doelfin

[mistylady]

i have a 200hp engine on a 24ft boat looking for advise on doelfin. any suggestions on how these perform? mistylady

 

[Terry H]

Re: doelfin

so, misty, what are you trying to fix with a doelfin? Doelfin's aren't gonna fix much and may even create problems, if we knew the problem someone here may have a good solution for you. Chief

 

[BillP]

Re: doelfin

mistylady,<br />Performance really depends on the hull and rig. Some folks get excellent results from doelfins...I'm one of them and use it to trim higher for shallow water high speed runs. I don't need low speed hole shots or have a problem with getting on a plane. What are you looking for the doelfin to do? <br /><br />bp

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: doelfin

Any 200Hp motor is going to draw a lot of laughs with a Whale Tail on it.

 

[roscoe]

Re: doelfin

Trimtabs or motor setup are going to give better results than a fin.<br /><br />You have a big boat, and assume you are having a big problem, a $40 solution is unlikely.

 

[BillP]

Re: doelfin

NO doubt tabs do more but the question was about fins. When commercial clamming was legal here most of the guys had 20-24' glass boats and carried heavy loads. Most of them had big outboard motors with fins. The ones laughing are clueless...teeheee.<br /><br />

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: doelfin

I find it hard to believe here on the official "I don't care what the question is...Smart Tabs are the answer" site, no one has chimed in with that yet. <br /><br />Davefin

 

[Terry H]

Re: doelfin

Dave, Smart tabs is an inexpensive fix for a lot handling problems for a lot of smaller boats, so thems of us that have used them are impressed enough with them to speak out. That's all it is...you can't recommend a fix if you don't know what the problem is. Chief

 

[mistylady]

Re: doelfin

thanks for all the replies. motor set is good. i probably am kidding myself. i guess i will have to spend the money on trim tabs. rough water is my problem can maintain any decent speed, without pounding. mistylady

 

[tommays]

Re: doelfin

the fin works good on my 20 ft sterndrive i think on a 24 ft your asking a lot <br /><br /><br />even smart tabs had to come up with bigger stuff for a boat that size<br /><br />unless money is a big factor i think your really in a hyd tab size boat<br /><br />tommays

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: doelfin

Mistylady;<br /><br />The reason you are having problems running at speed slow enough so as not to pound in the chop is very simple, weight and balance. You need more stern lift. Will the hydrofoils help? Any additional planing surface will help. It then becomes an issue of how much help and what are the compromises. The hydrofoils for a boat your size and weight may not have enough surface area to give you what you are looking for. Someone said that we needed to make larger tabs for boats 23' to 30'. This is true! The size of the plates (or additional planing surface i.e. hydrofoils) need to be proportionate to the size of the boat. This is true of any trim tab manufacturer. Bennett (hydraulic trim tabs) recommends one inch of tab width (per side) for each foot of length. In your case this would mean a 24" wide x 9" deep tab set. I personally feel that would be over kill as your boat is not that heavy. In fact I would suspect that they would also tell you to use a 12" x 9" tab for this application. It is not that the larger tabs would not work, but rather that they could cause the boat to react more quickly with minor changes. <br /><br />The hydrofoil also does not approach the water at an angle like trim tabs. This angle provides more lift sooner. The result is that (when accelerating) that the stern lift is greater in the initial stages (does not allow the stern to drop). This allows for more responsive acceleration, and the results is that the boat lifts up onto plane easier. The water pressure on the hull is what raises the boat to plane! In short the "hole Shot" does not exist because there is no hole to get out of. It's more like a small bump. You need surface area and attitude to achieve this.<br /><br />As for our product as it applies to your boat, I would not go up to the 16" x 10" size unless the boat weighs at least 4500 Lbs.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: doelfin

i thought soliciting a product on iboats was bad? or should i say naughty, or maybe even nauti

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: doelfin

Phatmanmike;<br /><br />I think you need to look at my post a bit more carefully. I was giving my opinions regarding the question and the other responses. I mentioned Bennett in my response not Smart Tabs.<br /><br />Since we make Smart Tabs and have nothing to do with Bennett (a fine company by the way) it is hard for me to understand why you said I was soliciting. Maybe you confused us with Bennett.

 

[Trophy23]

Re: doelfin

I have a 23 foot boat and had a Cobra type fin on a 220 Mariner thinking it would help lift transom up quicker putting boat on plane faster. This type also claimed it caused less lower unit fatigue due to being placed on bottom of cavitation plate. This part might be true, and it did significantly and quickly lift the transom and put you on plane quicker. However, the boats upper speed was greatly reduced and could not be over come with trimming motor. I already had trim tabs (Neither Bennet nor smart tabs brand) and should have just stuck with them as they do much better. May not get on plane quite as fast, but top end is not bothered. I like to run thru the results of having to trim motor so much trying to remain at proper trim while going thru waves at inlet jetty. Tabs that can adjust for weight distribution port or stbd are most helpfull. The Doel fin being flexible may not have as bad of a constant lift, but I still would go with tabs, either smart or bennet style before using the motor fins, but you get what you pay for. To me it was a wasted 4 holes in my lower unit casing. Anyone want a "great" cobra fin?? ha ha.

 

[Trophy23]

Re: doelfin

Another problem I forgot to add in with the fins is I noticed as I tried to optomize the trim to get back to upper speed (it droped by over 5 mph) I would have prop blowout/cavitation which I had not experienced without the cobra fin. If you are just looking to put boat on plane faster and don't care if upper speed is reduced, then the fin is the cheapest, but being in salt water, I hated drilling holes in my lower unit and even more hated it when it didn't work as well as I would have liked and pulled the fin back off.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: doelfin

Use the holes for extra zincs!

 

[Rangerbilt]

Re: doelfin

Originally posted by mistylady:<br /> thanks for all the replies. motor set is good. i probably am kidding myself. i guess i will have to spend the money on trim tabs. rough water is my problem can maintain any decent speed, without pounding. mistylady

Hi there Misty Lady, I was told that a 4 blade props gives you a better holeshot and handles better than a 3 blade props in rough water.<br /><br />I myself is in a middle of swapping a prop from a 3 blade to a 4 blade but my problem was cavitation not rough water. I don't go out when it's really windy Good luck!

 

[walleyehed]

Re: doelfin

John knows better than me, but I would think a set of Mobsters with 80lb struts would do wonders for that rig....

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: doelfin

Kenny; The Mobster Tabs are actually smaller in surface area. They are 10.5" wide by 9" deep but they are a trapazoid. They tapper from 10" to 8" in width at the trailing edge. The design is ment for competitive bass boats that reach speeds in excess of 65 MPH. In Misty's case the larger ST1290-80 (12"x 9" plates) would provide better lift and control. The Mobster Tabs would work but not quite as effectively. The next choice would be the ST1610-120 if the boat weighs in at more than 4500 Lbs.<br /><br />The four blade prop will give more low end torque, but reduce the top speed a bit.