Thanks guys... I appreciate the advice. And I will continue to ask stupid questions. At WOT where should the outdrive trim be set? I had been setting them all the way up. Rides good, but is there a safety issue I should know about?

Ya maybe my words were also harsh and I do completely agree w u audio these boats just as performance cars and bikes we sometimes don't get a second chance. I guess what gets me is sometimes in this community some guys snub newbes. I can appreciate your concern for another ones safety. I am also new with my 292 but this is my second boat with a stepped hull so I have some experience, i am considering tres martin in the fall little extra time in Florida never hurt anyone.

Too much trim is hard on your drives(ujoints etc). Trim out until you feel the boat come unstuck, going much further for me doesnt gain much. My mech. indicators read from 0-9, and that only represents a small amount of total trim. At 0 I am all the way in, 4 is when I am pretty much loosened up, and I never go past 7, no gain and can produce chine walk. All boats are different though, and I am no expert, just passing along my experience.

He said when he was WOT he was trimmed all the way up. That will KILL your drive. The universals take a beating and also the prop will tend to be cavitating so your gears take a beating.

The correct trim is a very hard question to answer. It will change from boat to boat depending on fuel load, gear in the boat, number of people, motors, and what kind of props you are running.

Step bottom boats are very different then their strait bottom counterparts. In my 311 the more I trim it the faster it will go. Not so in the step bottom. Step bottom boats will run flatter so don't look for the boat to get a lot of bow lift like a regular V-hull will/can. You also don't want to trim your dives under like you may in a strait bottom boat. Maybe Neutral is about it or you can spin out. All this stuff is kind of done with experience and feel. That was why I was suggesting the course. From what I understand it is a good time and you will learn in a few days what could take you for ever.

Not to be a D*** but you need to understand why to trim a boat under different conditions not just do this when it does this.
I am not Tres but My friend Martin Sanborn spent a day with me teaching me the theory of how a stepped hull works.I will cover some basics,and this is in no way a subsitute for attending an actual training class.

A stepped hull is designed to run at "neutral" trim this is when the centerline of the drives is exactly even with the imaginary line from the first step to the transom.This is were most if not all accidents happen.If you have the drives trimmed in "negitive" the rear of the boat will be lifted so if you try to turn the boat can pivot on the center of gravity that you have moved forward by incorrect trimming and spin.Unlike a standard non stepped deep V that will run faster if trimmed out a stepped hull will actually run slower and be very unstable.The steps break contact with the water that is the way the boat needs to be run.
While the 292 is not an overly fast boat I can turn mine at WOT I am not sure I want to get into what you have to do during a turn like that as like I said I am not Tres or Martin for that matter.If you do not understand what I have just written you need to get some training.

Here is a perfect example of a properly trimmed step bottom boat.I was turning to port a little thats why the boat is leaning but its running on the surface area between the first step and the transom.

I understand what you are saying. An appreciate the differences between a deep V and a step hull. My experience has been with deep Vs... so this is very helpful.

Thanks!

Just another thought guys. I am assuming that his props are turning out. When I had a 312, my props turned in and I did not have a lot of the bow hop problems at cruise and I ran no tabs unless rougher conditions call for it, and trimmed just past nutural.

It could just be the wrong props..... Is there anyone in your area that can help you with set up?