Re: Hydrofoil/Smart tabs
Cool It;<br /><br />I have been out in northern CA testing various boats, so I appologize if you have been waiting for an answer.<br /><br />I have said this many times,and will continue to say it. If any planing device slows the boat down at top speed, it has changed the hull design to make it less efficient, and use more fuel. The loss of speed ( most often hydrofoils will cause a loss of speed) is caused by too much stern lift at speed. This forces the bow down, and to compensate you need to trim the outdrive up so as to raise the bow (and increase speed). Using the prop to lift the bow means that the prop is runing through the water at an angle. This also means the prop is sliping. <br /><br />The gain in hole shot performance is minimal by comparison to Trim Tabs. You will still need to use 3/4 to full throttle to get up quick.<br /><br />For those who think hydrofoils help their hole shot, try this: Accelerate very slow and check the bow rise. Pretend you have your aging grandmother in the boat!<br /><br />With Smart Tabs (trim Tabs) the boat will walk up to plane. The way I like to put it is that "we do not help with hole shots, as this would mean there is a hole to get out of". If the boat never gets into a hole there is no hole shot just plane acceleration.<br /><br />But lets set this hole shot stuff aside for a moment; How the boat performs over all is just as important. Ride, handling, fuel efficiency, acceleration, and top speed are improved with Smart tabs, simply because the system can be adjusted to your boat and is always active.<br /><br />If the motor manufacturers felt they could improve the boat performance by making the cavitation plate larger they would have done so a long time ago. Especially when they went to the four stroke motors.<br /><br />The hydrofoils are cheep, they provide extra lift (at speed they provide too much lift), but they are a serious compromise to boat performance and handling, and you will pay for them over and over with extra fuel cost if they slow the boat top speed. Just MHO!<br /><br />By the way this past weekend I ran a 19" (older) Skeeter with a 175 Merc. Two people on board and did a very tight (steering to full lock) 180 at 45 MPH with the motor timmed out, and never slid in the turn or lost prop bite. (used Mobster Tabs MT1080-60). The owner though I was nuts but could not believe the handling. I do not recomned this to anyone! But you would never be able to do this with a hydrofoil.