getting on plane

[jcoo240811]

Hi,<br />I have a 14ft starcraft with a merc 2 stoke 25 hp fishing boat and when i am by my self I have a hard time getting on plane, is there something i can due to the motor or something else that could help this out i am a big man and weigh @320 <br /> <br />thanks Joe <br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[LubeDude]

Re: getting on plane

JC:<br /><br />Know one wants to come accross as rude so I think you are being ignored.<br /><br />Unfortunatly I think you know your problem already.<br /><br />Weight has everything to do with the performance of a boat with little power. Espesially when it is all in the back. You might try placing all your gear up front as far as you can, that may even include the fuel tank but make sure you strap it down if you do.<br /><br />Im not a small guy either, make sure you wear your life vest when you are out in the water, as if we were to fall out of the boat, there isnt much chance of us getting in the boat buy ourselves, I even doubt any one could help.

 

[roscoe]

Re: getting on plane

A couple things to check.<br /><br />Try moving the bottom of the motor away from the boat by using the manual tilt pin on the motor mount. <br /><br />Make sure the motor is operating properly. It could be down on power due to bad spark to one cylinder, etc.<br /><br />Is the motor shaft the correct length?<br />If you have a long shaft motor on a short transom boat, and vice versa, planing will be very difficult. The cavitation plate should be within an inch of the bottom of the hull, as in this picture:<br /> http://www.iboats.com/ref/shaft_length.html <br /><br />The more narrow the boat is, the more weight sensitive it will be.<br /><br />You could have a person of less stature test drive the boat to see if wieght is the problem.

 

[ED21]

Re: getting on plane

Although I have no experience with them, from what I've heard on this forum Smart Tabs may help.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: getting on plane

Try a fin on it..

 

[Solittle]

Re: getting on plane

jcoo240811 - I have a 13' skiff with a 1975 9.9 on it. With the wife & I (total weight is a good bit more than yours) we get up on plane quite nicely. The key is to get some of the weight froward. My boat has a heck of a time with just me in it. You might enven try to add some weight up front.<br /><br />By the way the 9.9 is a long shaft which violates the "rule" as roscoe has described - but it works quite nicely for us.

 

[MajBach]

Re: getting on plane

Absolutely no question a stingray or dolphin will help significantly. I speak from direct experience.

 

[AW]

Re: getting on plane

Originally posted by roscoe:<br /><br />Try moving the bottom of the motor away from the boat by using the manual tilt pin on the motor mount. <br />.

Do you mean closer - trim it in?

 

[roscoe]

Re: getting on plane

AW, well maybe. But I meant trim it out when I wrote it.<br /><br />I had a boat once that I had to trim out to get the bow up on plane.<br /><br />Since we don't know exactly what situation he is fighting, I guess he will have to experiment a little.

 

[AW]

Re: getting on plane

Roscoe I'd like to hear about that. What kind of boat & motor?<br /><br />And yes on the experimentation. Try every position. It's free and it's fun!

 

[jcoo240811]

Re: getting on plane

Thanks all for your replies.I will try the weight forward theory and was already thinking about a dolfin .

 

[roscoe]

Re: getting on plane

AW It was twenty-some years ago, a 1959? Alumacraft 15.5' runabout, with bench seats like a utility boat. Much heavier than it looked, especially in the bow. 3 adults struggled to lift it off the ground. Rated for 50 or 60 hp, 15" transom. I only had a long shaft 15hp at the time. The only way I could come close to plane, was to trim out about halfway. Then it would go ok, until I added a passenger. Then it would drive the transom down into the water and I would hit objects that were 30" below the surface--BAM!!<br /><br />The boat worked more conventionally when I was able to pick up a 35hp shortshaft.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: getting on plane

jcoo240811;<br /><br />You will get a lot of response to this very old problem. What nearly everyone is saying (except for increased HP) is to improve the balance in the boat, even before you step in the boat the point of balance is to the rear. Adding additional planing surface to the stern will help the planing issue, and the more the better (within reason). If the additional surface is fixed (rigid), centered, and especially if the hull is a "V" design, the boat will likely end up with handling issues at speeds above 22 mph if it will go that fast. More important is that the hydrofoil will not give you enough added surface to make the boat perform well at slow speeds and during acceleration. Smart Tabs attack the water at an angle to maximize the early lift, and then rotate up when the boat planes. The additional surface area is about two times that of a hydrofoil, but since they are continuously adjusting they only create added performance and stability. Additionaly, they can be "tuned" to the boat by the mechanical adjustments. In other words, you can increase or decrease the amount of lift at any time.

 

[roscoe]

Re: getting on plane

Hey Joe, where are you in MI?<br />Shoot me an email, I may have a solution to your problem.<br /><br />babybirds@direcway.com