how do you get into your "plane?"

[quang]

how do you get your boat to plane? ive noticed that if i put it full power i get into the plane the fastest and smoothess.. then after it planes i just lower the throttle..<br /><br /><br />before i use to slowly raise the speed but it would lag the boat and take forever to plane..<br /><br /><br />how do you do it?

 

[JasonJ]

Re: how do you get into your "plane?"

I think for most people it depends on how much power they have, but I put it to about 3/4 throttle, that is sufficient to place my boat on plane within a few seconds. You want to get on plane fairly quickly so you can get better efficiency from the engine, and you want to make sure the engine is at least in its powerband when you do it. It puts less stress on the engine.

 

[quang]

Re: how do you get into your "plane?"

my boat weighes in at about 1,600 pounds.. it has a 120 merc force outboard on it.. it should be more than enough power right?<br /><br />i just dont wanna push it too much, but i know that when the plane lags, it wastes a lot of fuel cause it actually has to work harder for a longer period of time

 

[JasonJ]

Re: how do you get into your "plane?"

The motor should be fine, just remember the weight of yourself, your gear, and passengers will all affect performance. You should just go out and experiment, you are not going to hurt your motor. Most people I see apply near full throttle to get on plane quickly, then throttle back to achieve their desired cruising speed. Do that and you won't have any problems....

 

[saltwateranglin]

Re: how do you get into your "plane?"

Put a set of trim tabs on the stern and you will see a remarkable reduction in the time and throttle needed to get on plane. Your boat will handle better and you can acheive a much nicer ride.