trim gage

T

TONGINJA

Recruit
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
4
I just bought an 89 Bayliner. I do not have a trim gage is this normal. Very new to the boating world HELP !
 
seabob4

seabob4

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Messages
1,603
Re: trim gage

With Bayliners, this is normal. Trim by feel...
 
rs1lollie

rs1lollie

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 27, 2009
Messages
194
Re: trim gage

if you have an I/O you can add one all the wires are pulled up to the dash.
 
seabob4

seabob4

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Jun 10, 2008
Messages
1,603
Re: trim gage

Tonginja,
Know it probably wasn't what you wanted to hear, but Bayliners were cheap boats, and no trim gauge was the way of life. I remember a test of a 28' Cierra Sedanbridge with a single 7.4 that had no trim gauge.

But like lollie said, the wirings in the engine harness (should be brown w/white stripe). You can always add one...
 
redone4x4

redone4x4

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
1,548
Re: trim gage

rs1lollie said:
if you have an I/O you can add one all the wires are pulled up to the dash.
Click to expand...

yep. brown/white wire is already under the dash ready for a gauge. ive thought about adding one to mine but havent done so yet.
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,080
Re: trim gage

Trim gauges are usualy inaccurate, and wholly unnecessary. You should trim the boat by feel. Trim it up until she handles lightly, and has nearly maximized her speed. Normally over trimming will make the boat handle poorer, then correct trimming.

Larger boats sometimes do not respond to trimming very much, however, your boat should respond quite well.
 
1

180Fisherman

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Messages
276
Re: trim gage

Chris1956 said:
Trim gauges are usualy inaccurate, and wholly unnecessary. You should trim the boat by feel. Trim it up until she handles lightly, and has nearly maximized her speed. Normally over trimming will make the boat handle poorer, then correct trimming.

Larger boats sometimes do not respond to trimming very much, however, your boat should respond quite well.
Click to expand...

While the the guages are in fact inaccurate, the inaccuracy is fixed. Once you do get the feel of the boat at various trim levels the guage works exactly as needed. That said, I find them more a luxury than a necessity but I do prefer to have one. Usually at times like slowing for a no-wake or something. Just a glance at the guage prior to powering up will tell me if I've tirmmed down or not. I am getting older and more forgetful.
 
rs1lollie

rs1lollie

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 27, 2009
Messages
194
Re: trim gage

180Fisherman said:
While the the guages are in fact inaccurate, the inaccuracy is fixed. Once you do get the feel of the boat at various trim levels the guage works exactly as needed. That said, I find them more a luxury than a necessity but I do prefer to have one. Usually at times like slowing for a no-wake or something. Just a glance at the guage prior to powering up will tell me if I've tirmmed down or not. I am getting older and more forgetful.
Click to expand...

I added one to just for reference to where my out drive is when going through shallow spots.
 
U

ufm82

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
827
Re: trim gage

You guys crack me up. Yes a Bayliner is a low-buck boat but guess what. I've seen numerous SeaRays, Maxims, Crownlines, blah, blah, blah with no trim gauges. It isn't just Bayliner being cheap.
For the record, I owned a 20' Bayliner cuddy a few years back (for one year before I sold it for a profit and stepped up) that did in fact have a factory trim gauge. It worked fine but I never paid attention to it as I drove like everyone suggest- by feel and sound.
Just because it's a Bayliner doesn't mean it's a turd. Great first time boats...

UFM82
 
seabob4

seabob4

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Messages
1,603
Re: trim gage

And you are right, UFM. Just because it's a Bayliner...
 
Kracken

Kracken

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
158
Re: trim gage

I have never found a trim gage to be inaccurate after calibrating it. While I do trim strictly by feel and sound, I use the gage when the engine is off. (Docking, launching, and retrieving). Trim gages will save you big $$$ over the life of a boat. Every time you do the dash and dive over the sun pad to check the drive?you are risking losing the shades. (Talking from experience). Plus you look like a fool with your butt in the air and your head under the swim platform. :D
 
Kracken

Kracken

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
158
Re: trim gage

Come on Bob...

we all have our senior moments, nice to have a tool to limit them.


Yeah the plug is in.....:confused:

I'm sure I took the tie downs off.....:confused:

I thought there was gas in there....:confused:

and the big one...

I do.:eek:
 
Philster

Philster

Captain
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
3,344
Re: trim gage

I likey my trim gauge. Eve if it read backwards (essentially upside down).

Down is up and up is down, but I know that when it says ''down'', it's up all the way.. and when it's says "up", it's down all the way.

I also know that when I come on plane I can just press "up" on the trim button until the indicator moves to about 4-7 on the trim gauge and I am in the sweet spot.

(Yeah, I press 'up' and the indicator goes down. Haha. :) Anybody want to take a stab at how I correct that? Although, I am sure I would have to relearn up and down).
 
Stachi

Stachi

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
1,671
Re: trim gage

Philster said:
I likey my trim gauge. Eve if it read backwards (essentially upside down).

Down is up and up is down, but I know that when it says ''down'', it's up all the way.. and when it's says "up", it's down all the way.

I also know that when I come on plane I can just press "up" on the trim button until the indicator moves to about 4-7 on the trim gauge and I am in the sweet spot.

(Yeah, I press 'up' and the indicator goes down. Haha. :) Anybody want to take a stab at how I correct that? Although, I am sure I would have to relearn up and down).
Click to expand...

switch the wires on the back of the guage....
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,080
Re: trim gage

If you need to look over the transom to determine where your drive is, you are inexperienced, at least with that boat. Forgetting to trim down does happen, however, when you go to accelerate, it should be immediately obvious that the drive is up.

Trim guages on Alpha I drives are based upon a copper rheostat in the pivot point of the drive. This rheostat is open to the water (in my case saltwater). Due to this design, I have never found the trim gauge to be linear, or even reliable.
 
Subliminal

Subliminal

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
555
Re: trim gage

I find my trim gauge to be borderline worthless.

When I trailer I push up on the trim button until it gets to the top. When I put it in the water, I trim all the way down and start from there.

After I get on plane I trim up slightly until the water is blasting off the back of the side of the boat, instead of the middle, and that seems about right.

My boat doesn't seem to need much trimming up EVER. My neighbors outboard would need a lot more trimming when it's on plane. But it was an outboard, so you could just look at the top of the motor to see how far you were trimmed.
 
Kracken

Kracken

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
158
Re: trim gage

Chris,

Unless you are using the force,

I dare you to tell what position the drive is in when the engine is off. :D

with an i/o that is.
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,080
Re: trim gage

I can easily tell when the OD is all the way up or all the way down, with the motor off. Those are the only positions I care about, with the motor off.

With the motor on, I never want the OD all the way up. The rest is as Subliminal has eloquently stated.
 
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