Hydrofoil stabilizer question

Go here and do a search in the forums on Smart tabs. You will be amazed.
http://www.iboats.com/
--
Bill
Chesapeake, Va


"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.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com

Go here and do a search in the forums on Smart tabs. You will be amazed.
http://www.iboats.com/
--
Bill
Chesapeake, Va


"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.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.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

Still some small boats with motors that do not have power trim. Pretty hard
to get everything right with out Smart Tabs or a Whale Tail on some of
those.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com


"Illinois Fisherman" wrote in message
. ..
If you need to put a hydrofoil on your boat you are;

1. Either underpowered for the type of boat you have - i.e. big boat small
motor, or..

2. You have the wrong propeller on your motor. If your boat/motor
combination is propped properly you have no need for a hydrofoil.

If your looking for an inexpensive way out, there is non. Hydrofoils
create
more drag/friction in the water. Create a greater strain on the transom.
Loose 2 MPH on top end speed. Put holes in your cavitations plate. Not a
good idea.

If this is an older boat and the motor is the right size for the boat, you
may have water trapped in the floatation foam under the floor.




"Jerry Barton (NervisRek)" wrote in message
...
One of them caused severe cracks in my cavitation plate. I found out
that
if
you learn how to use your motor trim you don't need a stabilizer.

"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.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com

Dead on. I have heard nothing but good about Smart Tabs. In fact there was
a lengthy discussion of them over in the MSN Carolina Skiff Owners Forum.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

"RichG" wrote in message
m...
I've put hydrofoils on my last four boats, all different shapes and sizes,
ranging from 20 feet to 16 feet. The good things were..they helped with
the
hole shot and brought the bow down very quickly.

The bad thing(s) were...ALL of the negatives listed above. Cracked cav.
plate; they slow down the boat...the device continues driving the boat up
when it should be level, etc.

I have now switched BOTH of my present smaller boats to "Smart Tabs"
(BassProShops...about $150.00) . They are a great device that gets my
boats
up and flat in very shallow water. No more bow in my way when I blast
off.... You can just do a google search on Smart Tabs to get lots of
comments. Or, go to the manufacturer's site
http://www.nauticusinc.com/index_1024.html and read his comments and
testimonials. He, apparently, also has something called Monster tabs for
larger bass boats. I have NO personal knowledge of those tabs. I presume
they do the same thing for a larger sized boat.

A number of the Carolina Skiff Owners have put Smart Tabs on their boats
and
so far, all of the comments have been positive.

RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

Thanks guys -- I really appreciate all the info.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com