Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

[master bowman]

Okay, so i am going to completely show all of my ignorance when it comes to boats.

I have a 1965 Mirrocraft fisherman with the covered hull(big aluminum deck in front of the window), did know if that is what it was called.

I weigh about 200 lbs and my girl friend about 135, when we are in the boat i have to sit about in the middle for the boat to level. When im by myself i do have to sit in the middle.

I have an 18 hp motor, so boat isnt exactly fast. If i put trim tabs on my boat, would that help the listing to one side while driving?

I was also thinking about putting a false bottom in it to make it easier to move around in. Would this make the listing to the side any worse?

I apologize for my ignorance, I just joined the boatworld about two weeks ago, have had about 30 mins in the water with my boat and love it. Just want to learn more and be sure that im not throwing money away by making needles modifications.

 

[John_S]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Try moving your battery, portable fuel tank, and other gear to the port side to compensate.

 

[starcraftkid]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Last summer I put a floor in a buddies 14' Starcraft aluminum boat, it had bare ribs and 3 bench seats.
Adding the wood floor made the boat seem more stable and easier to walk or stand in. I don't think it made the boat any better balanced but it did make it easier to keep level as the floor which sits a bit higher than the bare bottom of the boat gave more leverage over a wider area.
It made a rather tipsy boat a pretty decent boat for two to fish from.

Listing to one side is strictly a balance issue, you have to balance the weight no matter what.
tabs on a boat that size with a small motor will no doubt take away some speed. They will level the boat if used properly but with only 18hp to play with, the loss of speed may not be an acceptable compromise.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

grew up with a mirro fish-n-ski and a 50hp Merc. nice little boats. my suggestion is like John mentioned - move the fuel tank and battery

 

[master bowman]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

I was also kindof curious about what the largest motor i could put on it is. I have an 1971 evinrude 18hp with the fast shaft or something(dont really know what that means).
I was kinda looking to get a little newer/nicer looking motor. I plan on doing some work to the boat. Replacing the pulley steering system and running all the wires in a newer more concealed location.

I really appreciate all the help.

 

[erie_guy]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Master bowman,

You may be able to find the certification or capacity tag, which may be affixed to an area visible to the driver. It contains horsepower information / model information / person capacity / and over-all load capacity. Although the tag is currently a coast guard requirement that all boats have one, your boat is of sufficient age it may not have a tag.

I suggest you visit the mirrorcraft web site and see if your boat is similar to the current production models. My very old 14' mirrorcraft is rated for 15 HP but serves me well s a fishing boat awith only a Nissan 8 HP. If yours has a covered front deck, it probably is a higher HP capacity model - some are currently rated to 50 + HP.

A flat floor may improve stability, but the ribs would act as dams and keep any water from draining to the stern. I like to keep mine bone-dry with a large sponge. Trapping the water below the floor will promote rot in a wooden floor.

Enjoy your boat they are great on smaller lakes and easy to trailer anywhere.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

 

[master bowman]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Master bowman,

You may be able to find the certification or capacity tag, which may be affixed to an area visible to the driver. It contains horsepower information / model information / person capacity / and over-all load capacity. Although the tag is currently a coast guard requirement that all boats have one, your boat is of sufficient age it may not have a tag.

I suggest you visit the mirrorcraft web site and see if your boat is similar to the current production models. My very old 14' mirrorcraft is rated for 15 HP but serves me well s a fishing boat awith only a Nissan 8 HP. If yours has a covered front deck, it probably is a higher HP capacity model - some are currently rated to 50 + HP.

A flat floor may improve stability, but the ribs would act as dams and keep any water from draining to the stern. I like to keep mine bone-dry with a large sponge. Trapping the water below the floor will promote rot in a wooden floor.

Enjoy your boat they are great on smaller lakes and easy to trailer anywhere.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

Thank you very much. I will look for the plate and see what i find.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

The old 18 is a classic motor and one of the best made. if you don't keep it (I would) you can sell it for a good price.
I don't know that a 1971 will accept tube steering so you need to check on that, or use the brace method.

18 on a tin 14' boat is right much power; I don't know that you want to go a lot higher unless you are looking for a speedboat. You are also compromising by adding the weight of a larger motor, and possibly needing more fuel.

My 18 was a pull start so I didn't need a battery in the boat. I consider that a plus.

Personally, i think trim tabs on a 14' boat is overkill. and unless your boat is in top collector condition, your tabs will be owrth more than the hull!

I was also kindof curious about what the largest motor i could put on it is. I have an 1971 evinrude 18hp with the fast shaft or something(dont really know what that means).
I was kinda looking to get a little newer/nicer looking motor. I plan on doing some work to the boat. Replacing the pulley steering system and running all the wires in a newer more concealed location.

I really appreciate all the help.

 

[master bowman]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Kinda cool, i emailed Mirrocraft with my hull ID #, and found out i have a 1962 mirrocraft family runabout. I was kinda wondering about the tabs. The evinrude 18 hp will do just fine, i was just curious about how much wieght the boat can handle. My boat is pull/battery start. But when i hooked the wires to the battery nothing happened. SO now i am going to pull the starter and bench test it to see if thats any good. Also going to run new wiring, the stuff on mine is a mess and way too many wires going everywhere. only electric thing on boat is starter. But will be a good project for winter. Want to put false bottom floor, maybe a stereo headseat in it and a couple marine speakers. Just to make longer fishing jaunts more enjoyable. I have tinnitus really bad so anything to help me not notice the ringing helps alot. I will be sure to post lots of pics throughout the whole process.

On a side note, i see alot of people using sanders to take paint off of their boats when its time to repaint, what about a grinder with a wire wheel? too much?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

On a side note, i see alot of people using sanders to take paint off of their boats when its time to repaint, what about a grinder with a wire wheel? too much?

On aluminum, yes. A lot of the Starcraft guys have been using chemical strippers on theirs with good results.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Tabs on a 14' V-hull boat.

Here's my view on electric/electronics on boats: the less, the better. On a 14', I would stick with the pull start, and use portable stereo and lights. Even "marine" quality suffers in constant wetness. However, this is from a salt-water perspective, where electric stuff is in a constant state of failure, with impeccable timing on top.