Batwings... do they work

[ferrariman]

I have seen many large plastic wings attached to the cavatation plates of outboards as well as smaller billit ones. to thoses cheap pieces of plastic really make a differance? Thnx

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Batwings... do they work

Originally posted by ferrariman:<br /> Do thoses cheap pieces of plastic really make a differance? Thnx

Yes, they really make a difference, sometimes bad and sometimes good.<br /><br />Do a search for hydrofoils or foils, I doubt you will find anything under, "Bat wings"!<br /><br />You need to make sure you have the engine high enough so that they ar completly out of the water when at WOT, or you can have some real strange things happen.<br /><br />Also do a search on "Smart Tabs", Much better product and well worth the money.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Batwings... do they work

they work great at slowing you down and increasing drag!

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Batwings... do they work

They work best on flat bottomed boats where the antiventilation plate rides above the water line once the boat is on plane. Otherwise they can slow you down and mess with your handling. Some boats do better with, others do poorly.

 

[scotty c]

Re: Batwings... do they work

I disagree phatman, my boat jumps up on plane<br />and remains there way longer with doel fins<br />than without.<br />i have run them on several outboards with good results.<br />i'm sure smarttabs work well also, however<br />they are lot more $$$$

 

[scotty c]

Re: Batwings... do they work

I disagree phatman, my boat jumps up on plane<br />and remains there way longer with doel fins<br />than without.<br />i have run them on several outboards with good results.<br />i'm sure smarttabs work well also, however<br />they are lot more $$$$

 

[Jan Z]

Re: Batwings... do they work

Originally posted by ferrariman:<br /> I have seen many large plastic wings attached to the cavatation plates of outboards as well as smaller billit ones. to thoses cheap pieces of plastic really make a differance? Thnx

I have one on a 150 Triunph CC skiff with a 40 4S and yes they do help you can get out of the hole a bit quicker and it allows me to get a finer trim adjustment.<br /><br />My little rig tops out at 30 kts @5800 rpm but I can also plane along at 15 knots as well.<br /><br />My fuel econmy is pretty good too, the last two 21 gallon tanks gave me a total mpg of 8.78<br /><br />A lot of the results you will get will depend on what kind of boat you have, how and where you run it.<br /><br />Mine works for me and I'm happy with it.<br /><br /> http://hires.basspro.com/is/servlet/izoom/BassPro/75665?layer=comp&wid=500&hei=500&fmt=jpeg

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Batwings... do they work

Some are marketed under the name Whale's Tail.<br /><br />Mark

 

[timmathis]

Re: Batwings... do they work

You just have to try yours and see.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Batwings... do they work

I have had very good luck with doel fins on an 18 ft Cobia I/O and a 15 ft Starcraft w a 50 hp Evunrude.Quicker to plane,stays on plane at less power,The bow bobs around less.and stays down better.These fins need to run in the water to do these things.If they end up out of the water they won't do anything for you.<br /> They do sap some top end but hard to tell without a speedo.<br /> I think high speed boats say above 35-40 mph may have some bad reactions with a fin.<br /> There is no question the smart tabs are a better all around option.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Batwings... do they work

The set I have on my rig are angled upward, rather than sticking straight out. The advantage to this design is they definately are out of the water when going at above planing speeds. They help get my rig out of the hole faster, but I would like to toss a set of Smart Tabs on. Just have not gotten around to getting some yet, the boat has been doing fine so far...

 

[LORDY611]

Re: Batwings... do they work

I have a plastic one my brother attached to my motor (48 Johnson on a 16' center console). We were getting cavitation on high speed turns and hoped this would help. While it didnt help the cavitation, it may have helped the hole shot some. I dont think it hurt anything though.<br />Anyone have an idea why the cavitation was happening? Could the prop be the issue?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Batwings... do they work

Cavitation on high speed turns probably caused by bubbles emanating from the keel (or lifting strakes) going sideways. cupped props and/or high performance props can fix this.....those made to run partially out of the water.<br /><br />Mark

 

[Mark42]

Re: Batwings... do they work

I had porpoising problems, and added a fin. It did ride nicer, but the steering felt different aftwords. In the long run, I ended up removing the fin, adjusted the trim angle, and added weight to the bow by moving the fuel tank from rear to bow. Now the boat rides like it should and runs faster than with the fin. <br /><br />Bottom line is don't bother adding a fin until you have exhausted researching every other possable cause of the problem. If you throw a fin on first, you will just be masking the problem. Then it becomes almost impossable to identify the real cause of the problem.<br /><br />PS, I have a lightly used fin for sale if you're interested.....