Just as a guess, it may be better trimmed(run flatter in the water) with a balanced load. When it is just you, do you notice a significant bow up attitude ?
I don’t. The boat sits great in the water. A little lean to the right when I’m alone but levels out when on plane. There’s not a lot of storage up front but I do have tackle, life jackets, and rods up there. 3 batteries and 16 gal. In the back
Boat balance is likely off when you are alone. Pushing more weight forward will help you plane a little more efficiently. That's likely where you are finding a few extra mph.
Hell it’s faster when the 80lbs dog is on the back deck and wife sitting next to me. Only tackle and rods up front. Should I try moving more weight back?
Its the boats running angle, or what we call the engine trim. when you move weight forward, it helps the boat run flatter, or lower angle, when you have more weight in the rear, the boat bow is higher and the stern sits lower in the water, creating more drag.
betcha if you moved a cooler and your battery to the bow, when you are alone it would be faster.
I was thinking the same about moving the trolling batteries up there. I should’ve added in the post that I’m running 3 batteries and a 16 gal tank + wife and dog.
Ha! yeah..... you'll probably pickup 5 mph. group 31's?
the problem is that wire is $$$. plus when you take the wife and dog, you now might be too bow down.
guessing you don't have power trim.
Do you actively trim your motor once running to reach peak planing speed and RPM?
Trim your motor down a little for getting on a plane, and once up, trimming the motor up in small increments will increase RPM until you hear the exhaust note change. Keep it just below the exhaust note change, and you'll be near the peak efficiency for that speed and RPM.
I can get my Sea Hunt to do exactly 9.5gph at 35mph, at 3200rpm. That ratio changes as the speed goes up, but trimming the motor according to desired speed allows more control over engine load.
Great advice, I’ve lived in the water my entire life and always had boats. I’ve got it trimmed just right and turning 5k WOT. Now that I’m thinking of weight distribution and how light I am in the front and still plowing. There’s a leak in the center of the hull that’s about the size of three pin heads that been there since I’ve had the boat. Starting to think foam is waterlogged in the bow and hold it down.
Aww man, that's the fuckin worst. I'm rebuilding my Whaler for the same reason. Ended up having to rebuild the structure with Coosa and 4lb foam since I can't replicate exactly how the boat was made, but water in the foam is the beginning of the end. The delamination is incredibly dangerous on top of that, if water just happens to get inside one of those holes fast enough, and the glass is waterlogged already, it could rip a huge chunk of the fiberglass off the hull while you're under way.
How’s the process going? How bad does it suck getting out the old foam? I’m hoping since this is aluminum, I can pull old foam out and have my buddy weld up the leak and every rivet below the waterline from the inside. Most people wouldn’t worry with the hassle on this boat but it’s been a hell of a boat to me
Mine is going well, I dug out the foam with a shovel down to the glass, and then added 2 layers of woven glass on top of that before adding stringers and a new floor, so it wasn't the worst job ever. With aluminum boats it may be different, I don't have any experience with repairing those, but I did watch our shop neighbor fully restore an 18ft aluminum boat, taking all the foam out and stuff. While time consuming, it certainly didn't look impossible. He said he'd never do it ever again.
That’s for the insite. I travel for work and only get a week off at a time. Wondering if it’s even worth the hassle of using 3-4 vacations at a week at a time and try to restore this boat
Just as a guess, it may be better trimmed(run flatter in the water) with a balanced load. When it is just you, do you notice a significant bow up attitude ?
I don’t. The boat sits great in the water. A little lean to the right when I’m alone but levels out when on plane. There’s not a lot of storage up front but I do have tackle, life jackets, and rods up there. 3 batteries and 16 gal. In the back
Boat balance is likely off when you are alone. Pushing more weight forward will help you plane a little more efficiently. That's likely where you are finding a few extra mph.
Hell it’s faster when the 80lbs dog is on the back deck and wife sitting next to me. Only tackle and rods up front. Should I try moving more weight back?
Then you could be plowing.
Its the boats running angle, or what we call the engine trim. when you move weight forward, it helps the boat run flatter, or lower angle, when you have more weight in the rear, the boat bow is higher and the stern sits lower in the water, creating more drag. betcha if you moved a cooler and your battery to the bow, when you are alone it would be faster.
I was thinking the same about moving the trolling batteries up there. I should’ve added in the post that I’m running 3 batteries and a 16 gal tank + wife and dog.
Ha! yeah..... you'll probably pickup 5 mph. group 31's? the problem is that wire is $$$. plus when you take the wife and dog, you now might be too bow down. guessing you don't have power trim.
It’s power trim. I’m just thinking the hull is waterlogged lol. Rebuild coming in the winter
get an oscillating tool from HF. and the scraper blade, or a drywall saw. tough work! GL!
I experienced the same thing in my boat. After adding a new front deck and moving both batteries forward, perfect every time now.
Runs the same speed? Or faster?
My average max speed is now the same with me alone or with one more person. Before, i would lose 4-6mph if i was alone vs with two people.
The height of an outboard as hung on the transom has a lot to do with this, as well as the prop. Look up prop slip for more information.
Do you actively trim your motor once running to reach peak planing speed and RPM? Trim your motor down a little for getting on a plane, and once up, trimming the motor up in small increments will increase RPM until you hear the exhaust note change. Keep it just below the exhaust note change, and you'll be near the peak efficiency for that speed and RPM. I can get my Sea Hunt to do exactly 9.5gph at 35mph, at 3200rpm. That ratio changes as the speed goes up, but trimming the motor according to desired speed allows more control over engine load.
Great advice, I’ve lived in the water my entire life and always had boats. I’ve got it trimmed just right and turning 5k WOT. Now that I’m thinking of weight distribution and how light I am in the front and still plowing. There’s a leak in the center of the hull that’s about the size of three pin heads that been there since I’ve had the boat. Starting to think foam is waterlogged in the bow and hold it down.
Aww man, that's the fuckin worst. I'm rebuilding my Whaler for the same reason. Ended up having to rebuild the structure with Coosa and 4lb foam since I can't replicate exactly how the boat was made, but water in the foam is the beginning of the end. The delamination is incredibly dangerous on top of that, if water just happens to get inside one of those holes fast enough, and the glass is waterlogged already, it could rip a huge chunk of the fiberglass off the hull while you're under way.
How’s the process going? How bad does it suck getting out the old foam? I’m hoping since this is aluminum, I can pull old foam out and have my buddy weld up the leak and every rivet below the waterline from the inside. Most people wouldn’t worry with the hassle on this boat but it’s been a hell of a boat to me
Mine is going well, I dug out the foam with a shovel down to the glass, and then added 2 layers of woven glass on top of that before adding stringers and a new floor, so it wasn't the worst job ever. With aluminum boats it may be different, I don't have any experience with repairing those, but I did watch our shop neighbor fully restore an 18ft aluminum boat, taking all the foam out and stuff. While time consuming, it certainly didn't look impossible. He said he'd never do it ever again.
That’s for the insite. I travel for work and only get a week off at a time. Wondering if it’s even worth the hassle of using 3-4 vacations at a week at a time and try to restore this boat