Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

[milmat1]

Took the boat out for the first time toady to do a shake down ride.
BTW Its a 86 Sunbird bowrider with 88hp Johnson V4.

When I take off the boat will PLOW the water I mean like it is Dragging an ankor. Then as I slowly bump up the throttle until it levels out and "Floats" Then I back off just a tad until it cruises along at a smooth speed.

Is This Correct ??
Is this what is meant by Plaining Out ?

Fuel Consumption : I think it holds around 10 Gallons (??) But after running around for an hour or so I noticed it was Half Empty! Fuel guage doesn't work so I'm just going back and looking at the tank to Judge.

Do Boats in general Use a lot of fuel ?

The Bildge pump isnt working so when I pulled it out and took the plug out it poured quite a bit of water out. Where does that water come from?? We climbed in and out a few times But we didn't drag that much water in ! Dont know what's going on there ??

According to the Megallen GPS She topped out (in Wind!) at 40.5 MPH !

Sound about right ?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Took the boat out for the first time toady to do a shake down ride.
BTW Its a 86 Sunbird bowrider with 88hp Johnson V4.

When I take off the boat will PLOW the water I mean like it is Dragging an ankor. Then as I slowly bump up the throttle until it levels out and "Floats" Then I back off just a tad until it cruises along at a smooth speed.

Is This Correct ??
Is this what is meant by Plaining Out ?

Fuel Consumption : I think it holds around 10 Gallons (??) But after running around for an hour or so I noticed it was Half Empty! Fuel guage doesn't work so I'm just going back and looking at the tank to Judge.

Do Boats in general Use a lot of fuel ?

The Bildge pump isnt working so when I pulled it out and took the plug out it poured quite a bit of water out. Where does that water come from?? We climbed in and out a few times But we didn't drag that much water in ! Dont know what's going on there ??

According to the Megallen GPS She topped out (in Wind!) at 40.5 MPH !

Sound about right ?

The "plowing" is common, it can be reduced by moving weight forward, and using more throttle at take off. The boat has to get up on top of the water to operate properly ( getting/being on plane). A tail heavy boat will make the bow rise and have a difficult time getting on plane.

Fuel consumption rule of thumb (so its only a reference and not a hard rule) is about 10% of the hp per hour in fuel. So a 88 hp motor will use about 8.8 gallons an hour average. So your experience is in the ball park.

Get the bilge pump working before next outing. Some boats take on water, others do not. A lot of water, IE a few gallons is a sign of a leak somewhere. Either in the hull, or where the cap (top) meets the hull.

40.5 mph top speed is a fair speed for the boat. Fine tuning with trim tabs, prop matched to your use, and weight reduction will all raise top speed. But also tends to make getting on plane take longer.

As you get more familiar with the boat, you will notice how small changes impact the overall handling.

First, get the bilge pump working, and look for leaks.

Good luck!

 

[Stachi]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

I like the 'get your bilge pump working ' idea...don't need any ballast in the bilge when you are trying to get on plane.....

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

In most cases, the best way to get your boat up on plane is to use full throttle at the very beginning. That will shorten the time you're plowing water and get you up and "floating" as you described it. The worst way is to slowly advance the throttle, little by little. When you're ready to go, just put that hammer down and get on plane as fast as you can.

 

[grego]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

While at home and boat on trailer. put drain plug in, open compartment that goes down to the hull. take garden hose and run water into hull. look for leaks on outside of hull.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Be really careful doing that, it is the correct way to fins leaks but remember water is very heavy so watch you trailer so you don't hurt anything.

If you have trim you want ot start trimmed all the way in,prop to the boat, as you pick up speed keep bumping the trim out or away from the boat.

And just so you know, the "floating" is called planing, when the boat rides on top of the water.

As for your gas, if memory servers, a general rule is 10% of displacement per hour at full throttle, os an 80 horse engine would use about 8 gallons an hour, best "mileage" is had at about 3/4 throttle or cruising speed.

 

[milmat1]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Thanks for all the great info Everyone !

It is new to new and I'm figuring it out one step at a time. I will try the garden hose trick today and make sure she doesn't leak. That could be Sorta Bad !..LOL

What is the unit called that sets right above the Prop and is used to adjust the boats steering counterpoise, Like a Fin or something that counteracts the prop rotation ???

Whatever it is Mine Is Gone ! Friend stopped last night and ask Where it was, Of course I had no idea what he was talking about till he explained.
So Off to the boat graveyard to find one I guess !

 

[kend301]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

I will agree with the 2 most stated things posted so far ..
1 Get the bilge up and running taking on too much water will cost much more than a bilge pump setup .
2 Trim Tabs are a wonderful thing , I just put smart tabs on my boat and it planes in no time and it used to take forever .

Both of these will cost you less than 200.00 in parts and take 2-3 hrs to install properly ... Money WELL spent

PS ... The only dumb questions are the ones you do not ask !

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Having grown up around boats I can't imagine how hard it must be to figure this stuff out on your own. Hang in there and it will come to you eventually...

I always launch at full throttle too. It gets the boat up out of the water quicker and burns less gas than dragging it out like that. You're also lower in the water when getting up and risk hitting rocks if you're in shallow water.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Having grown up around boats I can't imagine how hard it must be to figure this stuff out on your own. Hang in there and it will come to you eventually...

I always launch at full throttle too. It gets the boat up out of the water quicker and burns less gas than dragging it out like that. You're also lower in the water when getting up and risk hitting rocks if you're in shallow water.

Yes, getting on plane usually involves wide open throttle, or near wide open throttle. I'm not the type to beat on my stuff, so when I need to get going, I usually push the throttle open taking about 3-5 seconds to go from idle to WOT. This makes it easier on the passengers, and hopefully, is not as hard on the boat as slamming the throttle forward as fast as possible.

But then again, when I am out alone, it is fun to slam the throttle full open sometimes

 

[milmat1]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Great Info Guy's !!

I got the bildge pump working and Today And I ran it just a few seconds at the ramp, Then when I pulled the plug Nothing came out !! WOO HOO !!

I think this old boat is going to teach me a Lot Because it's like My first car. My Dad bought me a $300 Car when I turned 16 and Said " I got you a car now you learn how to keep it running". And I did learn fast because a $300 Car even in 1980 Wasn't much of a car ....LOL

I think I am going to enjoy Boating a lot, Especially Considering I live on one of the biggest lakes in NC and three boat ramps are within a 3-4 mile radius of me.......

 

[ftl900]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Huh?? 10% of the HP in gallons per hour?

So my 5.7 V8 is around 210-250 HP I think... that would mean it gulps 20-25 more gallons per HOUR??? REALLY??

I expected it only had around a 20 gallon tank... I must be WAY off on that.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

that is 10% at full throttle..... at lower throttle it will use less

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Huh?? 10% of the HP in gallons per hour?

So my 5.7 V8 is around 210-250 HP I think... that would mean it gulps 20-25 more gallons per HOUR??? REALLY??

I expected it only had around a 20 gallon tank... I must be WAY off on that.

Kevin is right...If you take a look at this link you'll see some stats for GPH on a 24 ft Bayliner Deck boat with a 5.7L 250hp.
http://www.boattest.com/oem/boat-test-oem.aspx?id=551&lp_id=354&p=0#TestResult
Measured withe a Floscan digital meter
WOT 4800 RPM= 19.7 GPH
3500 RPM= 10 GPH
3000 RPM= 8.2 GPH

Those stats are in a big 24 Ft Deck boat...in a smaller/lighter boat with the same setup..the stats should be better.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

don't feel too bad... my boat should burn about 50 gals/hr when I get it in the water... and there are many that burn WAY more

 

[Mark42]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Huh?? 10% of the HP in gallons per hour?

So my 5.7 V8 is around 210-250 HP I think... that would mean it gulps 20-25 more gallons per HOUR??? REALLY??

I expected it only had around a 20 gallon tank... I must be WAY off on that.

Yep, you be burning fuel if you want to run fast! So keep the throttle back and the bucks in the wallet.

BTW, outboards of similar HP generally get better fuel economy than inboards.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

BTW, outboards of similar HP generally get better fuel economy than inboards.

you mean 4 stroke outboards? comparing something like a 2 stroke 225 outboard vs a v6 inboard, that 2 stroke will want to drink fuel through a garden hose!

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

Thanks for all the great info Everyone !


What is the unit called that sets right above the Prop and is used to adjust the boats steering counterpoise, Like a Fin or something that counteracts the prop rotation ???

Whatever it is Mine Is Gone ! Friend stopped last night and ask Where it was, Of course I had no idea what he was talking about till he explained.
So Off to the boat graveyard to find one I guess !

It's called a trim tab. It's used to counteract the torque the motor produces. You should be able to adjust it,(when you get one), so your boat will go straight hands free and not want to turn as soon as you let go of the wheel. If the boat want's to pull to the right, loosen the bolt and adjust the back of the tab to the right in small increments until it stops pulling. Vice versa for left turn. It may take a couple of adjustments to get it right.

Good Luck!
Dave

 

[shwoop_soobie]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

^^^
make sure to install it using the right sized hardware... i dont know how johnson is, but on my old merc i used a normal bolt in the hole and realized a socket would not fit down there to tighten it.... so on my application i need a allen head bolt...

 

[Philster]

Re: Some Really Dumb Questios I'm Sure !

How planing works:

You need a planing hull. You have one.

You need enough power. You appear to have it.

When you accelerate, you create a bow wave. You are pushing through the water. You might say 'plowing' the water. Ok. Non planing-hulled boats just keep pushing the bow wave. They just displace water and push through it. They can't build enough speed relevant their size to climb the bow wave and plane out.

As you build speed, you climb up and onto the very bow wave your hull just made, once on the bow wave, you need a little more time or oomph to get over it. You should 'feel' the boat get over it. Engine sends signals too, and you will be able to scale back the throttle and settle in as you are now at planing speed and can run from low-cruise speed to mid-cruise speed up to top speed as you like.

This whole series of events -- known as 'time to plane' -- can be done in as little as 4-5 seconds or up to 15 seconds depending on hull design, power-to-weight ratio, prop size/type, engine trim setting and other variables.