Cant seem to get up on plane.

[willroach]

Folks,
I have a older Meyers 12' aluminum fishing boat that my '61 10HP Evinrude is hooked to. I am wondering if this motor is enough motor to get my boat, full 6 gal tank of fuel, battery, 180 lbs of me, and fishing gear up on plane? When I'm on the water, all that gear and me are in the rear of the boat, and the motor makes more noise than go, and the front of the boat is way up in the air.

Is this normal? Any help would be appreciated!

Will

 

[wifisher]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Well, yeah, that is pretty normal. You are basically at the limit of a 12' tin boat. All of the weight is in the back. The bow lifts because it has no weight in it.

You may do a little better with the gas tank in front. (yes, it will be a long fuel line) But even then, it will not be a race boat. More motor won't help you much. That boat is made to be enough to get around the lake, but no more than that. It is doing that. Use it as is, or get a different boat if you want more.

 

[Daviet]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Yeh, try and shift some of your gear to the bow and see if it helps.

 

[emoney]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Matter of fact, move everything to the front except yourself. That little 10hp should be able to at least plane the boat and get you going 15mph I'd think. Course, it depends on how heavy your boat is. Plus, since it's a '61, I'm sure it's at least a little tired of hauling full grown men around the lake, lol. How's your prop?

 

[willroach]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Thanks folks for the replies. Yes i realize its not a race boat, but my thought was it should at least plane out. Ill try shifting all but me to the front and see how that works. My prop has seen better days, maybe time for a change. Thanks again everyone!

Will

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Hey Will,
Welcome to the iboats forum!

I just wanted to add that I think it will most assuredly plane your boat and that I totally ditto the weight up front remarks above. If it won't plane it out with the weight distributed correctly, then check for spark on both cylinders with a spark tester.
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[Mas]

Re: Cant seem to get up on plane.

Well, I can plane a 10 foot aluminum with my wife and I with no gear with a 5 hp motor. I weigh 200 and she is at 100 lbs. Ten HP should easily plane your boat with properly distributed weight. What is the tilt angle of your motor??

Move as far forward as possible while still maintaining control of your motor as you try to plane. If you are unable to, your motor is in need of attention:

Loss of spark
Carb issues
Low compression
Spun prop hub