At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

[swist]

Re: At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

My boat planes easily (24' with 225 o/b) - my problem is it is either on plane or it isn't - which is I guess normal, but it leaves a range of speeds that are unattainable between displacement and planing. Sometimes I take people out to a restaurant and everyone wants a fairly slow quiet ride home in the sunset. Well below planing speed it's slow all right, we'll get home the next morning. Once you reach your hull speed, adding power only makes it louder (and wastes gas). Then it planes and now we're bouncing around and it's windy and the women in the back don't like it. <br /><br />My next boat I'd like to find a hull style that has a more usable transition zone. What would that be?

 

[lakelivin]

Re: At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

swist, have you got tabs or a foil on your boat? If not, sounds like you could really benefit from them. There are enough threads about the subject on these boards to give you as much info as you want.<br /><br />And I wonder if the OPs question might really relate to 'how do you tell optimum trim?' rather than 'how to tell when boat is on plane?' He's talking about waves, which may complicate the issue, but on calm water seems like there really isn't any question (at least for any of the boats I've been on, which granted isn't a large variety). When you're not on plane you're plowing through the water, when you're on plane you're riding on top of it.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

Swist, you should get yourself a pontoon boat!

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

Swist;<br />if you check any of the magazines boat Tests you will see that nearly all the stern drive boats and larger Outboard boats will run at about 12 MPH (pre-plane) at 2000 RPMs (as an example) then at 2500 RPMs they are up to 21 mph. Any other 500 rpm in crease yields about 3 to 4 mph. This large increase in speed is due to the boat getting up on plane, and the lack of resistance once on plane.<br /><br />If you throttle back the boat eventually falls of plane and back to the 12 mph. Results in what you are experiencing - no intermediate speed.<br /><br />The most effective way to achieve these intermediate speeds is to install trim tabs. You will then have all of the speeds available, and the boat should plane solidly at about 15 mph. Nothing else you can do will be as effective.

 

[swist]

Re: At what point is boat considered "on plane"?

"Swist, you should get yourself a pontoon boat! "<br /><br />Yeah, no kidding. The wife brings her "wimmin" friends for a "cruise" and they think it's gonna be the QE2.<br /><br />Still, this is a 24' boat, not a dink skiff!, but in any case it's a BOAT RIDE, not a ^&*()_ cruise!<br /><br />And it's not like these are old ladies either....<br /><br />Sheesh