Hydrofoil

[JimS123]

Re: Hydrofoil

the foil will create turbulence and vortices that will affect any part of the hull downstream.

Google hydrofoil so you know what they look like and where they go. 100% of the hull is upstream.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: Hydrofoil

I've seen first hand hydrofoils working just fine when you just need a tad bit more lift at slower speed. I have yet to see one fail or bust anything, but it IS possible. Not everyone is prepared to shell out $400 for tabs, and those 'smart tabs' seem like they're useful on ski boats to keep the bow down, but other than that- if my boat nosed down like the one in that past video- I'd slap whoever recommended them. Plus, you can't tell me that two tabs hanging way down won't mess up your reverse manuevering.

Start off cheap- hydrofoil, then upgrade if you need to and when money allows.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Hydrofoil

I have had a StingRay for many years on a 3.0 Mercruiser. It is very effective, inexpensive, makes the boat safer in a storm, cuts my overall gas use, provides a great step for reboarding after a swim, and looks kind of cool when it's on the trailer. It is not perfect and does have issues with stiff steering at high speeds but none with cavitation. There has been no wear or issues with loading on parts over several years of use.
Tabs work very well. I have them on my inboard wake boat and have had them on other boats. They cost more and are less effective at slow speed but better at high speed.
The foil is a $50 experiment as the total risk. It is the cheapest performance enhancement I've ever put on a boat. If you want to spend more there are some added benefits from tabs that are adjustable.
I hope that information from experience helps you hunter0527. Others have already made up their minds

 

[heyyou325]

Re: Hydrofoil

In my thread where I built one. I copied the shape of a StingRay out of an old aluminum sign, and as I needed the top of the cavitation plate for my trolling plate, I put it under it. Maybe 1/16" difference. And it protects the cavitation plate on the motor from a little too much power on the trolling plate. I've had 2 boat shops liked my idea, as they both said trolling plates are apt to break the cavitation plate. I get both and in 4 years I've had no problems. Stabilizes the boat when I take off. I only go a little over 20 but the bow kept coming up higher than I liked and I couldn't plane. Now I can, even with a 30 gal tank in the bow to help hold it down.

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil

I wish I would have tried my boat with the hydrofoil. When I bought it, it had a hydrofoil on it and I immediately removed it and replaced it with the SmartTabs (due to the discussions here). However I have now taken off the SmartTabs this winter and await to try it with nothing in the spring. Unfortunately the SmartTabs made my boat "plow" thru the water. I "assumed" that the previous owner put on the hydrofoil for a reason (the only time I drve it with the hydrofoil was the test drive), and I should have tested it more before throwing the SmartTabs on it, with and without the hydrofoil.

If Smart Tabs makes your boat plow thru the water then one of two things, either they are not adjusted properly or you have the wrong gas cylinders. When I first bought my Smart tabs with the 80lb cylinders I could not get the bow out of the water, I called Nauticus and they sent me a set of 60lb cylinders and all is great now. Smart Tabs should help your boat not hurt it.

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil

To the op, I had a Sting Ray foil on my first boat, 17' with 3.0l I/O, the foil caused me more trouble that help, yes I could plane faster, I lost top speed, I used more gas, the boat would porpoise easily and some other strange feelings when on plane. I tried to shim it up with rubber washers, change front up, rear up, front and rear up, nothing made it work right, took it off and ran without it.

Current boat I have Smart Tabs on and they do everything advertised. I am very happy with them.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Hydrofoil

To the op, I had a Sting Ray foil on my first boat, 17' with 3.0l I/O, the foil caused me more trouble that help, yes I could plane faster, I lost top speed, I used more gas, the boat would porpoise easily and some other strange feelings when on plane. I tried to shim it up with rubber washers, change front up, rear up, front and rear up, nothing made it work right, took it off and ran without it.

Current boat I have Smart Tabs on and they do everything advertised. I am very happy with them.

1. Like has already been said, they don't always work all that well on I'Os, no surprise. Some people will live with the trade offs though, so if they're happy, fine.

2. Again, like has already been said, tabs and foils do very different things, used in the wrong way, or for the wrong reasons people will be very disappointed.

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil

1. Like has already been said, they don't always work all that well on I'Os, no surprise. Some people will live with the trade offs though, so if they're happy, fine.

2. Again, like has already been said, tabs and foils do very different things, used in the wrong way, or for the wrong reasons people will be very disappointed.

I made my post because the op has a 3.0 IO, I just gave my personal experience with a particular foil, I tried to make it work, I just was not happy with the results. I then stated my personal experience with Smart Tabs and that I am happy with them. I just gave little more information so the op could have it to work with.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Hydrofoil

It wasn't a slam to you, it's that these threads follow the same pattern every time, someone asks if foils work, this is followed by a dozen replies saying they bolted one on thinking they do the same thing as tabs and headed for the water, it didn't work, so in all applications foils are useless and always create problems.

The truth is they are very setup specific and they "may" work well in some situations, but in a totally different way than tabs. On an I/O its not possible to do many adjustments to improve the performance after you install a foil, so if its being used in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons and doesn't give the desired results, why is it the fault of the product.

Now if the outdrive is mounted high and the prop ventilates during hard acceleration, then yes a foil may help by preventing some ventilation. If what you want to do is get on plan sooner, be able to adjust the ride, improve handling and possibly increase MPG, then a foil is not the correct tool on an I/O.

Every application is different, whether it did or didn't work on your boat will have little bearing on whether it will work on his boat (although the chances of one working on any I/O are less than one working on an OB). This is because the hull, HP, type of drive, prop, boat weight, how the owner wants to use it, etc, all come into play.

 

[mike-the-cobra]

Re: Hydrofoil

If Smart Tabs makes your boat plow thru the water then one of two things, either they are not adjusted properly or you have the wrong gas cylinders. When I first bought my Smart tabs with the 80lb cylinders I could not get the bow out of the water, I called Nauticus and they sent me a set of 60lb cylinders and all is great now. Smart Tabs should help your boat not hurt it.

I actually have the 60lb set now for boats 15' - 18' 60 - 150 hp. I also adjusted them as far as they go.

"A Heavy Rear End Needs More ?Lift?:If your boat has more weight near the stern, increasing the ?LIFT? pressure will bring the boat on plane sooner.
Move the BALL STUD and spring attachment up the ramp (away from the transom) on the plate bracket.
A Lighter Rear End Needs Less ?Lift?: If your boat is more balanced you may wish to decrease the ?LIFT? pressure.
Move the BALL STUD and spring attachment down the ramp (closer to the transom) on the plate bracket."

Because of the configuration of the stern of the boat, they are more towards the center of the boat.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Hydrofoil

Towards the center isn't optimal, but shouldn't be that big a deal. They really look like the are hanging too low to me in that picture, but I found another pic here

And the angle looks better there. If they were too low that would explain things (the tab would never "retract" enough and would always push the bow down). Not sure how to really measure the angle and they don't have different mounting holes on the top plate, although to test you could try drilling a hole in the top of the top bracket to reduce the angle and see if that helps. Would not be strong enough and if it worked you'd want to move the plate up (and flip it so the hole you drilled is on the bottom).

 

[nlain]

Re: Hydrofoil

I have heard of some having to get the 40lb actuators, which are labeled for smaller boats and less hp, but there have been a few that went that way and were happy. Give Nauticus a call at 800-233-0194 and tell them what you have and what is happening, I feel sure they will help you work it out. The end result is well worth the effort.

The SX tabs are supposed to hang at 25 degrees in the brackets which is the recommended setting for installation so your angle should be right when fully deployed.

 

[hunter0527]

Re: Hydrofoil

Thank you all very much for helping me out and giving me more information. It sounds like a hydrofoil on IO is not going to help too noticeably getting up on a plane. That is really what I am after. I dont think I want to go the route of tabs on the boat at this point. This will only be my 2nd season with the boat. I want to learn more and have better knowledge of options before I go spending. Thanks to all!!!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Hydrofoil

It sounds like a hydrofoil on IO is not going to help too noticeably getting up on a plane. That is really what I am after.

Actually, that couldn't be further from the truth. If that's your only issue, a $39 DoelFin (brand) will solve your problems. Some of the negative comments here pointed out the fact that with an I/O you can't change the height of the outdrive, thus you MAY lose top speed or not be able to optimize your setup, yada, yada.

In my case, she jumps on plane and the bow stays level.

 

[hunter0527]

Re: Hydrofoil

Ok, so if it will help, lets discuss the different types, brands, materials, etc. I see plastic and metal. I see different shapes, some look like a whales tale, some look different. I also thought I saw one that doesnt bolt on? Not sure how that would work? Any comments?

 

[JimS123]

Re: Hydrofoil

Stay away from the clamp on model. Too many reports of them falling off. Probably installed without reading the directions, neverheless its only 4 holes and it won't cause a rotten transom anyway.

Trailer Boats Magazine did a good article on the 3 major brands a few years ago. Personally, I would only buy a DoelFin. That's because the first one I bought worked so well that when I bought a new boat I just stuck with it rather than experiment with an unknown.