hydrofoil stabilizer

[boaterntexas]

What do you think about them, performace boost or not.. I had one on my old 115 hp merc, when I removed it, I saw better top end and improved hole shot. Your opinions on theese wings..<br /><br /> Thanks,<br /> Thomas

 

[manitoba1]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

I had a stingray hydrofoil on on my 55hp suzuki (powertrim) mounted on an alumacraft classic 16 for a day until the hydrofoil nearly caused my boat to flip. When I trimmed down and made a sharp turn on acceleration, my boat turned completely on it's side until water started to come into the boat. Pretty scary with a boat full of kids. I took it of and the boat is completely stable and safe. I've heard from others having this happen. From my experience stay away from this thing and boat safely. Find other ways to increase performance.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

The whole reason to run any fin is to be able to raise the X dimension. They are intended to run above the water when on plane not under the surface. Yes, most definately if the fin gets under the water it will lose performance at best and become unstable in the worst case scenario. <br /><br />The fins are not intended to increase performance all by themselves. They are a tool that allows you to do other things to increase performance. <br /><br />Remember - when making any change - any at all - test it out! Even if you only do something that seems minor like put on a new prop of the same design and manufacturer. Try it first before you put others in the boat!<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[chris in va]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

I had one on my 16' Jason bass boat, 75hp Suzuki. It really stabilized the boat at speed and made trim settings much more positive. It feels like the boat is flying over the water rather than on it, which is how 'real' hydrofoils work. <br /><br />I liked mine, results may vary.

 

[jroberts24]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

Got one on my Force 125, Bayliner Trophy. I love it. It gets me out of the water quicker (I like to fish shallows) and hangs turns much better without sliding. <br /><br />jroberts

 

[cloumar]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

Hi manitoba1,<br /><br />I am not an expert boater, but your are saying that - you trimmed down and took a sharp turn... <br /><br />Why you trimmed down ? I am just curious - because like I said, I don't have a lot of experience in driving a boat and whenever I am at cruising speed on the water and the boat is trimmed up properly and it is planning OK, if I do a turn I will not trimmed my motor down unless I came close to stop. <br /><br />Am I ok or wrong to do so ?<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />Smoky.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

dhadley- the fins are designed to run above the water when on plane? i though the fins mount to the cavitation plate, which is usually close to the bottom of the hull. wouldn't the whole boat be out of the water? maybe i missed something.<br /><br />btw, don't have one, but have thought about putting one on my 150 johnson. i've heard nothing but good comments from my dad, and 2 uncles. but again, no personal experience.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

hey mattt, i don't know exactly what dhadley meant, but have you ever heard of 'getting up on the pad'? - only a small section of the boat just in front of motor is in contact with water... and with foil being at or just above hull line, i guess it would be like a hydrofoil then <br /><br />the bassrockets get into this kind of thing, i think- lol<br />you could run a search of 'pad' to probably get more info. as far as running a hydrofoil, i've never heard a negative comment, before this topic.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

Yes you want them at or above the surface when on plane. Think of it this way - if the fin gets under the surface and you use positive trim angle it will pull the back of the boat down - a lot!<br /><br />With your 150 you should be able to take advantage of one of the larger ones like a King Fin. Using the larger fin and a very good prop we start to talk about the propshaft in relation to the bottom of the boat rather than the cav plate. Even with a good production 4 blade its not unusual to have to add a jackplate because the motor cant be raised high enough with the standard mounting holes. <br /><br />Fun stuff!

 

[cloumar]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

Hi Dhadley,<br /><br />Could you look at my reply on this post and give me an idea if I am thinking or doing wrong ?<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />Smoky

 

[Dhadley]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

If the boat turns nicely without trimming down thats OK. A lot of boats that carry a lot of bow out of the water need to be trimmed down a touch to "set" the boat. It depends on the hull, the set up, the speed, the driver, water conditions and how sharp a turn.<br /><br />My Hydrostream will turn as sharp as you like at 25 or so trimmed out but I'm not sure I'd try it at 85. <br /><br />Its something experience will dictate.<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

My experience is that fins are a lot like falsies - they're used to make up for a shortcoming. Generally, they're used if you're trying to make too small a motor push too large a load, compensate for a defect in the hull of the boat, or as a "quick fix" to a problem that could be dealt with by spending some time with setup. They put a lot of strain on the cavitation plates - strain the plates weren't designed to handle.<br /><br />If you need more power, I think you'll find you can probably buy a good used 15hp for about what you can get for your good used 9.9...<br /><br />- Scott

 

[Dhadley]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

We view the fins as a tool. Used as intended they allow you to alter the set up to gain performance. The fins as just an add on may not help at all and may indeed hurt performance to the point of causing the boat to become unstable in certian situations. I think we saw that situation early in the discussion. <br /><br />We've used the larger fins on all types of outboard race boats and performance boats and never broken a plate. But the intent of using the fin was to raise the X dimension to reduce drag and stabilize the boat. On the other hand we very rarely, if ever, see one help a stern drive boat. Actually only once, now that I think about it. <br /><br />They dont work in all situations but it helps to understand the theory behind their design.

 

[manitoba1]

Re: hydrofoil stabilizer

smokyforce:<br /><br />You're right saying that you should be trimmed up when running and down when taking off from a stop. The time I nearly tipped the boat I had stopped the boat after travelling some time up a river and had some lunch with my wife, sister and her boys. Since I had a bit of weight in the boat I had trimmed down to start off again and had the motor turned, since I was planning to change direction on the river. As I began to give it some throttle the boat went right on it side and had water coming in until I cut the throttle. My wife to this day is still nervous in a boat even though that hydrofoil is long gone.