Hydrofoils

[Captain PartyMarty]

Hey Guy's

I have been thinking about adding a hydrofoil to my main as I have issues getting up on plane (loaded) and I find I drop out of plan pretty early. Do any of you have experience with a hydrofoil on a trophy 2002? I have a 135hp optimax.

There seems to be two main ones on the market. Sting ray drill free mounting or the SE sport which is about 2/3 cheeper than the StringRay. Should I go cheep or is there an advantage to having the pricer one.

Capt

 

[ReelSlim]

I had an SE Sport on a Malibu 182 and one on My current 21' Striper. With both of these boats there was a noticible improvement with rear end lift. Lots of people will say just put tabs on but they work differently. The Foil will lift the a$$ end(Like a wing) which in turn brings down the bow. With tabs I find on my boat they are more for leveling my load. Yes they too bring the bow down but they do it by dragging(at an angle) and forcing the bow down and then lifting the stern. I would say that these products will improve most boat set ups up to about a 24' foot boat. After that I think it would have to be considerably larger of a foil to do any good and would be too much strain on it as well.......IMO Cheers!

 

[scott craven]

They work, the only advantage to the expensive model is that you don't have to drill
the cavitation plate.
If thats not an issue, go for the cheapy.

 

[CIVANO]

A 4 blade prop solved the very same problem on my boat.

 

[spring time]

I had the same problem on my trophy, I put hydrofoils on but then switch to trim tabs as they work much better, and I can keep on plane at lower speed

 

[JAC]

Start with the 4 blade. The hydrofoil can help with porpoising. Also having your motor mounted to the correct height can make a Hugh differents. I had a 2002 with a 135 but it had trim tabs does your boat have tabs? If it does buy the 4 blade prop and make sure your getting max rpm out of you opti motor. ( that's a guess on the optimax but that's what I had)

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Thanks for the input guys. I have an Optimax and yes I have trim tabs but I don't find them very effective. Not sure why but I just don't get much response out of them. I can balance the load but thats about all, also it looks like the actuators both died on the last trip. Though it was just a fuse but I can only find the break in the main panel which isn't tripped. I am thinking of converting the lenco's over to bennetts as the engineer in me doesn't like the combination of electric motors and saltwater.

I think I will throw a hydrofoil on and see what happens from reading it looks like there is much gain with very little downside. I also considered the 4 blade prop but I think the foil is more cost effective.

 

[trendsetter]

Start with the 4 blade. The hydrofoil can help with porpoising. Also having your motor mounted to the correct height can make a Hugh differents. I had a 2002 with a 135 but it had trim tabs does your boat have tabs? If it does buy the 4 blade prop and make sure your getting max rpm out of you opti motor. ( that's a guess on the optimax but that's what I had)

X2. Jac is on the right track here. The first thing you should do is determine if your current prop is allowing the motor to reach the recommended max RPM with your average load. If it's not you need to replace the prop to get the performance you should have and to prolong engine life. Outboards hate to be over propped and it will shorten it's life.

Second is the engine position on the boat. It should be mounted as high as possible without losing grip on turns when trimmed out. A good starting point is the anti-ventilation plate even with or just slightly above the keel.

Third is changing the prop to correct any remaining issues with performance and handling. If the goal is fuel economy and being able to stay on a plane a lower speeds then yes a 4-blade is what you will be looking for.

The solas amita 4-blade props are very good and are very affordable if you order them online. Usually around 100 bucks plus shipping and taxes at the border.

If you can provide some more details about your current setup (prop pitch and make, max RPM with an average load, engine gear ratio etc) I could help you choose the correct 4 blade prop for your application.

Cheers

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Make sure you are looking at 4 blade props with stern lift not bow lift you will want to get into a decent prop for that a rev 4 or powertech osf4 would be the ticket. A lot of guys buy the wrong 4 blade for what they are looking to achieve. There are lots of styles but make sure you are getting what you need.
I have a large planning fin sitting around that I took off my motor and have just purchased a 4 blade stern lifting prop as the fin works but wasn't doing what I needed. If your on the island and want to buy my fin for cheap. you are welcome to have a look at it if your not into spending the money on a new prop.

 

[BrodieG]

Proper engine height will yield the best improvement. Not only will it increase performance but efficiency is improved aswell.