Remove hydrofoil?

[atticus3600s]

I have 1984 Skeeter ss-1 fisherman that is 15.5 feet long with a 75 horse merc. on it.
It has a doel-fin hydrofoil on it that came attached by the previous owner when I bought it.
When the boat is on plane at WOT it seems that the boat rides too much in a bow down position even when trimmed all the way out. The hydrofoil is supposed to provide stern lift (I think), so would removing the hydrofoil allow the boat at a better attitude, or is ther another problem, or maybe that is the way the boat is supposed to ride.
When I see other bass boats on the lake, most of their hull is out of the water which reduces drag, and Im thinking that the hydrofoil is hampering my performance.

Thanks for the input!

 

[roscoe]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Hydrofoils CAN offer some benefit, on some boats, but are a hinderance in most cases.

The are usually installed by inexperienced boaters, in an effort to fix a problem that they have not yet identified. So hey, lets bolt this $39 part on, the guy at the store says it will fix it.

Best to take it off.
Examine your boat/motor setup.
Motor height on the transom is important.
Put on a good prop and experiment with motor mounting height and trim settings, keeping record of the performance and the wide open throttle (wot) rpm's.

Post back (in the prop forum) with your results, and several setup guys will give you their valuable insight and advice.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Think about it! Trimming the engine out with a foil causes the foil to take a nose-down attitude. That does not create stern lift. The foil actually tries to dig-in. Just get the darned thiing off. If they had any redeeming value the engine manufacturers would either cast a much bigger AV plate or at least pre-drill the holes for them. They work better as frizbees and boomerangs than as performance enhancers for boats. For boats with stern lift problems there are far better solutions for very little more money.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

A hydrofoil should be completely OUT of the water when the boat is on plane.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Remove hydrofoil?

Ayuh,............ In a Heartbeat.............

 

[QC]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Have you seen my latest signature?

 

[atticus3600s]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Thanks for the advie guys!
Im gonna take the thing off and run it over a few times with the truck then give it to the dog as fetch toy........

Well next weekend I should have the chance to test wether it made a difference in overall performance. Any suggestions on how to fill the holes in the anti ventilation plate? And should I fill them before running the boat or will the holes not cause a problem?

By the way QC, nice signature!d

 

[Bondo]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Don't Look,+ You Won't Know that they're There.........

 

[roscoe]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

You can put a piece of tape over them if it bothers you to seem them.

Remember to take a took at the anti ventilation plate when the boat is on plane.
It should be out of the water.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

Remember to take a took at the anti ventilation plate when the boat is on plane.
It should be out of the water.

Your engine may be mounted too low. Have a look at threads on this topic.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

At the risk of getting me arse flamed...I would suggest that it depends on the design of the foil. The one I had on my SeaRay 170 was a shallow dihedral which -- in my view -- was its saving grace.

So, while the extra surface area helped rotate the stern up out of the hole and so go me on plane faster (with wheezy little 3.0 Mercruiser), once up there, the foil was out of the water (and harms way) again due to its shallow V shape.

In fact, it wasn't acting as a "hydrofoil" at all, but a big, centralized trim tab.

Now, the flat ones it seems to me would just suck down against the surface and cause more drag once on plane.

Having said all that that tho -- yeah, definitely run with it off to rule it out as the problem. Like with airplanes, start off with your wings clean. If she don't fly right, well then you can start adding your winglets, stall fences, and all manner of other crap.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Remove hydrofoil?

take them off !!!! they are ugly, and scream i have a trim problem and too cheap to buy smart tabs.