Hydrofoil stabilizer question

"Rob Storm" wrote in message
...
OK -- I still like kayaks and float tubes, but I'm trying to learn about
bass
boats. What do you guys think about hydrofoil stabilizers -- Do they
actually
help get your boat on plane quicker? Do you actually save money on gas?
Which one is best? All input greatly appreciated.

Rob,

They will give the boat an assist in getting on plane, but it's been my
experience that either something is wrong with the boat setup, i.e.
underpowered, propped inappropriately, motor set too high/low or the ever
popular, "Operator Error".

I don't think they're needed, it's just a quick fix for an underlying
problem.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers wrote:
"Rob Storm" wrote in message
...

OK -- I still like kayaks and float tubes, but I'm trying to learn about
bass
boats. What do you guys think about hydrofoil stabilizers -- Do they
actually
help get your boat on plane quicker? Do you actually save money on gas?
Which one is best? All input greatly appreciated.


Rob,

They will give the boat an assist in getting on plane, but it's been my
experience that either something is wrong with the boat setup, i.e.
underpowered, propped inappropriately, motor set too high/low or the ever
popular, "Operator Error".

I don't think they're needed, it's just a quick fix for an underlying
problem.

They are useful on standard hulls. The typical 14 to 16 foot hull set up
like a bass boat with aftermarket add ons, that can barely get its
weight on plane. But they have no place on a hich performance hull with
adequate power.

RichZ wrote:



They are useful on standard hulls. The typical 14 to 16 foot hull set up
like a bass boat with aftermarket add ons, that can barely get its
weight on plane. But they have no place on a hich performance hull with
adequate power.


Early 16'8" Champions were like this. Oh they did great with 200-225hp
Merc's (except for the chine walk). But with a 150hp hanging back
there, you could stare at the sky a long time. Sure, change props, but
then you were turning 300 rpm over the redline. All the weight was in
the back in that boat. I think 4 blades props really helped when they
became popular. But I had a 23 and a 25 pitch three blade props. I
wasn't about to buy another.

On my little Champion, I had a set of those that mounted to the
cavitation plate but were in a V shape. With the cavitation plate at
the bottom of the V. At slow speeds it added lift and stability. So
when turning or getting out of the hole, it acted like a bigger boat and
didn't porpoise as bad as it was able to. On plane, nearly all but the
bolts holding it to the cavitation plate was out of the water and drag
was minimal. Without the plates, in a turn, that boat could porpoise
bad unless trimmed way down.

What was funny about it was, there was such a big difference when riding
in a 17'6" or the 18'4" hulls. They practically leaped on plane. I
think 20 footers were always on plane. What a difference moving some
weight forward makes.

Carlos