smoother ride/boat styles

[lewkster]

I fish lakes with choppy waters. Currently own a 1995 lund ssv16 with 2002 40 nissan tiller. I think hull design does not cut through choppy waters so much as slap over them. I relise this is a light boat and part of the problem. But I am considering replacing boat with one with better floor plan keep motor and such.<br /> So the question is for what boat styles seem to have better design for a better ride?

 

[JasonJ]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

A hull with a pronounced sharp entry at the front, along with a significant amount of deadrise (V) at the transom, along with weight will give the best ride. The downside is it will not be as fast as a flatter boat, but it will be more comfortable.

 

[tommays]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

i have a 1995 20 ft deep vee sterndrive boat and i am sure it goes through the chop better than a 16 ft boat but if the chop gets big i STILL GET POUNDED at some point and look at the 24 or 28 ft boat going by me high and dry <br /><br />the only real answere is that a bigger boat will give a better ride at a huge dollar cost compared to a smaller boat<br /><br />tommays

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

Agree with both. Bigger boat - better ride through chop. But hull shape and boat weight also play a big part.<br /><br />We see a lot of really good RIB's here in the Med - expensive and very fast, and good all-weather boats. Their big downside is chop, and it all comes down to weight. When they lift off a bad one, the wind catches the hull, and makes a bad ride worse. <br /><br />Weight is an often overlooked advantage in a good sea boat.

 

[KCook]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

If you stick with the 40hp OB about the only real improvement will be a pontoon. Which have their own quirks. Rent one before you buy.<br /><br />Kelly Cook

 

[Boatist]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

Deeper entry V and more dead rise plus more weight will get a better ride. You will need a bigger motor for the same speed and it will use a lot more fuel.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: smoother ride/boat styles

Lewkster;<br /><br />The hull shape is very important to the ride and handling. Every hull is designed to perform at its best under certain circumstances. Some boats are rough water boats and some are calm water flats boats. <br /><br />What you are experiencing is a situation where your boat is operating outside of its' design criteria. I am not familiar with the hull design of your boat but for the last 20 some years most manufacturers have adopted some sort of V hull since they allow the boats to run faster and ride better in chop. <br /><br />You indicated that you have a tiller motor which means that you are sitting at the stern. The boat is not balanced well. Try moving the trim down closer to the transom if it is not already there. If this helps you know that the added stern lift from the motor is keeping the bow from popping up with every wave and cutting through the water better. Unfortunately this will cost you fuel economy in smoother waters (and speed).<br /><br />If you are running a hydrofoil to assist the boat to plane, and the motor is trimmed down, you may be causing the porpoising in the chop because you have too much stern lift / bow pressure.<br /><br />The boat is light in the bow and any amount of upward water pressure will make it pound because it is stern loaded. <br /><br />You have the classic example why boats perform and ride poorly under given circumstances. The hull design is limited when it is fixed. Trim Tabs allow you to change the hull design to more closely match the conditions at the time