Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

[tomandwendy]

After careful reading on a hydrofoil and most claim it does not make a difference and most say it adds stress to the engine....I have decided to remove it and give it a shot........so my question is there are now 4 holes on the cavitation plate I think it is called (correct me if I am wrong) do I need to cover these holes and if so with what? or will it be fine?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

try it without filling, if they don't cause water to shoot up, they are fine. you can put duct tape on the bottom and fill with JB Weld, 3m5200.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

It will be fine either way, but marinetex will work fine. I've also used JB Weld in the past and it held up well. BTW, the foil made a big difference on my runabout. I like um'..

 

[5150abf]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Run it before you fill the holes, you may be putting it back on.
I think you will be suprised what a difference it did make.
I know tabs are the greatest thing since toast but foils do work, I have run one for 8 years and never harmed my engine a bit, all my pivots are tight and I have yet to jerk my transom out or break the cavitation plate.
I am on plane at 12-14 mph with it and 18-20 without it and my top speed is higher with than without it.
I will take everyones word that tabs are better but foils do work, at one time they were the best thing since toast, times change.
I do 5-6 float trips a year and have to drag the boat through several sections and am sure I would rip them off.
And other than cosmetics the holes won't do anything good or bad, so fill them if you don't want to look at them

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Clamp a paint stick across the bottom of the hole, with wax paper between the stick and cavitation plate. Fill with Marine Tex from the other side, level off the M. Tex and let it sit for a day, sand smooth with some sand paper and paint over them...you'll never know they're there.

 

[dave11]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

5150abf

What kind of foil are you using?

 

[5150abf]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

I did have DolFin(?) on it but not being able to leave well enough alone I wound up making one out of 3/16" aluminum, the Dolfin had a wing shape to it and the one In made is flat with a small lip on the back, kind of like a really big cavitation plate, both work about the same.
Don't really recommend the do it yourself approach but I have run it for 3-4 years now and it works pretty well for how I use my boat.
If I get a chance I will put up a pic.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Here is my custom made foil.
It is kinda big, I played with the size for a while and this worked the best, on plane 12-14 top speed 28-31 GPS with a 50 'Rude on a 16' Sea-Nymph that is pretty heavy.
Nothing was wrong with my other one, I just like to tinker.
I have run this for 3-4 years now.

 

[belonga water]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

had a foil called "edge" on 18'6" searay bow rider. alum. plate w/ turndown on trailing edge. got it out of overtons. spent day at lake, put it on that evening, and back to the lake next day. what a differance it was, plane out quicker and the boat handeled much better. sold searay this spring and have already got one for new to me larson 226 lxi

 

[tomandwendy]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Wel........mods.....can we get a poll on this.......hydrofoil yes, hydrofoil no, tried hydrofoil did not like it, tried hydrofoil and never looked back.

I have seen so many other people post that they did not like the hydrofoil.....now I have not see one yet that does not use it lol.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

We want to know how your boat performed after you pulled yours off?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

smart tabs give far better performance. they put the lift, where the lift should be lifted, at the bottom of the transom. not on the motors transom mount. you are putting added stress on your transom, because the motors transom mount is picking up the stern of the boat. rather than the motor riding on the transom.

 

[brandonsb22]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

I have a hydrafoil. It came with the boat. Everything works great. Gets on plane fast. I fish most of the time and get into the shallows, so smart tabs are not for me.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Sick willy,with it off it wouldn't plane till closer to 20, don't recall top speed, only had it off once.
I river fish and alot of places the water is pretty shallow so I need the boat as far out of the water as I can, and 4-5 times a year I do a float trip with 2-3 spots you have to drag the boat across cause it is so shallow, I would surely forget to flip the tabs up and snap them off.
I have no doubt tabs are better,I have never said they weren't and if they fit the way I use my boat I would put them on in a heart beat but they don't so I won't.
As far as added stress that is certainly true. so far I haven't had a problem, I keep an eye on it and grease everything 2-3 times a year and the transom of the boat itself has been beefed up.
This is like the Harley-Honda debate, you will always have people on both sides, neither is wrong or right just different.

 

[tomandwendy]

Re: Removed hydrofoil.....what next?

Well I have not tested it yet......I just happened to watch my engine when I went from WOT to idle and could just see the stress of the extra pressure on the engine. Kinda scared me for a second cause I thought the transom may be weak or getting bad, but I did the transom test with a rubber mallot and took to my local marina and they said all looks and sounds fine.