Do these work???

[marquette]

Re: Do these work???

how would a foil stop cavitation as they claim in their ad?

 

[abj87]

Re: Do these work???

Made a big difference on our 14ft Avon rib with a 50hp Merc.

 

[Fu-Inator]

Re: Do these work???

Well, I don?t want to get into the debate, just to say that on this forum there have been more than a few threads that get into the ?fin vs. tabs? discussion. It seems to me, that most people prefer tabs but I have talked with folks that love their fins.

The good thing about the fin you showed is that it is no-drill. So, try driving with and driving without it and see which handles the boat better for you. If neither is to your satisfaction, check out the tabs.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Do these work???

First of all ventilation is what he is experiencing Prop gets air bound/loses its bite.Cavitation is different and you don't feel its affects.The fin increases the size of the antivent plate and can reduce venting.I'm more inclined to think it assists getting on plane a little quicker before the venting defeats his efforts.
Your friends venting problem is usually an indication the motor is a little too high.But he man just need a better prop to resist venting.
Some folk tollerate a little venting to reach their motors ideal height and thus best top end.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Do these work???

As for hitting hard over at speed... I've been driving boats for several decades and have NEVER had an occasion to do such a thing. The only time I was in a boat when that was done was when I was a teenager and my sister's boyfriend was showing off with his runabout. He thought it was really cool, right up until the passenger seat (with me in it) came loose and fell on top of him. Of course, he was an idiot.

I don't drive a car at high speed and hit it "hard over" just to see what happens and don't expect to do such a thing while boating either. YMMV.

-BWR

I guess hard over (implying turning the wheek to full lock)was a bad choice of words, but try making an abrupt steering input, ie an evasive maneuver to avoid a jetski, log whatever. If you've never had to do that consider yourself lucky. It is not something that you plan to do, but you don't always get to make the choices.
Same thing goes for cars. Sometime you brake, sometimes you steer, sometimes you do both; and an SUV that has been lifted to increase one aspect of it's performance will behave differently in a "panic" situation than one that was not lifted, or one that has been lowered.

Back to the boat - the foil doesn't differentiate between a straight line and a turn. If water is flowing over it, it is creating lift(and drag). In anything other than the mildest of turns(on glass smooth water) you risk haveing enough lift for the stern to break lose. Bow plants on a jetski are fun, in a larger boat with family aboard - unacceptable.

 

[LOW-LIFE]

Re: Do these work???

Define "handles well". What happens if you throw the wheel hard over at higher speeds?

in a hard turn i throttle down first, after im about halfway through the turn i will get back on the throttle as i see fit. so in that case, she turns great, whips right around like expected.
I have never turned the wheel to full lock at high speed, there has never been a need to.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Do these work???

I guess hard over (implying turning the wheek to full lock)was a bad choice of words, but try making an abrupt steering input, ie an evasive maneuver to avoid a jetski, log whatever. If you've never had to do that consider yourself lucky. It is not something that you plan to do, but you don't always get to make the choices.
Same thing goes for cars. Sometime you brake, sometimes you steer, sometimes you do both; and an SUV that has been lifted to increase one aspect of it's performance will behave differently in a "panic" situation than one that was not lifted, or one that has been lowered.

Back to the boat - the foil doesn't differentiate between a straight line and a turn. If water is flowing over it, it is creating lift(and drag). In anything other than the mildest of turns(on glass smooth water) you risk haveing enough lift for the stern to break lose. Bow plants on a jetski are fun, in a larger boat with family aboard - unacceptable.

Thank you for correcting your terminology.

Yes, I've had to use evasive maneuvers to avoid hazards while boating and never had an issue either with or without a foil.

-BWR

 

[180shabah]

Re: Do these work???

Thank you for correcting your terminology.

no prob..

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do these work???

how would a foil stop cavitation as they claim in their ad?

It won't, they most likely say cavitation instead of ventilation because all most people know is cavitation and use it incorrectly when they mean ventilation, so they do to. It may help eliminate ventilation and that would be the correct use. By eliminating ventilation you can raise the motor higher resulting in better hole shot, higher top speed, better handling, and more MPG. The wrong setup is having it dragging in the water at speed, this creates the lower top speed, bad handling, etc.

It may not help in many situations though.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Do these work???

Sounds like he doesn't use his tilt n' trim well when he's blasting off. The motor should be tilted as far in as it will go at idle speed, then when full throttle is hit, he should be tilting it up as he moves along, climbing over the bow wave quickly. My 17' bass 'n' ski boat with 150hp Mariner.......

First, he's only running a 115. Second, ventilation was prob the right word. I think everyone knew what I meant Third- he's a good boatman, but IMHO if he went back to a factory-ish prop he'd likely lose a few MPH and not have the venting issue anymore. But I don't hold it against cuz he sure can catch bass!

 

[HVSTRINE]

Re: Do these work???

When I first got my cuddy i took off from the dock and it almost stood on end.(porpoising?) I promply installed a hydrofoil fin and have never had that problem since. Steering was also improved. Mine cost 60 bucks and I had to drill/bolt it on.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Do these work???

First, he's only running a 115. Second, ventilation was prob the right word. I think everyone knew what I meant Third- he's a good boatman, but IMHO if he went back to a factory-ish prop he'd likely lose a few MPH and not have the venting issue anymore. But I don't hold it against cuz he sure can catch bass!

Ah. A 115 on that 18' Nitro is a bit underpowered, so I guess he's over-propped in order to get top end.

I met a guy with a 17' bassboat with a 115hp Johnson on it and with 3 aboard it would only get to about 40mph top speed, but was very quick getting on plane because he had the "correct" prop, which makes all the difference.

Has your buddy tried a foil? Might be worth looking into for the few bucks involved.

-BWR

 

[Hitech]

Re: Do these work???

Do a little research and see how many people you find that installed a "foil" and did not like it and took it off. Now do the same for Smart Tabs. To me, that is more telling than anything else (I couldn't find any that did not like Smart Tabs).

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do these work???

Do a little research and see how many people you find that installed a "foil" and did not like it and took it off. Now do the same for Smart Tabs. To me, that is more telling than anything else (I couldn't find any that did not like Smart Tabs).

See how many people installed one and actually used it correctly compared to how many read the promises on the package, then just bolted it on and headed for the water. Even if a fin is of use in a particular application it needs to be setup correctly, the "bolt it on a go boys" hate em. They aren't always needed and they serve a much different purpose than tabs, so comparing the two is unfair to both.

When people understand what each product is designed to do, they'll have a much better understanding of which one they need.

It may sound like I love fins, I don't, and like a person far more knowledgeable about these things than me says, "They're a tool that allows you to do other things". I just think people need a little better understanding of the product before they condemn them.

 

[Hitech]

Re: Do these work???

See how many people installed one and actually used it correctly compared to how many read the promises on the package, then just bolted it on and headed for the water.

On an I/O I'm not sure what else you can do other than bolt it on. I've never read the directions for one, what do they tell you to do? Do they claim they work on I/Os?

I still stand behind my statement. If you ask me (and even if you don't ) it is very telling.

 

[pinkham89]

Re: Do these work???

jeez. i dont know a heck of a lot about different tabs or most of what most people posted here, but i bought a 14' steury runabout with a 50hp johnson last summer and i took it out and had some real chinewalking issues... id be at full throttle and would go into a smooth banking turn and she'd start "snapping" around the corner. I ended up with the base model stingray and it really seemed to make a huge difference. I was very impressed with the way the boat handled after installation.

 

[HeloMech]

Re: Do these work???

This is my first boat, so is that what this white plastic wraparound thing is on my outdrive?

 

[QC]

Re: Do these work???

Yes. Welcome aboard too, we need some more SoCal peoples here . . .

 

[HeloMech]

Re: Do these work???

Thanks... looking forward to the marina at big bear lake opening next month.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Do these work???

This is my first boat, so is that what this white plastic wraparound thing is on my outdrive?

It is the marine equivilant of a 6' spoiler on the back of a civic....

It is a hydrofoil, that provides stern lift when water flows accross it. With I/O powered boats, when speeds get above the mid 30's, they tend to produce more negative than positive. Slower, underpowered boats, and OB's are another story.