tracker laker V16 won't plane

[lonertoo]

Hello everyone, I've never posted on here before but have taken advantage of alot of info found on here. Now I have a question that has bugged me for a long time.
I have a Tracker V16 Laker that gets up on plane fine when it's me and my wife in it, but when i'm by myself it plows thru the water with the bow seemingly at such a sharp angle I swear i'm going to swamp the back end of it, In the back I have myself (190 lbs) a 30hp EFI mercury, 6Gal tank and the starting battery. Should I buy one of those hydrofoils that go on the lower unit or what? Hopefully some one can help me! Thanks for any info!

 

[MikDee]

Yes! Get yourself a Doel fin, it's all you need, nothing else bigger. On a small boat like yours it should work wonders!

 

[ziggy]

imho, it seems like a weight distribution issue. i'd start by moving the batt. and fuel to the ft. of the boat when your alone. or maybe put a big rock up ft. while the rock is a laughable idea. i've done it and it works to keep the bow down when alone in a fishing boat w/tiller steer.

 

[southkogs]

I agree with Ziggy - move some weight around a bit. Look to see if there is a tiller extension available for your outboard too. You may do okay to move forward a seat or so.

 

[greenbush future]

Its all about weight distribution, as stated, all you need to do is move forward to eliminate this issue. Adding un-needed weight will affect performance, so if you can move gas tanks, batteries or yourself forward, w/o adding additional weight, that's even better. You will be surprised how little it takes to fix this issue.

 

[lonertoo]

I like the idea of putting a fin on the motor for just the fact that in that boat there is no good place to move everything up front and not take alot of usable room. It has a big deck up front with a pedestal on it and in the middle there is another pedestal seat,so I guess what I'm saying is, walking room is at a premium.

 

[Watermann]

I disagree with using the hydro foil thing to fix your weight issue and say no to putting rocks in your boat. I believe greenbush posted the best solution.

 

[stalker14]

Can you trim the motor down when you are by yourself?