas are pretty much mad houses and I am the most aware in this area, I prefer to get in or get out but I don't loiter in the area too many yahoo's, so when its time to go I put the 454 MPI to full use. I will say however that we have anchored within sight of the ramp area and enjoyed lunch and the "Show"! But it can also be said that there are some days when it seems your the only one there and you can cruise the whole day, its your experience only you can decide how you wish to spend your days on the water.

Normally I feel the most in control at speed so the faster I get there the better then its off to a quiet part of the lake to enjoy the day whatever that may be skiing, tubing, sun bathing or cliff diving whatever.

Its your boat, as long as your operating it safely and using proper boating etiquette(a RELATIVE term) then do whatever it takes to make your experience the best it can be, also those you take have a way of dictating your day kids want to play, the quicker they get to play the quicker dad gets to relax! If its just you and the wife and your like my wife and I then all I want to do is find a nice quiet part of the lake so I can look at my wife in her bikini while she sun bathes that means its a 60 mph bonzai run 12 miles to the inlet! Anchor the boat, put some country music on, open an adult beverage and get the floatys out and were in the water for the next 6 hours for some personal time. You have to taylor your boating experience to what you and yours enjoy.

Love the video unleaded!

 

[spdracr39]

Re: best way to plane?

Even if you hammer down to get on plane if you back off when it planes out you never reach WOT anyway so there is no harm to the boat at all. But as stated you need to bring the bow down where you can see as quickly as possible for safety. It is also easier to get on plane if you relocate some ballast ( people ) to the front of the boat. That would reduce the amount of power needed to get over the hump.

 

[2stroke1971]

Re: best way to plane?

I dont give it a second thought. If conditions permit, I get it up there, but not all of a sudden. I have an old boat and I try to be conservative with the motor and drivetrain. There are times when the waves are nasty that all I do is get the nose up and go through as comfortably as possible. Its all salt water for me, and Id say I push my boat to its limits as far as conditions go. I have no chair, I only stand on my box so theres never a point that I cant see where I am going.

If I could only see where I was going when chugging or up on plane though, you'd better believe Id get the thing up quickly, so I totally understand that practice! The more you get out there, the more it will become second nature. Try some different methods, find what works for you.

 

[Bondo]

Re: best way to plane?

im personally not a fan of this,, id rather slowly give it throttle and let it plane eventually when it gets up to speed...

Ayuh,... Doin' it Your way is fuelishly inefficient, 'n Hard on the equipment...

But it's Your boat, so do whatever you'd like...

 

[a1akeywest]

Re: best way to plane?

i guess im lucky but with my boat i can seem to get it to plane with minimal bow rise. if i ease up the throttle just right it will get to plane without getting the nose up too high,,, only time it will do it is if i have a couple people sitting on the rear bench seat,, then she gets up in the air..

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: best way to plane?

Im also a fan of easing into the throttle and letting it plane on its own. I have no problem seeing over the bow of the boat while its doing this. Usually let it get up to 3,000rpms while its planing then I cruise around 2,500rpms. No problems here.

 

[QC]

Re: best way to plane?

i agree with everyone else here that you should plane off quickly. when plowing along slowly waiting for the boat to plane you are burning a lot of fuel, and youre lugging the motor.

I actually agree with the marina guy too, but just a clarification. You literally cannot be "lugging the motor" at part throttle . . .

As others have mentioned, the only downsides I can think of is visibility and maybe a few unsafe combos with the stern squatting and different combos of wakes/waves. With trim tabs, easing up on plane 100 RPM at a time can be a fun experiment and I do it every once in a while just cause I can. If you ever pull wakeboarders this is basically what you're doing anyway.