Hydrofoil - Do I need one?

[Swath]

Gents, I am sure that this has come up before but I will ask anyways. I had my boat, a 1995 Sylvan Pro Sport 17, out on the water for a significant time at Wabamun this weekend and it performed well but not stellar. I had two issues including:

1. Boat not staying up on plane under 15 MPH
2. While not on plane there was significant bow rise to the point that I had to stand up to see anything.
3. Some porpoising but not all the time. Likely driver error as the boat is still new to me.

Weight distribution might have been an issue as I did add a 9.9 two stroke kicker and I have a mid-rear fuel tank which was full (100 liters). I would rather not add bow ballast as it eats up storage space although it my also help the tendency to pound on top of waves instead of cutting through them. Will a hydrofoil help much to get on plane quicker and stay on plane at slower speeds? What has been your experience?

PS- I have a 130HP, 2 stroke Johnson. I am unsure of the prop pitch but I was at about 40-42 MPH on GPS at about 5200-5400 rpm.

Thanks.

[Kokanee9]

Your boat seems to be working the way any other would. Not staying on plane is probably due to the boat weighing 1220lbs dry. Heavy boats need more speed to keep them on top of the water. Even if you added one, is it worth it to go maybe 1-3 mph slower on plane?

[TROLLER]

The hydra foil just helps get to plane quicker won't help you if you slow down and hope to stay on plane at 15MPH

You mounted your kicker on the port, left side of the boat I hope.

[Swath]

Yes, the kicker is on the port side along with it's fuel tank. I think the boat is balanced from side to side pretty well. It just would be nice to be able to drive slow without standing. Maybe I'll just have to get my buddy to site up front at that time.

[Wild&Free]

Yes, the kicker is on the port side along with it's fuel tank. I think the boat is balanced from side to side pretty well. It just would be nice to be able to drive slow without standing. Maybe I'll just have to get my buddy to site up front at that time.

That's what I'd do. Cheapest fix possible too! Plus while he's up there, he can grab a beer.

[cube]

You mounted your kicker on the port, left side of the boat I hope.

Why would that be important?

[fishnab]

SWATH:

Trying using your power trip at lower speeds to bring the bow down so you can see. Once you are going a little faster, trim the other way.

Hope this helps

[Swath]

Why would that be important?

I assume it is because the driver sits on the starboard side. Balance the load

[skykomish sunrise]

At slow speeds low trim = lower bow. Start at low trim and gently tweek it up as ur speed rises. Hydrofoils help the hp challenged...ur 130 shoulddo ok with proper setup and driving

[Ebrand]

Keep it under 50% full of fuel (unless you need to pack 110l of fuel around).
I have a similar boat and learned that reducing the weight by not filling past half makes for a much better performing boat. I have never burned 60 l of fuel in a day. Not even skiing.

[jim summit]

Almost any 17' boat will drop off plane below 15 mph, even more so with an extra trolling motor mounted. Have owned a number of different 16-18 boats and non would plane at that slow a speed.
Hydrofoil will help, but do cause extra drag in the water.

[DMCK]

I had the same problem with my 20' harbercraft. Was fine until I added the kicker and second battery.
I added transom wedges and it made a huge difference and all is good.

http://www.bobsmachine.com/New-Reversible-Transom-Wedges-319-200000.htm

I bought the wedges and a aluminum Hydrofoil. I still have the hydrofoil if you are interested.
http://www.bobsmachine.com/True-Tracker-Stabilizer-Plate-90-HP-402-000000.htm
They say this will keep you on plane at lower speeds.
Dave

[ptemomo]

I just installed a Sea Ray Stealth and it made a world of difference. Plane way faster now and do stay on plane a little slower. Its pretty inexpensive to give it a try. Its no snake oil.

[Swath]

Thanks guys. I'll mess around with it a little bit more and let you know. Boating is still fairly new to me so I'm sure I will have more questions.

It's awesome to have such a good group to throw questions at and get real answers. I appreciate it fellas.

[cube]

I assume it is because the driver sits on the starboard side. Balance the load

For what it’s worth, when I was looking at putting a kicker on my boat I was told that kickers are usually put on the starboard side of fishing boats but on port sides if you have a boarding ladder, as the ladder always goes on the pilots side of the boat. When I looked at boats primarily for fishing at that time that's indeed what I found. e.g. look up the kicker position on the Next Bite tournament boats and there all on the starboard side. I also had a boarding ladder and small platform installed so my kicker went on the port side.

Balancing is easy enough move a battery and anchor to the other side and voila your done.

[Swath]

For what it’s worth, when I was looking at putting a kicker on my boat I was told that kickers are usually put on the starboard side of fishing boats but on port sides if you have a boarding ladder, as the ladder always goes on the pilots side of the boat. When I looked at boats primarily for fishing at that time that's indeed what I found. e.g. look up the kicker position on the Next Bite tournament boats and there all on the starboard side. I also had a boarding ladder and small platform installed so my kicker went on the port side.

Balancing is easy enough move a battery and anchor to the other side and voila your done.

Interesting. I wonder why that would be? Either way, I do not have a boarding ladder but my batteries (x2) are on the starboard side and I have a live well on the port side so moving batteries around is not a possibility for me.

[cube]

Interesting. I wonder why that would be? Either way, I do not have a boarding ladder but my batteries (x2) are on the starboard side and I have a live well on the port side so moving batteries around is not a possibility for me.

My understanding at the time was that it would be easier to see if fishing or downrigger lines would foul in the kickers prop.

Not a big deal though.

Have a great season

[TROLLER]

Why would that be important?

Most boats have the batteries on the starboard side in an enclosure of some short, very heavy and if you ad the kicker it really makes throws the balance out of wack. Some have gas tanks that also tend to be starboard side heavy but not many.

If you want to mount a ladder then do so on the starboard side, the port side is where you get balance for your boat when you have a kicker installed.

[TROLLER]

Also I would really like to see a pic of any tourney boat that has the kicker mounted on the starboard side.

That would be something to ride in what with the entire boat wanting to lean starboard. lol

[cube]

Also I would really like to see a pic of any tourney boat that has the kicker mounted on the starboard side.

That would be something to ride in what with the entire boat wanting to lean starboard. lol

Like I alluded to go to the Next Bite Website and see for yourself. If you go to Walleye Work Shop you can also both see both Scott Duncan's and Mike Gofron's Lund Pro V's kickers mounted on the starboard side.

[seahawkfisher]

i had major issues with low speed planing to the point of needing to stand up; added a stingray to the cavitation plate and she will plane at any speed now. Lost a few mph but well worth it in my opinion as i dont run it at WOT all the time.
cheers

[lotw]

I have guided an identical boat many times. ( 120 johnson, stainless prop, Hydrofoil, 24v bow mount electric and no kicker) I always ran it with a full livewell. That boat porpoises when the motor is trimmed up. It is going to happen, The more weight in the boat especially in the back it gets worse. The kicker is really hurting the boats performance. Take the kicker off and take it for a ride. There are some good suggstions 50% fuel will help, filling the bow livewell will help. Stainless prop helps, 5 blades will do more than 3. The hydrofoil will help a lot with your setup it will plane faster and if it is good one it will help to reduce the porpoising. The least expensive add on. You can get trim tabs to keep the bow down and speed up how fast the boat gets on plane, they work better than a hydrofoil. It will also help make the boat ride smoother and can be used to level out the boat when on plane, and when angling through waves you can raise the bow on the side the waves are hitting on. The drawback is they are pricey.

[Swath]

Well gents. First of all, thanks to all who contributed answers to my question. Not to debunk any of the feedback that I got as it was all good but I think the majority of my issues were driver error. I was able to spend significant time on the boat over the past two weeks and have found it to perform much better now that I know how to operate it. I was even able to get my buddy up on one ski !!

I think that some comments eluded to a boat that was not set up properly. My boat is 18 years old with all original components so I didn't think that it was a problem for me. For all of you that are thinking about modifications to improve performance/handling that you should spend some time on the water getting to know your boat before spending any money. It worked for me.

Again, thanks for your input gents. I appreciate it.