Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

[firecapt13]

When I pull a skier or kneeboarder my boat has a hard time keeping plane at lower speeds. I am not talking extremly slow but slower for kids to be able to do it. It also has hard time keeping plane when making turns.

I was thinking of trying a set of stabalizer fins like the Bennet tabs or Trim star tabs. Would these help.

My boat is a 1992 Wellcraft 186 Eclipse with a 4.3 Mercruiser and Alpha one drive. I believe the prop is 14 by 19. It was only one adult and 1 kid in the boat at the time. And the rope was hooked onto center of rear deck no pole.

I thought of the tabs or possibly changing prop.

Thank you

 

[Bondo]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

Ayuh,... Tabs will No Doubt, Help... Probably more so than a prop...

Have ya looked at Smart Tabs,..??

 

[dubs283]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

you could try going with a lower pitch prop, this will give you a better hole shot and may help with planing at lower speeds

keep in mind this will raise the WOT of the engine so at full throttle you could be over revving the engine!! - also, props are not an exact science, its a lot of trial and error

have you tried trimming the drive to help hull angle at lower speeds??

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

If you do try a different prop, try a four blade. These have a little more bit for the low speed work you're wanting to do.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

Knee board speed is so slow I'd say move some weight (riders) forward. Tabs will help you, but you might still want a lower pitch prop so the engine isn't lugging between plowing and planing.
I used to operate my father in laws 20 or 21 ft Larson Cuddy with that motor and it had tabs, with the tabs down you could roll at all kinds of slow. They really do help. Hey, I want some too.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

the prop is going to change your hull's planing speed VERY little, if at all. Tabs are your first bet, put those on and then change props if needed. (go with smarttabs, you won't be dissapointed!)

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

Power prop or tabs may help, but are you applying enough power for the turns?
How tight are your turns?

Not picking, but sometimes it's not the boat that needs adjustment.
And yes, I learned that one first-hand.

 

[firecapt13]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

Thanks for the comments on Smart Tabs. I think I am going to try a set.

DaNinga appreciate the comment, yes I know you do lose speed in turns and have to throttle through them, I am more concerned about the losing plane while pulling skiers at lower speeds. It does great at faster speeds.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

having pulled a lot of children and learners, sometimes you can't keep the plane at their comfortable speeds.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

Although a prop change will not change the speed that the hull planes at, a lower pitch prop increases power at a given speed. Sometimes a boat cannot travel at it's minimum planing speed because the motor does not have enough HP at that RPM with the current prop to keep the boat on plane. A lower pitch prop can improve that situation.

 

[the vision]

Re: Pulling skier or knee boarder and planing

I have not pulled skiers or tubes yet. but my boat came with a hydrafoil on it. I took it off one day and put it back on as soon as I got home new you can pick one up for about fifty buck. I know allot of people don't like them but my boat panes faster and better with it and stays planed at low speeds. I have not tried trim tabs. But allot of people swear by them.