Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

[USCG Flyer]

Ok, so are tilt and trim two different things? What is the rocker switch on the throttle control doing for me? What is the rocker switch on the side of the engine doing?
Next question, when I'm running and bump my switch on the throttle, this will put my bow up/down and enable me to "trim the boat" for best running. This switch does not always work so well, yet the one on the motor seems to work all the time. I understand the switch mounted in the throttle is difficult to find a replacement for. Once I get the boat back from having my lower unit rebuilt, I would like to try cleaning this switch if I can figure out howto do it.
So please, someone give me a tilt/ trim for dummies lesson! Thanks for any help making an aviation guy understand!

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

Trim cylinder moves the angle of the motor in small increments to get best handling of the boat in certain conditions. Trim cylinder operates under high pressure as it has to overcome the thrust of the prop against the transom of the boat.

Tilt cylinder moves the angle of the motor in large increments. Like preventing the skeg from hitting the ground when trailering etc. Tilt cylinder operates under lower pressure as it is designed to just lift the weight of the motor, nothing else.

Trim/Tilt switch on the throttle might be fixable by spraying some contact cleaner in to it.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

Ok, so are tilt and trim two different things? What is the rocker switch on the throttle control doing for me? What is the rocker switch on the side of the engine doing?
Next question, when I'm running and bump my switch on the throttle, this will put my bow up/down and enable me to "trim the boat" for best running. This switch does not always work so well, yet the one on the motor seems to work all the time. I understand the switch mounted in the throttle is difficult to find a replacement for. Once I get the boat back from having my lower unit rebuilt, I would like to try cleaning this switch if I can figure out howto do it.
So please, someone give me a tilt/ trim for dummies lesson! Thanks for any help making an aviation guy understand!

First off...I bet you are not an idiot LOL...Asking questions about stuff you don't know the answer to is pretty smart if ya ask me

The rocker switch on the throttle and the switch on the motor itself probably have the same function. Folks like having an extra switch on the OB so you can set the motor in the "trailer" position using a brace or transom saver without having another person at the helm to lower or raise the motor.

"trimming" the motor is done while running the motor to make small adjustments to the angle of the prop. Trimming it down allows for a better hole shot/acceleration, while trimming it up will raise the bow and hit a little better top speed once on plane.

"tilting" the motor is when you need to raise it out of the water when in shallow water, trailering or to inspect the prop(if you just hit a rock or something).

The tilt moves the motor a bit faster than the trim, you will hear the audible difference when it switches speeds normally.

If you have some photos we could confirm this...I'm just guessing.

Good luck with that lower unit

 

[RRitt]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

Hmmm ....

here's my POV.

You want the prop to be square to the water when moving. If it is off then you are wasting energy. The problem is that as you go through the water at different speeds the angle of your entire boat changes. Trim moves the motor up and down to compensate. Once you get the hang of using trim there are times when you might actually want the back of your boat to dig in and plow (choppy water?). or maybe lift up the engine to clear a shallow spot, or or or. All of this is done with trim.

After a great day of boating you are ready to go home. But you need the engine to go way up - out of the water up - to get it on the trailer and start home. That is tilt. It usually goes a lot faster than trim.

 

[USCG Flyer]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

Thanks for the replies gents. So I'm understandingthat both switches accomplish the same task basically. What I was doing was using the switch on the motor if the throttle switch was hanging up. Was I incorrect in doing this? I guess what I'm trying to do is figure out that if the switch on the motor works, the system works. That would isolate it down to the switch in the throttle being at fault.
If I could fix the switch in the throttle, my wife would really be happy. She has kind of become my remote trim switch. At least once a trip I have to yell "hey honey, bump up that trim switch back there". She runs back and bumps it up or down for me!

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

ok so i have a bayliner capri with a 85 force and i only have one pump mounted to the drivers side ov the engine... is this a trim or i think it is a tilt pump because i dont have a switch on the throttle... is it cost effective to add a trim? and if so how would ya do it?

 

[RRitt]

Re: Help an idiot understand Tilt/ Trim!

What year is your engine? I think they stopped selling power tilt around 1986. If your engine has blue or black paint then Force did not sell the tilt-only system for your engine.