New Sealine on the river, advice please

[yankeebloke]

Hi All

i am very new to boating and not very experienced, so please excuse if this is a really stupid question.

I have just bought a second hand Sealine 218, (23ft, 205 HP Volvo penta engine)

Now the plan is to have it locally to me, to cruise the rivers (Great Ouse etc) and on occasion take her out to Kings Lynn Wash and do some inshore cruising.

Now my question is this, having taken her out today for the first time, i notice that even the slightest amount of throttle tends not really to increase forward speed, but just bites and raises the bow.

I realise it will not be going fast it all on the river, but anything other than dead slow and i am nose up (i assume because of all the power transfer in the engine)

I have my trim tabs all the way down, and the power trim in to keep the bow down, but i still cant really give even the slightest throttle? nose goes way up and its very hard to see!

with hardly any power, dead slow, bow is down, but steering is all over the place.

Now should i just accept and get used to this? or would adding some ballast to the bow to keep it down (well improve it) be an acceptable solution? or would this then cause me problems when i left the river and went into the inshore / sea areas.

Any body with a motor cruiser on the rivers your advice would be very welcomed, having gone from a 9.9hp dawncraft to this 205hp sealine is bit of a wake up call!

John

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

find someone who knows what they are doing and take them out on your boat with you--maybe even pay your seller to do this. You just need to learn how to get on a plane sooner. POinting your bow too low is not the way.
Do not add ballast.
This is one reason people like to stand up to drive.
Have you had your boater safety course yet? That's a big boat to learn on. Practice your "touch and go" docking approaches on a channel marker from all points as to wind and current.

 

[yankeebloke]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Thanks for the advice

seller wont help as the boat has been bought already

as i said its mainly for river cruising, so i dont think i can reall get on the plane on the river (if i understand what you mean by getting on the plane)

as i dont intend to go coastal for a while i have no formal training etc plans as yet, i would like to master the river first! LOL

Any more advice please through it all at me,

i wont be offended

i am smart enough to know how stupid i am when it comes to boating

John

 

[BTMCB]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Boat Safety Course is highly recommended not just for your sake but for the sake of those around you. Are you allowing the boat to get on plane? In other words, when you hit the throttle, the bow will rise but as the boat gains speed, it will drop as you get on plane. When on plane, come off the throttle to the desired speed and trim as appropriate to keep it on plane. Just my .02cents. Good luck.

 

[yankeebloke]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Thanks for the replies

I dont think i ever got near the plane, the bow would rise but never come back down, as it was first trip out i was trying to get a feel, and i dont think i ever got going fast enough to get on a plane,

The river was shallow only 1.5 meters, 4-5 ft deep at that point and i doubt if my speed was more than 9-10 knots.

Would i need more speed than that to get on the plane?

I am in the UK and most boat courses are costal based and i am somewhat inland, as the river cruising here is slow i thought i would try to master that before i ever attempt going into costal waters i do intend to do a course

please keep the advice, and do's / donts comming

John

 

[cheesegrits]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Of course this is an extreme example but this is bow rise and getting on plane.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18NUxfLObRg&feature=related


In your case your hull is much heavier but until you get over "the hill" all your going to be doing is looking at the sky. Good luck, cheers!

 

[BTMCB]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Thanks for the replies

I dont think i ever got near the plane, the bow would rise but never come back down, as it was first trip out i was trying to get a feel, and i dont think i ever got going fast enough to get on a plane,

The river was shallow only 1.5 meters, 4-5 ft deep at that point and i doubt if my speed was more than 9-10 knots.

Would i need more speed than that to get on the plane?

please keep the advice, and do's / donts comming

John

John,

My boat (see signature) gets on plane within a few seconds and, depending on load, stays on plane above 13-15mph. Having said that, I personally would not be traveling on plane in 4 feet of water - just my opinion.

 

[yankeebloke]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

John,

My boat (see signature) gets on plane within a few seconds and, depending on load, stays on plane above 13-15mph. Having said that, I personally would not be traveling on plane in 4 feet of water - just my opinion.

thanks again everyone, i am now pretty sure i wasnt fast enough to get on a plane was was at most doing 10 knots so only 10-11 mph, and as you say i didnt dare try any more speed.

i will try bringing the trim tabs up and playing with the power trim to see how this affects handling and steersing at the lower speeds

 

[ziggy]

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

it's normal for vhulls to wander at displacement hull speeds.

i'd be careful operating in that little of water depth with a pretty big boat. who knows, maybe yer dragging bottom while attempting to get on plane. but i do think your going a bit to slow. your initial statement of drive full in and tabs full down is the correct way to start out and get up on plane. after your above planing speed, then you adj. your trim and adj. your tabs.
if you get it on plane. a boat will not draft near as much water as it's sitting on top of the water at plane, for the most part. so don't put your tabs up and don't start out with the drive trimmed up. all that will do is point ya more bow high. a boat that planes (vs a boat that is a displacement hull) drafts the most water when the bow is high and the stern is low (the transfer point between displacement speed and planing speed. when your climbing over your own wave). so again. be careful in that shallow water..

congrats on your new boat..

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New Sealine on the river, advice please

Some observations:
Sounds like you are boating in canals where the typical speed is a little more than "no wake." If that's the case, the boat best suited is the kind that doesn't get on a plane--pontoons, houseboats, canal barges, trawlers. Do you see other boats going faster, and when they start, they go from low in the water, to bow up, to flat again but higher? That's getting on a plane.
Your trim tabs and power trim/tilt do very little for you at low speeds, especially with a heavy boat. Tabs work on water pressure, like an airplane wing or spoiler.

Contrary to others, I'd rather run a boat on a plane over shallow water than not, because the boat draws way less. Sometimes you have to stay on a plane or you are stuck until the next tide. This is not a technique for large boats, inboards, hard bottoms or the uninitiated. The duck hunters understand.

But for your boat--do you know what it draws sitting still, from waterline to the bottom of the skeg? when you accelerate, especially if you are plowing, you are dropping down another 2 feet or more. So if you draw 2.5 feet sitting still, when you try to plane you are down 5 feet, not good in a 4 foot canal.

With good tabs and the right motor, in shallow water, you can drop your tabs all the way down, punch the accelerator and instantly get on a plane--this is called "hole shot" as you are getting up out of a hole. But as you r bow is dropping on the plane, raise the tabs or else your boat will plow and veer out of control. If you are not fast enough, you drag bottom--which can be bad.
I'll say it again--take someone out with you who knows your type of boat, waters, and in this case local customs in the canals. Look at the other boats there. First, are their hulls like yours, or is your boat unique? If similar, watch what they do when they start off.

Can you find some open water and let it rip so you know what your boat does? You'd be better off learning in open water than in restricted areas. Margin for error if nothing else.

Hate to say this, but if 90% of your boating will be in conditions in which your boat won't operate well--you're restricted by speed and depth--you may have bought the wrong boat. Like an American Suburban truck trying to get along in the narrow streets of Florence.
I also know that driving slow all the time is hard on an outboard engine--don't know about yours.
PS I'm Norfolk Virginia not Norfolk England!