wont plane out and doggy

[stillinne2]

have a 1988 16 foot bayliner with a 55 hp evinrude on it. when im by myself , it will get up on plane and do about 27 mph, but when the gf gets in.. a whole hundred pounds , it will only do 17 adn will not plane out.. it has a 12.25x15 prop on it, would i benifit from going to a 13 pitch and adding a whale tale? rpms seem to be a bit low at WOT by myself, but runs smooth and good, when shee gets in , seems like the rpms just dont want to come up.. i realize motor is a little under powered for the boat, but it should still come up on plane and hit 25 easy with her and i in it.. we weigh a whole 240 together.. any advice would be appreciated..

steve

 

[npauls]

Re: wont plane out and doggy

I am by no means an expert but I had a similar problem in my 16.5 foot fishing boat. When loaded with gear and 2 guys it would only hit 17-18mph and by myself with all the gear I would hit 26mph. I switched from a 13 pitch to a 12 pitch and I seen some good improvement but still wasn't satisfied so I decided to strap a manual jack plate on also. I can now hit 27 mph with 2 adults and a tournament load of fishing gear in the boat. Its a little slow getting on plane when the livewell is full but if it is empty it is pretty decent. I can now have 3 adults in the boat and hit 24-25mph on a good day and around 22-23 mph on a regular basis.

I would say you should try the lower pitch prop first and see if that helps and then maybe look into a manual jackplate if you still aren't satisfied. I had a whale tale on my motor and it didn't really help with planing out and dropped the top end speed by a few mph. The jackplate will move your motor back further into "cleaner" water which helps it perform better overall. You can also adjust the height of the motor by turning one bolt instead of having to undo all the bolts on the motor mount and moving it up and down and sealing it all back up when you are done.

Good luck and I hope my information can help you out a bit.

Nate

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: wont plane out and doggy

How many rpm's are you seeing at WOT with just you in the boat? A lower pitched prop should help, but you want to know your WOT rpms as a starting point in deciding on a different prop.

That's not much engine for a 16 ft boat, it's not really surprising that it has trouble planing when you start adding weight. You could try moving some weight forward, that might help a little bit. And a hydrofoil (whale tail) will probably help get it on plane also. Ideally it should be just out of the water when the boat's on plane, if it's dragging through the water the engine height is too low and it'll slow you down.

 

[stillinne2]

Re: wont plane out and doggy

thanks guys.. it has after market tilt trim, so motor is already about 6 inches back from where it is originally supposed to go.. i agree with the lack of hp, i would benifit from motor out of water more.. but this is just a motor for this year till funds let me get a decent 100 hp or so. so just looking for cheap easy fix for the year.. when im on plane by myself it is up out of water decent, adn the rpms i dont know, but have been around plenty of outboards in my life and know the sound of them pretty much wot and around 5000 rpm, its not there, so i was thinking of proping down on pitch, just curious if hydro would help get the boat to plane out with that little 55 on there.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: wont plane out and doggy

I had 2 16' starcrafts with 55's. I assume yours is fiberglass and a lot heavier. Anyway, we often had to move people around to trim it (no PTT). If she's usually sitting in the bow or stern, that could have an effect. Try having her sit in different places. If she's hot, try having her sit in my boat and you go see how it does.

 

[stillinne2]

Re: wont plane out and doggy

lol home, she can ride WITH you anytime.. just have to fund her shopping habbits..lol reason why the boat motor is last thing on list for her.. lol i have moved her around and had her even sit in bow on very front, didnt do much.. but im gonna raise the motor an inch and see if that helps a little, yes its fiberglass and more of a tank then i thought.. lol.. ill probably prop to a 13 and add a whale tale, seems to be a stern heavy boat, that might help along with motor up another inch.. who knows.. just wish i could trade someone that needed a 55 and they had a 90 or so..lol yeah i know, its nice to dream