Is something wrong with one of our boats?

[tommy8604]

I have a 2000 Bayliner Capri with a 4.3 Mercruiser and my uncle has a 98 Bayliner Capri with a 5.7. Im not 100% on our outdrives but they look identical and im thinking they are Alpha. Im just asking this Question out of curiosity but i dont understand the diffrence. we both have 20FT hulls and the hulls seem to be the same. both pulling from the same place.

So i rode in his boat this weekend for the first time. When he turns his boat will lean way over to the point that sometimes the little air vent inlets on the back corner of his boat will hit the water but it doesnt seem to turn that sharp even with it leaned way over like this. With my boat i cant make the vents touch the water.(Not that i want too) but when turning my boat seems to turn alot sharper than his boat does. its just wierd to me because everything is basiclly the same besides the motor.

This is both of our boats. his is blue on the left and mine green on the right

 

[shrew]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

You've got a 6 cycliner (4.3). The other boat has a V8 (5.7). There is a V8 (5.0) in between there, so the 5.7 is going to be a larger heavier engine to begin with. There is no accounting in your write up for amount of fuel and weight of gear on board during the test. Is the distance from waterline to 'vents' the same when both boats are floating at rest? I assume both boats are travelling at the same speed when these comparisons are made?

 

[tommy8604]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

yea we pull the tube right about 20mph. as of full both right about half a tank in both. we had his boat loaded over the weekend with 6 people but he says it will do it even with 2 people in it. that was my best quess, the motor weighin a lil bit more but i didnt think it would weigh alot more. I thought also they may have changed something in the steering between the two diffrent yr models. the other diffrence is he has a tower on his and i have a canopy but im sure neither one of them weigh enough to make a very big diffrence. both of us pull from stern.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Consider the V8 powered boat as hauling one additional reasonably sized person. And all of that weight is in the stern. The difference in the engine block itself is just short of a 100 pounds. But the added weight of the exhaust manifolds, intake manifold, and associted stuff adds up quickly. If your boats both have water lines on them, compare them with nobody on board and about the same fuel load. I suspect the waterline on the V8 boat will be different than that on the V6,

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

The V8 weighs more than the V6, but not that much. And not enough to do what you are describing. There would be no difference in the steering of the boats, even if his had a Bravo. Something is wrong with his boat. It should not have the engine compartment vents touching the water in a turn, ever.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

There is a V8 (5.0) in between there, so the 5.7 is going to be a larger heavier engine to begin with.

5.0 and 5.7 weigh EXACTLY the same. V8 weighs 90lbs more than the 4.3 V6, according to Mercruiser.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Do you use an equalizer towing rig when you pull the tubes? if not, sometimes the tube can make the hull list some.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Do you use an equalizer towing rig when you pull the tubes? if not, sometimes the tube can make the hull list some.

While I agree with you and the others, we are talking about engine compartment vents that are ABOVE THE RUBRAIL touching the water in a turn. That is wrong. Just wrong. (And potentially very dangerous)

 

[Maclin]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Trim settings may be in play, but that is a lot of lean being described for sure!

 

[tommy8604]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

yes this is alot of lean and even tho the vents are on the side of the boat they are high enough that i dont think they should touch either. on the right side it acually ripped the vent cover off the boat. thats how far its leaning. i didnt think this was right but this is my first ski type boat (had a bass boat before this) His does ride a little deeper in the water but i agree with above. even with that it shouldnt touch the water.

Does anybody have any ideas how we might fix this?

If i can sometime ill post a video of his boat turning

in the picture is the vent im talking about

 

[jkust]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

The water line seems to high on the boat. As an example I can't reach the water on my 18 footer with my finger tips unless I hang over the side and then it's just the ends of my fingers. It looks like the whole thing is just too low in the water.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Do you guys have any fins mounted on the drive? I know on smaller boats, 16-17 footers with outboards they can do that as they add lift all the time, so when turning on some boats the hull more or less falls to the left or right.

Automatic trim tabs should help there, but something is not right, wish I had more ideas.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Who's boat is faster?

 

[tommy8604]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Neither one of us have added fins to our boats. Weve both talked about adding them to help with pulling but havent done so. our boats with pretty much both run about the same. Ive get a 23p and he runs a 21p

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

Could the V8 boat have waterlogged foam in it causing it to ride lower in the water? Is your uncle the original owner or did he buy it used? Just asking because if it was stored outside, uncovered it's possible it could be waterlogged.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Is something wrong with one of our boats?

5.0 and 5.7 weigh EXACTLY the same. V8 weighs 90lbs more than the 4.3 V6, according to Mercruiser.

The bare engine (no marine stuff) but with cast iron intake the numbers I have are 425# for a V6 and 575# for the V8. Add the difference in exhaust manifold weights and there can easily be 200# difference in weight regardless what Merc says.