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- Jul 19, 2011
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I will be the first to say I have no clue about this hydro stuff so I need help. Ran around with it for 28 miles yesterday and now I have a couple issues to figure out.
Does the boat sit right?
I know its stupid question but I have to ask. It sits basically flat when stopped. Not sure if that means anything or not. I'm so used to the high bow deep V boats seeing a boat sitting flat almost seems weird. I was able to do some measuring todays thanks to running in a muddy river. If you run a string from the end of the sponson to the flat at the transom and another along the sitting still waterline at the transom its 9.5? and at the sponson is 8.75? between the two lines. Pretty flat.
The boat takes off normal. The bow raises and the stern digs in but as you?re getting into it the stern starts to rise and then it's like an outboard ski boat that has a pad at the end of the hull, the prop breaks loose some but you just keep powering thru it and it grabs and off it goes. Does that sound right? If you run it like a drag boat 1/4 mile and just go it happens so fast that you never even notice it.
The only good take off shot I have is this one. Motor ran perfect all day except this one time the carb stumbled but you can still see the boat has no issue getting out of the hole and I wasn?t even trying after the stumble.
[video=youtube;2fn4aoGKrD4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fn4aoGKrD4[/video]
She takes off like a SOB. Jumps on top of the water and goes. No issues there.
It has a 13X15L Ron Hill prop (nothing special) on it and after it settles and all the way up to 3000rpm?s the prop slip numbers are in the mid-single digits (hard to believe). Past that and all the way up to 45/50mph turning/steering is not as good as it should be but is tolerable and can be compensated for. After 50 things start to get progressively worse unless the wind is just right and that only helped a couple times in straight line runs. It almost feels like its riding on the front sponsons. Not on the back edge but on the flat of the sponson. The best way I can put it is the stern is rising and the bow is rolling over on its nose. 50 to 60 the bow almost feels like it breaks loose and starts to slide back and forth like it?s drifting. This goes on for a couple seconds then one side will start to dig in (my side if by myself) and if you are not backing out it just gets worse pretty fast. Still does it if you are backing out but getting a little wet from spray is better than the alternative. You bring it back to 40mph and everything is normal again, well?.
With a big center fin she is not really into turning. It tends to push the left sponson down when turning right and vice versa. Water sprays out off the sponson as you are turning into it and it comes back at you. It's definitely not a circle boat. It is a little un-nerving when she digs in though at any speed. Again like it is bow heavy or something.
So now to the questions.
The front rolling over and digging in on turns. Think that could have something to do with it having a single center fin? All the pictures I?ve seen online of hydros have fins on the sponsons not in the center of the boat. The center one I have now starts at the end of the sponsons and is 11? long and sticks down below the sponsons by 5 inches. So I?m starting to think of it as the boat is on ice skates between the front fin and the rudder when riding on top of the water. Think I should take the center fin off and make/buy sponsons fins? If so any sugestions?
The next issue is, the boat sits and rides like it does. It was pretty much a consensus when building the boat to move the motor and transmission as far forward as possible because it was thought that the motor wouldn?t be strong enough to lift the back half of the boat and so I did. The driveshaft is a couple couplings and 4 u-joints. Now I?m thinking that the motor is too far forward and is lifting the stern too much. Anyone ever have this issue? In a hydro do you want to motor as far forward as possible?
From what I have read and watched on you tube when you are wide open you want just the rear edge of the sponson and the last edge of the transom (if that?) in the water?
Does the boat sit right?
I know its stupid question but I have to ask. It sits basically flat when stopped. Not sure if that means anything or not. I'm so used to the high bow deep V boats seeing a boat sitting flat almost seems weird. I was able to do some measuring todays thanks to running in a muddy river. If you run a string from the end of the sponson to the flat at the transom and another along the sitting still waterline at the transom its 9.5? and at the sponson is 8.75? between the two lines. Pretty flat.
The boat takes off normal. The bow raises and the stern digs in but as you?re getting into it the stern starts to rise and then it's like an outboard ski boat that has a pad at the end of the hull, the prop breaks loose some but you just keep powering thru it and it grabs and off it goes. Does that sound right? If you run it like a drag boat 1/4 mile and just go it happens so fast that you never even notice it.
The only good take off shot I have is this one. Motor ran perfect all day except this one time the carb stumbled but you can still see the boat has no issue getting out of the hole and I wasn?t even trying after the stumble.
[video=youtube;2fn4aoGKrD4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fn4aoGKrD4[/video]
She takes off like a SOB. Jumps on top of the water and goes. No issues there.
It has a 13X15L Ron Hill prop (nothing special) on it and after it settles and all the way up to 3000rpm?s the prop slip numbers are in the mid-single digits (hard to believe). Past that and all the way up to 45/50mph turning/steering is not as good as it should be but is tolerable and can be compensated for. After 50 things start to get progressively worse unless the wind is just right and that only helped a couple times in straight line runs. It almost feels like its riding on the front sponsons. Not on the back edge but on the flat of the sponson. The best way I can put it is the stern is rising and the bow is rolling over on its nose. 50 to 60 the bow almost feels like it breaks loose and starts to slide back and forth like it?s drifting. This goes on for a couple seconds then one side will start to dig in (my side if by myself) and if you are not backing out it just gets worse pretty fast. Still does it if you are backing out but getting a little wet from spray is better than the alternative. You bring it back to 40mph and everything is normal again, well?.
With a big center fin she is not really into turning. It tends to push the left sponson down when turning right and vice versa. Water sprays out off the sponson as you are turning into it and it comes back at you. It's definitely not a circle boat. It is a little un-nerving when she digs in though at any speed. Again like it is bow heavy or something.
So now to the questions.
The front rolling over and digging in on turns. Think that could have something to do with it having a single center fin? All the pictures I?ve seen online of hydros have fins on the sponsons not in the center of the boat. The center one I have now starts at the end of the sponsons and is 11? long and sticks down below the sponsons by 5 inches. So I?m starting to think of it as the boat is on ice skates between the front fin and the rudder when riding on top of the water. Think I should take the center fin off and make/buy sponsons fins? If so any sugestions?
The next issue is, the boat sits and rides like it does. It was pretty much a consensus when building the boat to move the motor and transmission as far forward as possible because it was thought that the motor wouldn?t be strong enough to lift the back half of the boat and so I did. The driveshaft is a couple couplings and 4 u-joints. Now I?m thinking that the motor is too far forward and is lifting the stern too much. Anyone ever have this issue? In a hydro do you want to motor as far forward as possible?
From what I have read and watched on you tube when you are wide open you want just the rear edge of the sponson and the last edge of the transom (if that?) in the water?