Boat planing on saltwater

[gam101]

Hello folks!

I'm trying to figure/understand how to plane my boat on salt water trips when wind is about 12-15mph. I watched online videos on YouTube & tried trimming the outboard, but just can't get it right. The boat still tends to come down hard following a small wind chop. Just trying to go moderately fast & get a smooth ride.

Does it matter where the passengers are seated (bow vs. aft) ?

I have a 16' fiberglass with an Evinrude Oceanpro 175 (if that matters). If more pictures would help, please let me know & I'll grab some.

Thank you.

 

[dingbat]

I don’t mean to be rude, but the best way to deal with the situation in hat boat is to stay at the dock.

You don’t have the hull design, horsepower or overall length to get up top and run in the slop. The open bow on the boat is a huge liability. All it takes is one untimely wave and your done.

I have a much bigger, offshore boat and a ton of inshore offshore experience. I’ve had ankle deep water on the deck more times than I care to remember and bow is almost 60” above the water line.

 

[gam101]

I don’t mean to be rude, but the best way to deal with the situation in hat boat is to stay at the dock.

You don’t have the hull design, horsepower or overall length to get up top and run in the slop. The open bow on the boat is a huge liability. All it takes is one untimely wave and your done.

I have a much bigger, offshore boat and a ton of inshore offshore experience. I’ve had ankle deep water on the deck more times than I care to remember and bow is almost 60” above the water line.

Not rude at all. Actually, I appreciate that honest & detailed reply. And just to be clear, I'm not talking about going over huge waves, because whenever there is a wind advisory, I tend to avoid the water. Just a little chop, is what I meant.

Thank you, again.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... as noted,.. ya need a bigger boat,....

 

[dingbat]

U

Not rude at all. Actually, I appreciate that honest & detailed reply. And just to be clear, I'm not talking about going over huge waves, because whenever there is a wind advisory, I tend to avoid the water. Just a little chop, is what I meant.

Thank you, again.

my first boat wasn’t much bigger (19’) than yours but had an enclosed bow.

Ran all over the place in that boat but was “humbled” more than once. Had a wave take down the windshield and about swamp the boat on a “nice” day.

Out of nowhere came a roller taller than me standing at the helm. All I could do was steer into it the best I could to keep from burying the bow.

Rolled the top of the wave up the bow and over the windshield. Flatted the windshield like a pancake. Put stitches in my buddies forehead.

There are old sailors. There are bold sailors, but.....there are no old, bold sailers for a reason

 

[JimS123]

15 mph wind really isn't that bad. Saltwater vs. fresh water shouldn't make much difference, per se', unless you are talking about way far offshore. If you are concerned about the safety of being in heavy seas, keep the passengers aft of center and run with the bow toneau cover on. Trim down to improve the ride, and trim up to keep the bow high and out of the waves. Safety and comfort do not necessarily go together in a little boat.

My only concern is that a 175 on a 16 footer is a recipe for disaster.

 

[rallyart]

Well, the passengers closest to the stern are going to have the best ride, as they will bounce less. 16' is small and light so it will get banged by chop. Hull design makes a big difference in how much it gets banged but you can't change that and keep the same boat.
Generally, if you are headed into the wind, keep the bow trimmed down and the boat on plane.. If you have the wind behind you you trim the bow up a bit and again try to stay on plane. If it's too rough to stay on plane experience will eventually tell you what you need to do, but getting off the water, or finding a lee shore is a smart idea.
To run at slower speeds it can be nice to have trim tabs on the transom or a foil on the leg to help keep the bow down lower when not planing. This gives a better and safer ride.

 

[gam101]

15 mph wind really isn't that bad. Saltwater vs. fresh water shouldn't make much difference, per se', unless you are talking about way far offshore. If you are concerned about the safety of being in heavy seas, keep the passengers aft of center and run with the bow toneau cover on. Trim down to improve the ride, and trim up to keep the bow high and out of the waves. Safety and comfort do not necessarily go together in a little boat.

My only concern is that a 175 on a 16 footer is a recipe for disaster.

Appreciate that. I had someone try to sell me his 200 outboard for my boat. I knew better & realized that 175 is plenty for that boat size.

 

[gam101]

Well, the passengers closest to the stern are going to have the best ride, as they will bounce less. 16' is small and light so it will get banged by chop. Hull design makes a big difference in how much it gets banged but you can't change that and keep the same boat.
Generally, if you are headed into the wind, keep the bow trimmed down and the boat on plane.. If you have the wind behind you you trim the bow up a bit and again try to stay on plane. If it's too rough to stay on plane experience will eventually tell you what you need to do, but getting off the water, or finding a lee shore is a smart idea.
To run at slower speeds it can be nice to have trim tabs on the transom or a foil on the leg to help keep the bow down lower when not planing. This gives a better and safer ride.

Thank you so much for those details. Like I said earlier, I am not trying to ride out any waves. Quite the contrary, just the little chop that comes in open sea is my focus.

When winds are low, I usually keep my speed between slow to moderate in open seas because the chop makes the boat come down hard sometimes. And I was hoping that perhaps learning more about trimming/planing could help me smoothen the ride. My distance from shore is no more than 5 miles, at most.

 

[gam101]

15 mph wind really isn't that bad. Saltwater vs. fresh water shouldn't make much difference, per se', unless you are talking about way far offshore. If you are concerned about the safety of being in heavy seas, keep the passengers aft of center and run with the bow toneau cover on. Trim down to improve the ride, and trim up to keep the bow high and out of the waves. Safety and comfort do not necessarily go together in a little boat.

My only concern is that a 175 on a 16 footer is a recipe for disaster.

Yep, I almost always run with the trim all the way down against the wind, when the chop is low. Still the ride is uncomfortable.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Trim tabs would help smooth the ride, but pushing the bow down in chop, in an open bow boat, has a lot of risk. Best bet is to slow down, get a bigger boat, or pick your boating days more carefully.

 

[dingbat]

15 mph wind really isn't that bad. Saltwater vs. fresh water shouldn't make much difference, per se', unless you are talking about way far offshore.

There is a huge difference between salt and freshwater conditions...its called tide.

Tide has such a pronounced effect it must be taken into account when planing a trip. I.e. planning your trip around getting out of the inlet on an outgoing and back in on an incoming tide.

In effect, tide is a wind multiplier. Locally, 15 mph is considered “sporty”. Land lovers want nothing to do with those conditions

The wind has a far greater effect on the inshore tidal convergence zones than offshore. Takes a whole lot of energy to get the waters offshore all riled up.

Not uncommon to have conditions offshore driven by pressure systems 200-300 miles away. Big rollers on calm days are not unusual.

 

[gam101]

There is a huge difference between salt and freshwater conditions...its called tide.

Tide has such a pronounced effect it must be taken into account when planing a trip. I.e. planning your trip around getting out of the inlet on an outgoing and back in on an incoming tide.

In effect, tide is a wind multiplier. Locally, 15 mph is considered “sporty”. Land lovers want nothing to do with those conditions

The wind has a far greater effect on the inshore tidal convergence zones than offshore. Takes a whole lot of energy to get the waters offshore all riled up.

Not uncommon to have conditions offshore driven by pressure systems 200-300 miles away. Big rollers on calm days are not unusual.

Thank you for pointing out that tide, in combination with even 15MPH winds can make a bump ride in my case. It certainly does make one appreciate the complexity of factors before heading out.

 

[cptbill]

If your going to be out in that boat slow down that's the only way to prevent the hull from slamming in the chop and it just might prevent an unfortunate incident