hydfoil

[imported_bjs]

i have a 1998 triton bassboat 17.5 120 force outboard .do the planing plates work on this type of boat? does hydrofoil really work? i never see these thing on bass boats is it because they dont look cool.

 

[vipzach]

Re: hydfoil

They are supposed to work better for outboards, not real good for I/O's. Someone will be halong with more real experience. Check on smarts tabs, they cost more, but are supposed to be much better!

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: hydfoil

I have a 15ft bass boat that has a doel fin, it works fine for me. <br /><br />With a 120hp on a 17.5 ft, if its having a hard time getting up on plane, you may want to look at a different prop. What is your RPM @ wot?

 

[xltier]

Re: hydfoil

i put one on my mercruiser stern drive and it was a big improvement.i can plane 5 mph slower than before.and it gets up on plane with less throttle.

 

[Ron G]

Re: hydfoil

I have one on my bumblee bee bass boat,Why are you interested in hydrfoil?Hole shot?my boat came with it am working on my setup now,if it is because of holeshot you might want to look at your setup first how high is your motor and what pitch prop are you running?

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: hydfoil

Originally posted by Elmer Fudge:<br /> I have a 15ft bass boat that has a doel fin, it works fine for me. <br /><br />With a 120hp on a 17.5 ft, if its having a hard time getting up on plane, you may want to look at a different prop. What is your RPM @ wot?

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: hydfoil

my max rpm is 5250 will do every bit of that.my prop is 3 blade 14by24.ihad a 13 1/2by 23.turned way to much rpm.i cant tell any diff.on getting up on plane top speed is more&dont have to worry about to much rpm.thanks

 

[craze1cars]

Re: hydfoil

Do a search on "hydrofoil" in this forum and you'll find a host of varying opinions on the effectiveness of these products.<br /><br />Many say they help a boat plane out faster. Many say they are dangerous due to the effect they have on steering and destroy the handling of the boat. Others say they slow the boat down. Some say they put too much stress on the plate.<br /><br />In the end, the only way to know how it will effect your boat is to put one on and try it out. I hated my last foil on a runabout...had a terrifying effect on handling so I took it off and sold it. But I've had other boats in the past that responded more favorably.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: hydfoil

Do a search on "hydrofoil" in this forum and you'll find a host of varying opinions on the effectiveness of these products.<br /><br />Many say they help a boat plane out faster. Many say they are dangerous due to the effect they have on steering and destroy the handling of the boat. Others say they slow the boat down. Some say they put too much stress on the plate.<br /><br />In the end, the only way to know how it will effect your boat is to put one on and try it out. I hated my last foil on a runabout...had a bad effect on the handling so I took it off and sold it. But I've had other boats in the past that responded more favorably.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: hydfoil

Racer 15;<br /><br />Hydrofoils are simply an addition to the lifting (planing) surface of the boat. The issue is not "will it work" but "how". Any additional planing (lifting) surface will increase lift, however when, how, where it lifts is critical to the handling of the boat. <br /><br />For example: <br />Do you want to lift the boat from the center and create a teeter totter effect as it balances on the keel?<br /><br />Do you want it to lift more and more as the boat increases in speed, driving the bow down inot the water at higher speeds? <br /><br />Can you lift the motor to insure that the foil is not in the water once the boat is at cruising speeds (not rim but lift)?<br /><br />Hydrofoil technology is valid but should be designed into the hull from the beginning otherwise it is a crap shoot. This is why you have varyingopinions and results from users. Some got lucky some did not!<br /><br />By the way, the motor should not be used to lift the boat, it adds stress to both the motor and the transom.<br /><br />We put a booklet together in an attempt to help people understand boat balance and the related performance - here is the link:<br /><br /> http://nauticusinc.com/tech_bulletin/nauticus_pdf_book.pdf

 

[Strtocstr1]

Re: hydfoil

BE VERY CAREFUL... I have a 17' Mirage with a 4.3 Mercruiser... with the stock prop (13.75x21) the hydrofoil put me on plane really fast and worked well (the previous owner installed it). I have since swithced to a 14.5x24 pitch Ballistic prop (FYI should NOT have listened to the prop companies). The prop ended up sucking the wings of the hydrofoil down into it, and chopping up the wings of the hydrofoil... so I ended up taking the thing off, and noticing that it also put a crack and bent the anti-ventilation plate of my drive.... grrrr

 

[JasonJ]

Re: hydfoil

I have one, and it helped, but I also plan on getting some Smart tabs and taking the foil off. Mainly because I feel the trim tabs will do a better job than the foil will. I have a friend who has a foil on a 16 foot bass type boat. I do not like it on that boat. When one person is in the boat, it gets on plane and tips over to the right until you trim out. It is very disconcerting. I took it off, and the boat handled a lot better, but then the holeshot when pulling a tube was non-existant. Now he has it back on, and is willing to endure the tippiness for the sake of the better holeshot when pulling a load.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: hydfoil

JasonJ;<br /><br />These poor handling characteristics are common with hydrofoils especially when the motor is not raised and the foil is at or below water level.<br /><br />The reason for the list is that the foil increases the lift as the boat speed increases. This drives the bow down and makes it prone to rocking side to side on the keel depending on the wieght and torque of the motor. It probably make your boat list hard in turns as well.<br /><br />The Smart Tabs are an active system that constantly reacts to the boat speed and attitude. You can not d better. Look at the performance guarantee on the iboats Mega Mall.

 

[AJ168]

Re: hydfoil

I just put a Doel Fin on my 18 ft. cc. with a Johnson 28. Helped out alot. Boat gets fully up on plane now and I've noticed no negative handling effects. Before the boat barely planed out a WOT. Now, just yesterday after installing the hydrofoil, it was on plane with three guys at 3/4 throttle.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: hydfoil

AJ168;<br /><br />The handling issues usually do not come into play with small engines such as yours since the max speed is below 25 mph. You have added planing surface to the boat it would help. The more planing surface you can add the better. Smart Tabs have twice the planing surface of the hydrofoil and work at least twice as good.