Crooked hydrofoil

[xBoomhauer]

Currently working through my boat and fixing things done by the previous owner. (Can't believe I didn't notice some of this stuff when I bought the boat. This is my first boat, so has been a "great" learning experience)

Right now I am working on straightening the hydrofoil. Almost looks like he didn't even take a second to double check his holes before drilling. Or am I missing something..?





[1] At first I thought I was going to re-drill the holes on the motor. The new holes will likely overlap, however, so I was going to move the holes forward or backward 1/4"-1/2" (wasn't sure if moving them one direction was better than the other) I don't have access to a welder where I could fill in the old holes before re-drilling, though I could always fill the old holes with epoxy etc. afterward.

[2] I also don't want to drill more holes in the motor than I have to, so I then thought about re-drilling new holes in the hydrofoil itself and use the existing holes in the motor. This would be more of an eyesore, but keeps me from turning the mounting surface to swiss cheese.

[3] Third option I had was just leaving it off altogether and filling in the holes. The boat is a '98 Tracker Guide V14 and the motor a 1984 Johnson 35hp 2-stroke.

Wondering if it's worth messing with and mounting it properly, or if I should just leave it off and run it. I'm sure that will come down to personal preference, to a degree. Once the weather clears up I will go out and see what that's like and if there's any significant difference with it not installed. (Then again I would need to have it installed properly to begin with to make a truly fair comparison)



Open to advice and/or suggestions on the matter.

 

[garbageguy]

is it causing you a problem as-is? if so, maybe just take it off as you're thinking

 

[xBoomhauer]

Yeah I should've stated the symptoms. It's much harder to turn the boat left than it is right. It causes the boat to want to slightly turn to the right once up to speed. However the boat does feel like it sits flat once up on plane with weight distributed evenly.

 

[flashback]

I doubt the crookedness is affecting it much, Take it off and see how you like it.. if you do then fill the holes..

 

[flashback]

Yeah I should've stated the symptoms. It's much harder to turn the boat left than it is right. It causes the boat to want to slightly turn to the right once up to speed. However the boat does feel like it sits flat once up on plane with weight distributed evenly.

if thats the case, definently take it off..

 

[tphoyt]

Its probably not the cause of the pulling but maybe. Try it either way. If it still pulls then the trim tab needs adjusted.

 

[flashback]

Its probably not the cause of the pulling but maybe. Try it either way. If it still pulls then the trim tab needs adjusted.

I don't think it has a tab and no place to put one.

 

[tphoyt]

My mistake.

 

[tphoyt]

Now that I have looked at the photos it could very well be the hydro foil. Sorry My Bad.

 

[flashback]

Now that I have looked at the photos it could very well be the hydro foil. Sorry My Bad.

No worries, a mis aligned tab does cause steering problems on the bigger guys..

 

[xBoomhauer]

I was finally able to get the boat on the water without the foil installed. The steering felt more even turning side to side. Still slightly harder to turn left, wasn't sure if that was just a "normal" tiller thing (my first tiller boat), but definitely better than before. However it did take much longer to get up on plane, and did not feel nearly as stable at speed as it did with it installed, especially when navigating waves. Didn't notice any difference in top speed, maybe a smidge faster if anything. (of course I love going fast, but that's not a top priority with this boat)

I liked how the boat handled better with it installed, except for the hard-turning issue. I will likely modify the holes in the hydrofoil to match the holes in the motor and give that a shot.

Thanks y'all for the input.