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Boat/Ride Question

bry1202

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I have been around boats for awhile but am new to owning a boat. I have a 21' open bow ultimate with a 350 i/o Volvo Penta. If the water is relatively calm the boat rides pretty good. Anytime another boat is around and there is some bigger wake or the water gets choppy from currents/wind the boat can get rough. I have learned to slow down through this stuff and it's a much smoother ride. I am curious as I see other boats the same size and the same exact design as my boat plowing through some of this stuff and not looking like they are slapping as hard as my boat. I have tried playing with different trim locations but still have to slow down to keep the boat from slapping. My question, do some people just plow through it and let the boat slap the water so hard? Is there anything I can do to the boat (other than buy a larger boat) to improve the ride on busier weekends when the lake gets choppy? Thanks in advance.
 

Desert Whaler

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Trim Tabs can help by being able to adjust the attitude of the boat. We used to run a set on an older Mako center console in the ocean, and it really helped. The Lenco electrics worked well for us, as there was no hydraulic stuff to mess with.
Prop selection can have some effect . . 4 or 5 blade 'can' help grip the water a bit more and keep the bow a little more stable in rougher water. 'Normally', not always, you will lose a little top-end speed when going from a 3 blade, to a 4 or 5 blade prop . . . and with the added surface area of the extra blade, you'll probably need to go down a couple inches in pitch to keep your rpm's where they should be. 4 blades have great hole-shot if you plan on pulling toys or skiers, as well.
Keeping your gas tank topped-of can help keep the 'slap' down a little by having the extra weight of the fuel.
These are just a couple super generic ideas, I'm not familiar w/ your particular boat, maybe others will have better input than myself.
Good Luck.
 

FreeBird236

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I have been around boats for awhile but am new to owning a boat. I have a 21' open bow ultimate with a 350 i/o Volvo Penta. If the water is relatively calm the boat rides pretty good. Anytime another boat is around and there is some bigger wake or the water gets choppy from currents/wind the boat can get rough. I have learned to slow down through this stuff and it's a much smoother ride. I am curious as I see other boats the same size and the same exact design as my boat plowing through some of this stuff and not looking like they are slapping as hard as my boat. I have tried playing with different trim locations but still have to slow down to keep the boat from slapping. My question, do some people just plow through it and let the boat slap the water so hard? Is there anything I can do to the boat (other than buy a larger boat) to improve the ride on busier weekends when the lake gets choppy? Thanks in advance.
Generally the deeper or sharper the V the better a boat will handle the chop. Not that sure of your boat design, but in order for the front of the hull to cut though the chop and ride the best in rough water you need to be trimmed all the way down, just like when you come on plane. Other than adding weight up front that's about it. If for some reason the outdrive won't trim down enough then maybe trim tabs could help.
 

C-Ya

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OP....... Do you have trim tabs?

You also said that you have tried different adjustments. What about timing your throttle in conjunction with wakes? Deacreasing and increasing throttle at just the right time can also mitigate the slam action. When done correctly you hardly notice the decrease, since it is timed perfectly with the incoming wake, then a pop of throttle and your off. Rinse and repeat.
 

bry1202

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OP....... Do you have trim tabs?

You also said that you have tried different adjustments. What about timing your throttle in conjunction with wakes? Deacreasing and increasing throttle at just the right time can also mitigate the slam action. When done correctly you hardly notice the decrease, since it is timed perfectly with the incoming wake, then a pop of throttle and your off. Rinse and repeat.

Interesting.. I will definitely try this. Could just be my “greeness” thanks.


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rivermobster

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My 2cents...

Every open bow boat I gave been in literally beat the crap outa me. The only decent place to sit was the very back of the boat.

And this includes Yopemgo's Hallet with a full load of people.

Maybe it just a design flaw? Shrug
 

C-Ya

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Interesting.. I will definitely try this. Could just be my “greeness” thanks.


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Just to ad a little more....... Fill the bowrider seats last, when cruising. The more weight up front, the harder the slam, and the less throttle response you have. I am sure that you are also experiencing ”bow steer” when the bow is full of people.

Fill the bow when gentle cruising, but when it gets time to get somewhere, fill the other seats, first. If you ever watch Haulover videos, you will see that those boaters that have people in their bow section, take the worst beating.
 

samsah33

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Is it a regular deck boat (not the twin v deck...)? My first boat was a Tahoe 220 deck boat, and the modified V hulls would slap the water in chop and make for a hard landing. I would have to slow down when crossing wakes like going over bad railroad tracks... Current boat is a deep V and it cuts through what the deck boat wouldn't.
 

River Runnin

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boatnam2

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I had same boat, get a kidney belt or slow down is you best bet. Boat just wasn't made for the river or Havasu on a weekend in todays busy times. One other thing, we had a buddy who was a newer boater and he had no clue that everyone was getting beat to fck just so he could impress us with the blinding 56mph speed. We never rode in his boat again.
 

Rajobigguy

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If I'm not mistaken your boat if a modified v with a fairly shallow entry. My old ski Sanger was a similar design and rode pretty rough in the chop. It might sound counter intuitive but sometimes going slower isnt the answer. I found that in certain conditions like a consistent chop that it is better to pick up the pace and get on top of it but it really depends on the conditions, going faster works until you hit the one rouge wave that one of the rollbar boats left behind then all hell breaks loose.
As others have said adding trim tabs or even a dolphin fin to the outdrive extends the running surface of the boat and makes the porpoiseing a little less violent but ultimately it is a fairly light 21' boat and you are going to find the weekend washing machine to be a challenge.
 

mjc

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Different props can make a big difference. On my old Caliber 1(basically the same boat) my kids could tell when I changed props by how it rode.
 

nowski

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If I'm not mistaken your boat if a modified v with a fairly shallow entry. My old ski Sanger was a similar design and rode pretty rough in the chop. It might sound counter intuitive but sometimes going slower isnt the answer. I found that in certain conditions like a consistent chop that it is better to pick up the pace and get on top of it but it really depends on the conditions, going faster works until you hit the one rouge wave that one of the rollbar boats left behind then all hell breaks loose.
As others have said adding trim tabs or even a dolphin fin to the outdrive extends the running surface of the boat and makes the porpoiseing a little less violent but ultimately it is a fairly light 21' boat and you are going to find the weekend washing machine to be a challenge.

Slowing down puts more boat in the water making it seem worse. Speeding up a bit will put less boat in the water and help with the ride. You just need to find the sweet spot for your ride...
 

bry1202

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Speed and trim make a world of difference.

Need to spend some time trying to play with it a bit more I guess. I have tried to speed up and that just makes the boat slam down way harder. If I trim out a bit it helps sometimes. Other times it just makes it porpoise and then slam. Here is some pics of the prop and hull. Prop is 14 3/4x19
IMG_0433.jpg

IMG_0430.jpg



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traquer

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Trim tabs! Best money you'll ever spend. Also helps planing if you need that.

Or you can just sell me your boat, sounds like a piece of shit but I'll pay a fair price all things considered :D
 

bry1202

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Trim tabs! Best money you'll ever spend. Also helps planing if you need that.

Or you can just sell me your boat, sounds like a piece of shit but I'll pay a fair price :D

Deal I gotta double up in today’s market so 30k [emoji2]


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bry1202

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Deal I gotta double up in today’s market so 30k [emoji2]


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Also not sure if it changes anything but boat planes almost instantly.


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bry1202

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You probably could get that much for it lol

Was legit thinking about trying to sell and sitting for awhile to try and find something bigger. Problem is wife and I love it out there.


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77charger

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I have an eliminator 207 and yeh smoother water it rides great but as it gets rough so can the ride certain chop i can get on top of the chop and get decent,But face it they are smaller boats i just slow it down and the ride is great then.I prefer not to spill my beer either so that keeps me in line.
 

Rajobigguy

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Thanks All. Last questions, is this considered a “deep v hull” ?? Also if boat is planing instantly would trim tabs do anything for ride comfort in chop? View attachment 1013835


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That’s actually a little more v than I thought. I would definitely try a set of trim tabs and a prop designed for lift. It might make an appreciable difference.
 

River Runnin

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I can adjust left or right to level, plow the bow if needed, and trim for best performance! :)
 

port austin pirate

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had a 223 formula and now 29 fountain both deep vee the 29 will hit hard on Folsom when you get the washboard wakes as long as you can run straight or or at a small angle into or with waves they will run pretty smooth, when you get the washing machine wakes they hit the hull at all different angles and are not cut cleanly by the v, bigger heavy boat and or slower speeds only solution in washing machine water. Oh and only a freighter will not slam on a wakeboard boat wake
 
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