Help! Boat is squirrely
Rex Vaughn
I have a 17'6" Glasstream Angler Bass Boat with a '96 Merc XR6 150HP that
gets really squirrely around 50MPH. It also seems very sensitive to side
wakes from other boats and porpoises at moderate speeds. I was hoping this
group could give some advise on improving my stability? Do you think a
hydrofoil would help? If so what brand or does it matter? Please email me
your responses if possible.
-Rex Vaughn
r...@ou.edu
Harry Krause
I'd opt for a smaller engine, Rex. I'm pretty certain you are seriously
overpowering that hull, and I doubt if it were designed for hull speeds
of 50 mph. I'd guess your transom plate says 90-100 hp, MAX. Put on the
right size engine and prop, and I'll bet your squirrels look for their
nuts elsewhere and your porpoising goes away, too.
--
Harry Krause
------------
Murphy on projects: Everthing takes longer & costs more.
fishwisher
smooth out and be more stable.
--
Dale Gillespie
Boating and fishing the Californiadelta(.org)
Rex Vaughn <r...@ou.edu> wrote in message
news:gSjs4.9875$136....@typhoon2.kc.rr.com...
RBStern
>overpowering that hull, and I doubt if it were designed for hull speeds
>of 50 mph. I'd guess your transom plate says 90-100 hp, MAX. Put on the
>right size engine and prop, and I'll bet your squirrels look for their
>nuts elsewhere and your porpoising goes away, too.
>
I think it's likely the hull is rated for around 125, but agree that whatever
the sticker says, the boat is probably overpowered. Even so, 50 mph seems a
bit short of where it should get to before getting skittish.
Rex, you didn't mention prop, jack plate, top speed or how many RPMs you are
turning when this is going on. If you have a jack plate, raise the motor a
bit. If you don't have a jackplate, consider mounting the motor a bit higher
on the transom. You might also go to a prop that gives less lift. Basically,
try to get more of the boat back in the water to add stability at high speeds.
Since you have more than enough horsepower, you can afford to give up a little
on the tweaks that normally yield better speed.
You might experiment with some ballast also. Bring a few 40lb sacks of sand
along and try positioning them fore and aft and see what it does to handling.
If you have not done so, post your question over at the Bass Fishing home page
under the "Boats and Motors" page: http://www.wmi.org/bassfish
Good luck. Interested to hear what you come up with.
-- Rich Stern
WHardy1902
Life is not fair I tell ya, If life was fair, I would have been born rich,
Instead of so damned good lookin.
Doug Miller
Doug
Lifespeed
You scared the slow pokes with your 50 mph comment.
No way in hell that thing should get squirrely at 50 mph.
You need to look at all the boat set-up parameters, including,
but not limited too, trim, transom height, standoff, and type of
prop. Solid motor mounts, and no slack in the steering are a must
also.
Very likely your probs can be corrected with the right setup.
Now, where was that little fishing boat I was going to buzz by at
top speed?
- Lifespeed
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Blake
also help) The squirrelly problem may be from slack in the steering (you
should have dual cable or hydraulic, if dual cable, adjust it so all slack
is gone) and you should consider solid motor mounts (at least for the lower
mounts) , as the stock rubber ones allow the engine to twist enough at speed
to cause chine walking.
--
Reply if needed
Activator22
at Worldnet.att.net