Re: 1st time out on my own / what did i do wrong?
At the risk of beating a dead horse:
1) Check the capacity plate of the boat. The total weight is typically people, motor and gear. Don't go by the Number of People on the boat, go by the total weight. Again, don't forget to add the sum of the weight of all occupants, the gear and the motor. Then, don't exceed the hulls capacity.
2) Accelerating with the drive trimmed down is correct, then, once the boat comes on plane, start trimming it out. Someone earlier said you need to learn to trim the boat. In this case, you stated you started with the drive trimmed in. Trimming the drive out would raise the bow evern higher, so that is not the solution for this particular situation.
3) Smart tabs will significantly reduce bow rise and allow the boat to get on plane faster. Based on the average weights of occupants (you provided this info. so no offense), I would stongly consider some smart tabs for that boat.
4) Get the bilge pump fixed period. I would check the functionality of such safety equipment prior to departing from the boat ramp.
5) If the wake washed up over your transom, it is because you chopped the throttle too much. Yoiu need to gradually decrease throttle. chopping throttle too much can cause issues from swamping the transom on outboards to potentially pushing water up exhaust manifolds and into the the engine on an I/O.
6) Boat with an experienced friend a few times before taking the family out. Boat with the family before taking guests out. Get a feel for the boat and some experience under your belt.
7) You absolutely want to pull the drain plug once you have the boat up on the trailer. Leave it out while being stored and DON't Forget to reinstall it before launching. I had a friend who kept his boat keys in a small bag along with the drain plug. You HAD to put your hand on the drain plug to grab the keys and you had to grab the keys to start the boat. Key doesn't go into ingition until plug goes into boat. It would be wise to get the keys in teh ingition prior to launching the boat. Whatever works for you.
8) More weight in the front will allow you to get on plane better, so will less weight in teh boat.
Hey, we've all done stupid stuff. As time passes experience will grow. It's an ongoing process. All these replies weren't based on inate knowledge. Everyone has made similar mistakes along the way. As long as you recognize your limitations.
At the risk of beating a dead horse:
1) Check the capacity plate of the boat. The total weight is typically people, motor and gear. Don't go by the Number of People on the boat, go by the total weight. Again, don't forget to add the sum of the weight of all occupants, the gear and the motor. Then, don't exceed the hulls capacity.
2) Accelerating with the drive trimmed down is correct, then, once the boat comes on plane, start trimming it out. Someone earlier said you need to learn to trim the boat. In this case, you stated you started with the drive trimmed in. Trimming the drive out would raise the bow evern higher, so that is not the solution for this particular situation.
3) Smart tabs will significantly reduce bow rise and allow the boat to get on plane faster. Based on the average weights of occupants (you provided this info. so no offense), I would stongly consider some smart tabs for that boat.
4) Get the bilge pump fixed period. I would check the functionality of such safety equipment prior to departing from the boat ramp.
5) If the wake washed up over your transom, it is because you chopped the throttle too much. Yoiu need to gradually decrease throttle. chopping throttle too much can cause issues from swamping the transom on outboards to potentially pushing water up exhaust manifolds and into the the engine on an I/O.
6) Boat with an experienced friend a few times before taking the family out. Boat with the family before taking guests out. Get a feel for the boat and some experience under your belt.
7) You absolutely want to pull the drain plug once you have the boat up on the trailer. Leave it out while being stored and DON't Forget to reinstall it before launching. I had a friend who kept his boat keys in a small bag along with the drain plug. You HAD to put your hand on the drain plug to grab the keys and you had to grab the keys to start the boat. Key doesn't go into ingition until plug goes into boat. It would be wise to get the keys in teh ingition prior to launching the boat. Whatever works for you.
8) More weight in the front will allow you to get on plane better, so will less weight in teh boat.
Hey, we've all done stupid stuff. As time passes experience will grow. It's an ongoing process. All these replies weren't based on inate knowledge. Everyone has made similar mistakes along the way. As long as you recognize your limitations.
