Hyro foil and 4 blade props

[dmurph]

Wondering if any one on the forum has experienced running a hydro foil and a 4 blade prop. I run a 4 blade prop on my 6000 lbs trophy 2359 and it has really helped with getting on plane and keeping the stern lifted a bit. Boat has a new 350 mag mpi and alpha 1 gen 2. Thinking the foil could help with even more stern lift. I always have the big costco cooler filled with ice and hopefully fish on the swim grid and a 15hp merc kicker.

 

[Tightlines22]

No question they help. I've been running the stingray hydrofoil for years on several ob's and definite improvement.

 

[JAC]

I had one on a Hewescraft with a 4 blade prop. I wasn't that happy with the results I felt the 4 blade was more noticeable then the foil. If I was u I would get one that mounts with out drilling new holes in the leg if they have that model for a IO.

 

[dmurph]

So you just felt the foil was a waste of money JAC, as it didn't give much more performance? Or did it actually make the boat handle strange in conjunction with the 4 blade

 

[SpringVelocity]

Just so people understand the hydrofoil is great to force the bow down. It also allows especially inboard to plane at lower RPM. I have one and its great cheap investment. I also have a couple of buddies with 4 blades as well. But I highly recommend you consider trim tabs if you can do so. Most likely will correct your problem if you have something else going on. Hydrofoils are great but trim tabs are better. Some people run both.

 

[Reeltime]

I swear by it ... I really noticed a difference on performance and gas savings on a small boat ... so i'm sure it does some good for bigger boats .

 

[Fishtank]

Just put one on my boat yesterday and took it out this evening.keeping mind I don't have a 4 blade prop,I defiantly noticed it got up on a plane quicker and is planning at slower speeds.will be interested to see how it does with 4 people in the boat,only had 2 tonight.

 

[ChilliSpoons]

Hydrofoils are a cheaper alternative to adjustable Trim Tabs but I've also seen Self Leveling Trim Tabs. Bennett makes these and seem to be another cheaper alternative to the full on adjustable trim tab systems.

Any thoughts or downside?

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/benne...-tab-system-10-x-10-for-boats-14-20--14206387

 

[Old Fisher]

A Hydrofoil will certainly help with stern lift but I've read about some opinions that they place undue force against the leg. Has anyone got any knowledge or opinions on this?
I have a boat that needs additional stern lift especially with moderately heavy loads. I have hydraulic trim tabs and I added additional fixed tabs flush with the hull bottom but I would still like additional lift so that I don't have to use so much down trim.
I also use a 4 blade prop with definitely helps and I don't care about the loss of a couple mph at top end.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Just put one on my boat yesterday and took it out this evening.keeping mind I don't have a 4 blade prop,I defiantly noticed it got up on a plane quicker and is planning at slower speeds.will be interested to see how it does with 4 people in the boat,only had 2 tonight.

One big thing is the rear end tends not to slip on big turn

A Hydrofoil will certainly help with stern lift but I've read about some opinions that they place undue force against the leg. Has anyone got any knowledge or opinions on this?
I have a boat that needs additional stern lift especially with moderately heavy loads. I have hydraulic trim tabs and I added additional fixed tabs flush with the hull bottom but I would still like additional lift so that I don't have to use so much down trim.
I also use a 4 blade prop with definitely helps and I don't care about the loss of a couple mph at top end.

Technically I doubt that could happen. You have 6061 aluminum leg which is extremely ductile, and the hydrofoil flexes and is not rigid. Its a flexible plastic. The amount of force you would need to bust that cross section would be huge. I also haven't heard of one breaking leg either.

 

[dmurph]

Thanks for the input fellas. The 4 blade made a huge improvement and I have trim tabs which are a must on my rig. May have to try out a foil also for just a little extra performance. Don't need any extra hole shot, boat gets up quick hoping the fin would just help hold the stern up some more in addition to the prop. I just recently put on a turning point 15x15 hustler prop and it worked awesome. I was running a 4 blade merc 15x16. Unfortunately I hit a dead head 2 days after installing the hustler and I must say can't believe how well in performed in its smashed up state.

 

[Gray Escape]

Had the Piranha composite prop and foil on our last boat which was 21 feet with a 5L Mercruiser.
I found the foil really improved the stability of the boat and helped keep it in plane at much slower speeds.
I didn't find it helped get it on plane any quicker, had to use the trim tabs just as we had done previously.