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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I tried a search, and it just gave me all the "boats and motors" threads in order, so it didn't yield anything, and I went back 22 pages; back to May of last year and couldn't find anything on this.
But what do y'all think about the various lower unit add-ons? Mostly I'm asking about the stabilizers, hydrofoils, fins and whatever else that you see that advertise better fuel mileage, higher speeds, better hole-shots, etc. Do they work? Pros, cons?
And what about skeg add-ons? Skeggard?
Thanks,
Jeff |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | I had a hydro foil ( stingray) on my current boat for awhile. For mine it slowed my top end no noticable holeshot difference and kept the bow down alittle to much. After a 300 gal bath oneday I removed it and threw it away. It did smooth out the waves when trolling though.
Now on my buddys 25 4stk on his flatbottom river boat it works flawless. In fact on that boat/motor without it you cant keep the bow down to get on plane. |
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Posts: 431
| The skeggard is a cheap way to make your skeg whole if you are missing a chunk. My dad added one, but, alas, it is sitting on the bottom of LOTW with the rest of the lower unit. |
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Posts: 1759
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | If you are going to get a hydrofoil the only one to have is a doel-fin. This was designed using the same premise as an airplane wing, so water resistance is a minimum. It will aid hole shots and may slow the boat by a couple of mph but if the bow rises on takeoff, I wouldn't be without one. I've had one on my boat for years and have never looked back. |
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| i think when the horsepower of the motor matches up with the performance of the hull ... any add-ons are just not needed. underpowered boats need help ... but the help provided by the add-ons could be avoided imo by just getting into a good match-up in the first place. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | What about fuel mileage? I see improved fuel economy advertised sometimes. Is that BS? |
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| if your boat comes out on plane with little effort, you should be able to find the sweet spot of rpm to top fuel economy. adding things are usually tied to getting an underpowered boat on plane easier which in-turn would reduce the fuel burn for that situation. i guess i can't imagine needing any performance aids in a boat that is matched up with enough power to get out and flat quickly. once you are on the pad the best results of the match-up come to you. it's getting onto the pad that the add-ons are addressing. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Makes sense. |
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Posts: 193
Location: Mayer, MN | I have a hydrofoil on my 4.3L omc cobra sterndrive ski/fishand it works great eliminating any and all porposing, but it makes middle speed turns interesting. The boat has an odd handling/climbing characteristic under medium power turns. Would not be fun pulling tubers or skiers with it on. |
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Posts: 3511
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Essentially, the nail has been hit on the head. Many motor-heads (myself included at least for boating purposes) tweak and tweak their rig more to get the most efficiency out of everything from speed, to holeshot to handling and it always will involve compromise.
For the most part, though, if you have a well powered boat, any hydrofoil should not be needed given you have the correct prop for your boat. The reason being is your anti-ventilation plate above the prop should be at water height or slightly above it while on plane, therefore the foil is doing nothing at all. In many cases with motors that can be moved up or down on the transom by bolts, jackplates, etc. it is not uncommon for the antiventilation plate to be an inch or two ABOVE the lowest point on the transom. Dealers set up motors so it is level with the transom bottom because it is usually a position which allows for good overall handling and adequate speed, but it is by no means the best location...it's a compromise..
I tend to think of the hydrofoil as a band-aid so to speak since it helps mask a set-up issue....most of the time (as has been mentioned) due to an under-powered motor for the boat or the load, but it can also tie to an over-pitched motor, a motor that cannot push the bow over due the motor itself not being able to tuck under and push the stern up to get on plane
. Many times, these issues can be handled by a prop change rather than a foil, but it also may entail the use of transom wedges if the stern of the hull does not allow a power-trimmed motor to "tuck under" as much.
In terms of the "climbing" characteristic mentioned above, that is most likely due to the lifting characteristics of the foil. If the foil is designed with the same principles behind an airplane wing, it will essentially lift the boat, which can create some interesting handling characteristics which must be gotten used to.
all in all, experimenting with your rig can be a time consuming effort, but if you enjoy seeing what certain tweaks do, it can be a fun project to take on. the effort is definitely worth it in the end.
Steve |
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Posts: 476
Location: St. John, Indiana | i have a 2005 17ft lowe deep-v...115 optimax......trophy plus ss prop.....i bought the boat used....the guy had a hydrofoil attached......i put the boat in the north atlantic last week for the first time (lake michigan w/ice bergs!) the hole shot seemed sluggish......i've talked with about 10 people about the sluggish hole shot....the guys at mercury said to take the fin off...they say most guys don't need them on larger outboards..........
what size outboard are you guys using hydroilfoils on?....you haven't said what size motors you have. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I'm buying a 200 hp from Jonnysled, and I'm not concerned about speed or holeshot, as Jon tells me it's got more than enough power to move itself. I believe him. I'm more thinking about fuel mileage. I saw a foil in Cabela's advertising increased fuel mileage, and with gas as it is, but me being skeptical of such claim in Cabela's, I thought I'd ask here.
I think the concensus is to skip it if you've got the power.
Jeff |
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Posts: 199
Location: Sandusky, OH | The only add-on I'd consider in that boat is hydralic trim tabs if they aren't there already. Gets you on plane faster, keeps you on plane at slower speeds, and they can make all the difference in the world in rough water ride. You can even use them to balance out your boat is you have an offset load. Love them on the boats I've run.
Eric |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I've been thinking about those too. Jon's boat is set up as is, but tabs would be sweet in bigger water.
Jeff |
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Posts: 332
Location: Michigan | I have a 16.6' Lowe with a Yamaha F60. I put on a stingray before last season, I am up on plane much faster, didn't lose any top end speed and the boat handles turns much better.
2cents |
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| I think the advertising of better gas mileage is somewhat vague in that IF you have an underpowered boat, the foil will keep you on plane better and at a lower speed, which, in effect would give you better gas mileage. Again, this is going to happen with rigs that do not have enough engine power to get the boat on plane efficiently, nor are able to hold it on plane at lower RPM levels.
with your 200hp, the best thing you can do is spend some time trying out different props and motor heights. No need for any add-ons at all...
Steve |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I was thinking the same thing Steve. Thanks. |
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Posts: 1462
Location: Davenport, IA | On my 16' aluminum bass boat with a 25 I added a hydrofoil. Before it....20 seconds to plane...a little slow and a top speed of 28 mph. After it...2 minutes to plane and a top speed of 18. They aren't always good. I just took the hydrofoil off my Javelin bass boat because I couldn't get much bow lift even with the engine trimmed up all the way. Hopefully this fixes the problem, but I may need a different prop. |
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Posts: 720
| Go with a prop change first.
Dave |
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