Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

[WanabeBoater]

I am thinking of installing hydrofoils this year and would like to know the pros and cons of these things. I understand they bring the boat to plane fairly quickly, but at the same time I'd lose top end.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Don't waste your time. Do it the right way.

http://www.iboats.com/mall/?cart_id...d&keywords=smart+tabs&submit.x=17&submit.y=11

 

[atticus3600s]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Follow Boomyals advice, the Smart Tabs are a great product.
I have a buddy who has them on his bass boat and they are amazing.
But contrary to that I have seen people that swear by the hydrofoil.
I have a hydrofoil on my boat right now because the guy I bought it off had one on. I intend on taking it off as soon as I get around to it just to see what will happen.........

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

If the device slows the boat down then there is something wrong with the product design as it applies to the particular boat. It would seem that you get one benefit as a trade off for one deficit. Creating additional resistance, enough to make the boat slower, means more fuel consumption. The device could get expensive. If the resistance at top end is enough to slow the boat then the question is when does the resistance begin. It is usually right from the beginning. At the slower speeds the resistance is a positive trade off for additional lift that allows the boat to level off sooner, at higher speeds (once on plane) the foil continues to lift the stern ( when not necessary) and drive the bow down which causes the reduction in speed. Other side effects will be a listing to the port side when cruising, bow steering (very sensitive steering ), strong or excessive leaning in turns.

Additionally, lifting the boat by the motor (instead of the hull) is not easy on the cavitation plate, or motor mounts. I think the motor manufacturers would have increased the size of the flange many years ago if this was an overall improvement.

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

What Boomyal said, I have used both, currently have Smart Tabs, would never use Hydrofoil again, I would buy another set of Smart Tabs, they are everything that they are advertised to be, takes a little effort and time to adjust but well worth it.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Hydrofoils can cause more problems than they fix.
I had one on my boat when i bought it.
At speed the boat listed to port and the steering was hard to turn.I tried several things to correct it but no luck.
I removed the foil and the list was gone.
I installed Smart tabs and it was like a new boat!
Corners like its on rails at wot and tracks straight at idle,no more side to side wander.I can even stay on plane at about 2000 rpms..
Best bang for the buck of any products you can add to your boat!
Also my top speed actually increased about 2mph..

 

[ziggy]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

had a hydofoil on my last boat. i had got it that way. it didn't do much for me except break my anti ventilation plate. took it off after that and like the way it handled better than with it on anyways. i've never done tabs but would surly not go back to anything mounted to my drive.....

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Before you buy smart tabs look at this post:

http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=1;gtid=1247761

If you are only in lakes and have a smaller boat then they might be fine.

With my 24 foot boat going offshore I believe they can be dangerous.

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

There should be no danger anywhere you run them, I boat in lakes, rivers, sound and ocean, and anybody that boats in the some can tell you how the water can change, they help my boat in the rough water, such as the 2 to 4 chop in the sound, I can stay on a slow plane 18 to 20 and keep going with no problem. I do not see any safety issues with Smart Tabs, you can raise and lower the bow with drive trim, the tabs help hold the stern up but not hold the bow down.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

I have been in conditions with the stern drive trimmed out to keep my bow up in a following sea and I still almost pitch poled on a wave in front of me.

If I had smart tabs on my boat, I could have easily had a wave go over my bow. The problem with relying on the drive keeping the nose up is that if you reduce power going down the face of the wave, you have just negated the effect of the drive holding the nose up.

If I only had to deal with 2 to 4 foot chop, I wouldn't have a problem. 18 to 20 MPH... ...No way of going that fast in the conditions I am talking about.

 

[bucky7680]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

My buddy puy a hydrfoil on his 19 ft Bayliner Merc I/O. First time we took the boat out and made a right hand turn at speed the boat listed so far that we thought it was going to flip. The only way we could level the boat was to stop. We went right back to the ramp put the boat on the trailer removed the hydrofoil and threw it in the trash. We put the boat back in and it ran fine. He ended up getting a different prop and that lowered his time to plane noticeably.

 

[QC]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

And another thing . . . and then . . . but . . .

SmartTabs or helm adjustable trim tabs, the only way to fly. With a v-hull boat this isn't even a discussion, only a decision on where to drill the holes . . . :%

 

[WanabeBoater]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Well the hydrofoil idea is out the window...the smart tabs sound like the way to go. But are their cons with these as well? Will I lose my top end?

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

Being in Ohio i doubt you will be doing any boating in the ocean so the Smart Tabs would work great. It takes a couple of test runs to get them adjusted but once you do thats it. Like i posted before i actually gained a couple mphs once they were adjusted in.
If i boated in the ocean i would probably go with the helm adjustable tabs but for lakes rivers ect. the Smart Tabs are ideal.I'm sure the would work fine in the ocean but Bruce has some good points about the adjustable types..

 

[QC]

Re: Hydrofoil...Pros and Cons

There are some other things that can be done with helm adjustables too, but no need to go into that. To me this is a budget and level of input you want discussion. If you like to constantly play with things, then helm adjustable will make boating more like a video game . . . 8)

In either case, what trim tabs allow you to do is to shift weight aft which gets the bow further up, which should result in a little more speed. If they are installed correctly and adjusted properly, either way, you will absolutely love your "new" boat