HydroFoil Stabilizers

[Waco]

Has anyone used hydrofoil stabilizers on a small motor, say 9.9-15hp? Do they help as much as they advertise? Is there one thats works better than others? I have a 14.5' aluminum boat, and I was wondering if the hydrofoil may help me get a little more "pep" out of the motor.

 

[Trent]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I personally like the Stingray brand..Yes they do help. Mostly on the underpowered boats. You will get up on plane in almost half the time.

 

[Waco]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

do they do anything for speed and fuel economy?

 

[DJ]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

Waco,<br /><br />My favorite is the Doel Fin. I don't think they will help much with speed, unless you have trouble planing. They definetely will help the boat get "on top".

 

[Waco]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

Does anyone else out here use one?

 

[Trent]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I do

 

[Cedarplug]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I just did some testing. 90hp Honda on a 20' aluminum boat with Dolfin I lost 2 mph on the top end, time to plane did'nt seem to change any, the real advantage I noticed was steering and handing did improve. I realize it's a different boat but I think you will probably loss a little on the top end too.

 

[ehenry]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

Waco,<br /><br />I have a 25 horse Merc that I'l going to put a Stingray on....I'll let you know how and what improves. I tore a prop up about 6 months ago and the replacement (which they said was the same as the old one) doesn't seem to get my boat out of the hole and on plane as well as the original.

 

[tautog27]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

Waco,<br /><br />I going to put a stingray on this week, and weather permiting, I sould be out on the lake this weekend, I'll let you know how it works. I have also waxed the bottom of my boat with dupont teflon boat wax, that's supposed to help as well, we will see? Ross<br /><br /><br />keep the prop wet and the motor dry.

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I had a Doel Fin on a 15 HP Honda/14 ft. Sea Nymph, and it was the only way the boat would plane. So it had to help the fuel economy. It also raised the rear of the boat when under power, which helped to keep wind blown waves from splashing inside the boat.<br /><br />I kept the Doel Fin, and put it on a 25 HP Honda/17 Ft Lowe 1760 MT. It helped it plane better too, and kept the boat from "porposing" if I tried to get too agressive on trimming the nose up.<br /><br />I just sold the 25 Honda and put a 50 HP Mariner on the Lowe, and if it tries to "porpose", a Doel Fin will go on it too.<br /><br />They do work.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I have not had much experience with the small motors and small fins but on the larger engines (3 cylinder thru V8's) and using the larger fins, we have found the same thing. Improved holeshot, better handling and they really help with porposing. The big advantage is that they allow a higher X dimension. That helps with top end. The larger fins usually dont work out on sterndrives because most are set pretty deep. If the fin is on top of the water (on plane) it works best. On the other hand if it stays underwater (on plane) it can actually pull the stern down. Now that's a strange feeling!<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

In an eairlier post i asked about changing the pitch of my prop to improve hole shot / getting up on plane and was told that the engine would be over-revving which is bad. Would one of those fins work on my 200hp with a 23 foot boat? I just want it to plane a little quicker, my WOT rpm's are 56-5800. If the fin would work for me....how much?<br />One other thing...is there a specific size that i need, i checked West Marine and they sell only one size it looks like for $39.99. Do i need a specific size and material because i have a big boat? Thanks.

 

[Waco]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

PurseSnatcher, <br />The ones that I was looking at was at www.cabelas.com , They have all sizes and styles, but I'm pretty sure that they are not the cheapest on the market. Let me know if you try it.

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

The Cobra Marine looks very stable and is twice as expensive....is it worth it? Does anyone know if "you get what you pay for" with these products? $35-$40 sounds really cheap for a product that enhances performance like it says it does. $85 for the Cobra one. If anyone has opinions on steel or plastic or a brand name...please let me know! I am excited to get one...put it on and try it out this weekend. This could be what i have been looking for!

 

[Fishcamp]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I put hydrofoils (I think they are Stingrays) on my twin 115's and they made a dramatic improvement on the hole shot. Can't say if for sure if I gave up any top end but this is a heavy boat for the engines and since we go offshore in the Gulf with it, 1 or 2 mph really doesn't matter. As for plastic versus metal, these are plastic. We broke the mounting bolts on the aft end twice, went to 5/16" instead of 1/4" and haven't had any problems since. My point is that if the foil will take those stresses without breaking, it's pretty well designed and I'd say you don't need metal for strenth. They really make a difference on a heavy boat that needs a little help out of the hole. Sure beats $350 props if you just need a little help getting up on plane and don't want to leave any of your valuable fishing/ diving stuff at home to lighten the load!

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

Great reply! Just what i wanted to hear. I am assuming easy directions included and i can do myself....cant wait! I will post my conclusions next week!

 

[Don Gregg]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

To Purse snatcher...I ran a cobra SS. Hydrofoil on my 1989 Phantom 170 Illusion 4.3L for quite a few years and it really helped it plane off fast! The thing I did notice was a loss in top speed, by a couple MPH. It totally stopped any porpousing I had. As a matter of fact, it brought the front end down so much that I was nervous about getting into some really big waves and not being able to get the bow up enough! I think they do what they advertise. I later removed it from my boat to go with trim tabs(the fixed type, manually adjustable)I found this helped get back some of my top end, but not all, but the boat was getting to be about eight years old by then. I gave the cobra to a friend with a 21 ft.' cuddy that weighs about 3500 lbs. and has a 350 chevy, he did notice a difference in the way it planed off, but said it was minimal. I think the best way to do what you want is to spend the big bucks and get some trim tabs with a gauge, so you know where they are as you adjust them. A boat that big can really benifit from the investment and you will never need to wonder if you could be doing better. You can also gain from them by being able to adjust your list when the number of people doesn't quite balance your load going down the lake. I just bought a new 190 SeaRay and if doesn't plain out the way I want it to, I'm not screwing around, I'm going straight to the trim tabs to fix it! I've seen what they can do for a large boat and think that's the only way to go...Good luck!!!

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I have hydrolic trim tabs on the boat. Should they be in the down position when trying to get up on plane? With the hydrofoil should i put them down...get up on plane...then raise them? I already put the stabilizer on the boat so i will try it out today and let you know. I wonder if the drag will be too much?

 

[Waco]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

P-Snatcher, how did it work out? Have you tried it yet?

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: HydroFoil Stabilizers

I tried it out today.....the verdict is in.....It REALLY helped get the nose down and get up on plane FAST. It helped stabilize the ride and i did notice a MPH decrease. The drag was such that i had to trim the motor up to compensate. With the motor up so the stabilizer wont drag and slow me down , the prop was almost out of the water! When i took her out into the ocean, i was ok going into the waves (3-4')at mid speed, but coming back, in a following sea, the nose really wants to dive under the next wave. I went back to the dock, took it off, and went back out. I put my trim tabs all the way down and the motor trimed all the way down also and took off. The boat didnt get on plane as fast as with the stabilizer, but much faster than before. There was no worry about plowing under a wave, and i realized i just ned to learn to work my hydrolic trim tabs. <br /> The verdict is..... they are a very affordable way to get the nose of your boat under control, BUT, if you go out into the ocean i am not so sure i would want it on my boat. I am going to leave it OFF.