Getting down to trolling speed

[pkrainert]

Hello I have a 68 Fabuglas tri hull, its 16 feet long. It currently has a 1977 55hp evinrude motor on it. What can I do to make this thing go slower? I would estimate the slowest I can go is 6 mph I need to get down to about 3-4 mph. Should I be able to troll at that speed with this motor or do I need to either get a kicker or a trolling plate? Also with the trolling plate can you add a foil to plane faster? I had one on my old boat and it seemed to work great. This boat gets up to a decent speed but takes a while to plane out.

 

[pkrainert]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

I see cabela's has a combo plate how does that work? Anything a little cheaper?

 

[Sea18Horse]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

Have you tried a trolling bucket? Five gallon bucket with a 4 or 5 inch hole cut in the bottom of it. Cut holes in the sides to tie a rope in and then tie it to your stern rope and throw it out the back. The hole in the bottom is important. A plain 5 gallon bucket won't provide the same resistance.

Cheers................Todd

 

[pkrainert]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

You know I have heard of them but havent tried. Seems like they would get in the way. But I havent tried it so I really don't know. Have you used them?

 

[Sea18Horse]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

We used to use one on a friends boat years ago. Sure it's a pain sometimes. A kicker or a trolling plate is a much more sanitary solution obviously. But the bucket is a lot cheaper!

Cheers...............Todd

 

[mudslinging79]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

i have a question bout the bucket, how far past the boat does one run the bucket?

 

[Sea18Horse]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

It doesn't really matter that much. 5-10 feet is fine. Depending on the layout of your boat you may want to run two lines from either side of the boat to each side of the bucket. Or if you have a grab handle on the back of your motor you could tie one line to that. It just depends. Some places have collapsible canvas buckets that take up a lot less space in the boat too.

Cheers...............Todd

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

The bucket or sock will work to slow the boat, Cabela's has (had) trolling socks in their bargain cave a few days ago...

I haven't used the bucket of socks as I don't want the fish to get fouled in it. I'm fishing for big stripers that pretty much run where they want, not like a trout of LMB that you can steer around where ever you want.

I have a Troll-a-matic spring loaded trolling plate on my 140HP I/O. It's nice since it's automatic and you won't mess it up by forgetting to raise it up, but it does reduce steering quickness at low speeds and in reverse.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

At what RPM does your engine idle at? You should be able to get down to 3 MPH or possibly less. It would appear the engine is simply idling too fast. Set idle as slow as you can IN GEAR.

 

[pkrainert]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

I have no idea. My tach is stuck at 6000. Is there a way I can fix it? It stays at 6k even if you turn the boat off.

 

[pkrainert]

Re: Getting down to trolling speed

How would I go about lowering the idle speed? Also It shakes a bit at low speed. Not very bad but I am afraid if I lower it that it may stall. Do I have to adjust the idle and adjust the low speed jet as well? If so where are they located? Thanks. I adjusted the idle and low speed jet on my 2002 8hp johnson and had it running perfect. But I think this will be a little more tricky.