One thing that needs to be said. Virtually all learning on a fast boat needs to be done in little bits. 99% of the time when someone has an issue it is because of extremes. Too much speed for conditions, too much or too little drive trim, too much tab, too hard a turn, too little common sense, or too big a set of balls. Each of us has a different learning curve and each boat does too. A simple rule of thumb is do things in small increments, run faster 5 mph at a time, play with tabs and trim one notch at a time, etc. Getting the feel of a boat is one of the most satisfying experiences out there and what we all pay such extravagant sums of money for
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Chesapeake Bay Powerboat Association www.cbpba.com
Finding out what setting work best is a danger if you dont understand the parameters. Self taught boaters instructing other boaters how to operate boats is also a danger when they dont understand how other hulls may work. That is why we put 2 other classes together to help all performance boaters in all size , speed, and configuration learn the proper way to use your craft. Using a process of discovery has to have boundaries and technique to maintain proper control. If not damage or injury may happen.
You can trim to where you porpoise or where you lose speed. You can trim it to where you lose stability or at least start to feel like it's going away. If you're going from neutral to rooster tail and not seeing a climb in speed or rpm, there's a problem. I don't recall the Baja having an over-conservative x-dimension so you may be in need of a better prop.
No drive is really designed to intentionally throw a roostertail. Surface drives just do but that's irrelevant here. Unless you're dealing with big power, throwing water into the air is likely more counter-productive than anything. Lots of performance boats have Bravos on them. They're actually faster than the TRS they eventually replaced but a bit less durable as you near max power. They are usually mounted at a decent x-dimension and typically uitlize a cleaver prop. That means that they can be trimmed up until just the bottom of the prop engages the water and the top actually comes out as it rotates. That's where you'll find the least amount of drag and the highest efficiency.
Someone smarter that I will have to explain how different prop designs and dimensions affect bow and stern lift and how to properly size a prop to a specific boat. It's a little science and alot of art.
"typically utilize a cleaver prop" That would be the last prop to use on a bravo especially on that guys baja. Cleavers are best used on outboards that are mounted very high on lighter hulls (generally), not on heavier sterndrives. I would listen to Tres when it comes to learning about high performance boating safety.
there used to be a book called everything you need to know about propellers. I think Quicksilver published it. Not a bad place to start to learn about the basics of boat propolsion.
"typically utilize a cleaver prop" That would be the last prop to use on a bravo especially on that guys baja. Cleavers are best used on outboards that are mounted very high on lighter hulls (generally), not on heavier sterndrives. I would listen to Tres when it comes to learning about high performance boating safety.
Have you been to a boat show, marina or dealer's showroom in the last 20 years? I can't recall more than a handful of times when I haven't seen a cleaver on a sport boat.
Im sure that if the tabs and drive are tucked too low it will give too much stern lift coming off the wave or wake and will set you up for a bow down entry, setting you up for a stuff. The key is having the tabs and drive set right. I do know that if they are too high, the bow tends to point up too high. Thats what happened with my incident. I under-anticipated the size of the wake and did not get the tabs and drive down in time to keep my exit and entry level enough.
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When I see the sea one last time. Will the sea have seen or not seen me?
Airtime. Ive followed the project on your 240 quite a bit. Nice to see one of those old tubs can hit 80 plus with the right power and setup. Not sure if I wanna put the money into mine or just save it for a bigger boat. I appreciate the help. I'll pm you.
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When I see the sea one last time. Will the sea have seen or not seen me?
Finding out what setting work best is a danger if you dont understand the parameters. Self taught boaters instructing other boaters how to operate boats is also a danger when they dont understand how other hulls may work. That is why we put 2 other classes together to help all performance boaters in all size , speed, and configuration learn the proper way to use your craft. Using a process of discovery has to have boundaries and technique to maintain proper control. If not damage or injury may happen.
I agree with Tres you have to understand theory of how a hull works and what trim and tab changes do.This way it is easier to make proper changes not try to remember to do this and this when the boat is doing that.Plus a traditional Vee bottom is total different than a stepped hull Try to turn a stepped like a traditional Vee and you are calling your insurance company or worse
Last edited by Expensive Date; 01-12-2007 at 06:22 PM.
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