hydro foils

[buffermop]

Anyone use one of these? Do they really plane out a boat in short time?

[JeffA]

i put one on, but i did it before i ran the boat for the first time, but, my boat is pretty underpower and i have it say, it does plane out pretty fast, so i would have to say, yes, it helps.

[YOTE BUSTER]

they help

[Crestliner]

I put on my 15 hp Yamaha this year. Went from approx. 35 sec. plane time to less than 5 sec.. However, everything in boating is a compromize. Achieving this rapid acceleration cost me on the top end, loosing between 5 to 7 mph. I've got some input on a couple of boating forums on how to 'somewhat' alleviate this situation, but it requires a lot of time and trial & error experimentation. So I may just live with what I have - not sure yet.

[danderson]

crestliner, i wanna hear what you have to say.

for me, i just put an SE sport 200 hydrofoil on my 35 johnson and i went from 20 seconds to plane with 3 people to "wait, we're on plane already????" which is essentially instant planing speed.

i lost 2 miles an hour under a load with the 'foil, but when i solo ran the boat with nothing but a gas tank, i gained 2 miles an hour for a top end of 27.3 GPS miles an hour


hmm, sounds weird, but all in all, i say add it if you have a slow planing time

[Gary P]

when you put one, if you jack UP the motor a notch or 2, you won't lose any top speed at all, just make sure you have water pressure. They work great! put one my 225 last year and cut my plane time in half and also lets me stay on plane at slower speeds

[danderson]

well, by jack up, idk what you mean. i did move the trim up past the top bar now for regular loads, but with me, i trim it 2 bars past the top! do you mean literally raise its hight above the transom?

[Crestliner]

Gary P - what do you mean by "jack your motor up a notch or two?" Are you referring to trim angle? If so, that doesn't work. At least not on my rig. I've lost a good 5 to 7 mph with the fin installation. Several boating forums suggest trimming (cutting) the fin contour back about 2" for my rather small application and/or raising the engine off the transom 1/4" at a time - all to gain another 1 to 3 mph supposedly. I told them I wasn't looking for a 1 - 3 mph increase; but more like 5 or 6 mph. They threw a lot of technical jargon my way and I just ended it there. Right now my hole shot is fantastic. I know I'm saving a lot of gas and reducing engine wear & tear. All good things. Now if I can only get my speed back up to where it was before I installed the fin I'd be a very happy camper indeed!

[danderson]

crestliner, i'll do the experimenting for you, i already plan on raising my engine about 1 and 3/4 inchs up until the cavitation plate is about a 1/4 inch below the transom, this should get my boat back up a few miles an hour, and hopefully yours

[Crestliner]

danderson - let me know how you make out for sure! However, the boating forums warned me NOT to be too aggressive in the raising of the motor. You may want to cut your intended raise in 1/2 the first time out? You're call.

[JeffA]

he means, almost all motors have 3 or more mounting holes, you can raise or lower the motor by unbolting the motor, raise or lower a hole, and bolt it back up, now for motors that clamp on.....i'm not sure