Awesome yet terrifying experience
 

So I have a 28 nordic heat that I've been working on for longer than I'd like to admit....engine issues, rotten wood issues, tuning issues...the list goes on...anyway was finally able to get it on the water and give her the business a couple weeks ago up at Hardy Dam for hot boat. Up until this point I had seen a best of 82-83 with the way wrong prop and only for a few seconds at a time due to making sure everything is as it should be. That being said...my last run of the weekend I was by myself and had ran some of the fuel out and I said to myself you know what...I'm kicking this thing to see what she's got and if it breaks it breaks....got to 82-83 as usual and then out of nowhere this fat non-stepped girl actually jumped up on her pad and it was like shifting into overdrive!! the boat instantly jumped to 86 and then followed the most violent chine walking I have ever experienced and i got out of it. Was incredible how much the boat finally lifting on the pad makes a difference!! Was awesome to know that she still has quite a bit of speed left in her if I can combat the chine walk which I think will easily be resolved with a little tab. Just had to share my first oh sh!t moment in this boat after driving it in just about any condition you could imagine for the last 4-5 years. It was awesome yet terrifying hahaha.

Anyone else want to share a similar story from your boating past??

If you have hydraulic steering you should be able to balance the boat on the pad with steering input. Tabs will scrub speed and if relied on too much may cause other handling issues. At most, have them neutral to extend the length of the hull. Flying a boat on the pad is a learning process, once you get there you'll love it. Step by step.

I do have full hydraulic steering...I think the best thing will be getting the 5 blade I really need to carry the front of this fat girl and I think it will be a lot better. Also my tabs are 280's that I installed and are PLENTY big enough for the boat and when all the way up they are an inch or so above the bottom at the tips...that's what I meant by a little tab is bringing them down even with the bottom. I think I have a pic that you can see the tab setup.

Thanks for the advice!! It will for sure be a learning curve once I get her to sit on the pad regularly....was just my first time experiencing it in my boat and it was freaky yet awesome hahahaha

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...15efc298c5.jpg

Her you can see my tab and steering setup

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...0a423eb4f3.jpg

What do you think of the SCX so far and do you feel it robbed much power? Curious. Always wondered about the parasitic loss as compared to an XR or SC upper. Happy to see you out enjoying the fruits of your labor. Sam

Nice. Suprised it takes that amount of speed to get on the pad, maybe that is a function of poor bow lift.

Honestly as far as power goes I havent noticed a difference. However the only baseline with the current power was last year at hot boat when the XR upper ate itself due to improper installation from the last "motor shop" that did the first god awful tune hahaha. I absolutely love it!! It's so nice being able to be going 50 and stab it and not have to worry about it exploding hahaha. I am seeing an issue with the oil in the drive bottle disappearing but I think its expanding more than I think and blowing it out of the cap. I did see oil residue around the cap area but running without a hatch currently it just flys out of the back of the boat hahaha. I made my own drive bottle that is I would say at least a quart but I think I'm going to order the IMCO bottle that belongs with the upper because it's all clear and I will be able to monitor the fluid level better. The one I made is powder coated black with a clear tube site glass on the outside.

I think it absolutely is. Hoping to get in the ballpark with the prop a little better and remedy that. Plus I have the "flat bottom" non stepped heat which takes a lot of power to get them moving regardless lol

yes you need the larger reservoir, I run them

F2...did you ever run them with a different reservoir? I have heard the fluid expands a lot and I'm hoping it's just a matter of I don't have enough room for expansion?? I had the reservoir half full starting the weekend and by the end of the weekend I could barely see it at the bottom of the sight glass...so I would guess as I don't know the actual size of mine being custom made that I lost maybe a pint-half a pint over the weekend...obviously checked for leaks and all that and found none....I have also heard that the first time or 2 you run the SCX it will use a little oil as everything breaks in and all the little crevices get oil soaked...any truth to that?

Won't a 5 blade lift the stern? I'd have a Bravo 1 worked to carry the bow (BBlades calls it their Baja cup or something along those lines).

Teague Custom Marine | IMCO RESERVOIR TANK

This tank I assume you're talking about?

Ive had to learn that with the phantom at high speeds in certain conditions. It hasn’t ever gotten crazy and it gives you subtle hints before it starts, kinda like a plane will have a slight stumble right before a wing stalls. If you tend to it right away the stability returns quickly. Seems to happen more frequently in flat fresh water vs choppy salt water. Good to hear your take on it, always good to be able to tap into info from the more experienced.

When I talked to them they told me a P5-X hydromotive or a worked maximus will help carry the bow?? I have a 28 stock bravo on it now and running wide open it runs very "wet" the water under the boat shoots out just behind the helm instead at the stern where it's supposed to

In my testing quite a few years back (on a twin so not apples to apples) the stock B1's ran too wet, the stock P5-X was really no better or worse, and the stock Maximus wouldn't even plane the boat. Ended up with a worked set of B1's and it finally carried the bow (33 Outlaw with boxes). Just always thought a 5 blade will lift the stern but if they are working it then it is a different animal. Good luck! Running on the pad (without chine walk) is fun!

Good info!! I am by no means a prop expert and was just going off of what they said and I've read several threads saying P5-X was the prop to have on a heat....that being said those were all stepped boats that were saying that so I guess I need to just start from scratch hahaha

I can't wait till she carries herself and sits up on the pad!! I think she's got 90 in her which I think is pretty good for her age and no steps!! Was what I was shooting for when this whole thing started so it would be nice to hit the magic 90 hahaha

My first real boat was a 25' active thunder with a 600SC. at 81 mph it would start to chine walk real bad.
It was scary, I didn`t know how to stop it .

we run an active thunder 25 with a bit more power right up to 100 with out chine walk we do have 380 tabs most fun boat we have ever built i love that thing!

More blade surface area does cause more stern lift, but the prop biting harder with the added blade may also help it carry the bow more too.

The Nordic Heats are a long boat for a single engine and they have trouble carrying the bow. Traditionally the Bravo 4 blade was the weapon of choice, but when the 5 blades became popular it was discovered they work great on a Heat. Teague did some testing and got 7mph with a max 5 vs a bravo on a fast Heat. I did the same switch and have found similar results to his. This is especially true with the open bow configuration as they are even heavier in the bow, that's what I have. The P5x, max 5, or cutting edge 5 blade (that's what I'm currently running) work good. I've played with tube length to help carry the nose too. I never need to use my tabs as the boat is so heavy in the nose so I can run a little shorter tube length and get away with it. Mine is a stepped hull 2004 FYI. It ran 80mph with a 28p five blade cutting edge and 650ish HP. I'm breaking in an 800hp now so we'll see how that ends up. Hope that helps.

Pad
 

I’m not familiar with the heat and all the responses above make sense. Pad bottom boats are tricky. When flown properly they tend to be 5 to 8 mph faster than conventional. Getting them there is an art. Boats like Allison’s and early Velocity’s are wickedly fast in the hands of an experienced driver.

I think your prop is good. Before spending more cash on a wheel try this: run with your tabs a bit negative from the get go. Positive trim on the drive at wot. With your hand on the tab switch bump the up button ever so slightly. The boat should rock back onto the pad. Always keep your hand on the tab switch If it starts getting squirelly tab down and start over. And if that works the settings will be different due to weight, current, wind direction etc.

Also check your bottom. You may have a hook in it that could use straightening. Your hull may be a candidate for putting a rocker in the bottom.

Best of luck and be careful. Below video from back in the 80s of the master of Pad bottoms Steve Stepp running an incredible number, even at today’s standards, Welcome to the Pad Club

That's what I've been told as to the heats being nose heavy for a single engine. They are nowhere near as heavy as like a cig or formula but the length with a single engine is hard to carry the bow. Have some engine tweeks to make over the winter and finish up some things but I think come spring prop testing/tweeking is gonna be the focus. Just seeing how this thing jumped up in speed when it hoped on the pad I am so excited to get her to sit there and run. I do have to pull the boat off the trailer this winter to refinish the trailer so I will check the bottom for hook and make sure it's all good before setting her back down. Never really dug too much into it before because I wasn't running fast enough for it to matter but apparently I am at that threshold hahaha. I'll have to do some research on the "rocker" you're talking about and see if it's something I should explore.

Any other scary/awesome boat driving stories anyone wants to share??

That video is nuts!! If I could get even remotely close to running like that I would be beside myself!

Pretty sure that Velocity was running small blocks back then.

There’s also a very interesting thread here about its restoration.

I'll have to do some digging on it

In my opinion, boats like Allison and Tuff running fast and balanced are some of the prettiest things in the water...2nd only to a fast flat setting back on it's cavitation plate and hauling the mail...

I'm no setup expert, but I think the "low hanging fruit" would be:
- making sure the boat is as balanced as it can be port to starboard, so you're not fighting an inherent list due to weight. Are the batteries, fuel tank, and helm seat all on the same side of the boat ? Anchor, cooler, other stuff ?
- Ditto with fore and aft weight placement. Get heavy stuff out of the bow.
- checking all the steering connections and making sure everything is tight. A small wiggle at the stern translates into much more wiggle at the bow. How far do you turn the wheel before input at the wheel translates into drive movement ?
- prop design, which it sound like you're on top of.
- I was told to get rid of the pitot tube for the speedo. I'm not sure about that in your case..I was trying to make a fairly light outboard go fast at the time so it probably affects a light boat more, but still..small stuff adds up.
- Before I put rocker in the boat, I'd make sure the bottom was straight, edges sharp, and the hull was clean. If it's an old hull, it's probably no longer straight, if it ever was to begin with.
- Speedcoat ? The aft half of my boat has a layer of speed coat. I honestly don't know if it makes a difference, but the guys who rigged and set my boat up believed in it. At one time, it was a rarity to find a drag boat without it. Dunno about now.
- Verify your tabs are up, level, and balanced. I've been told if there is spray hitting them, there is an effect on hull attitude. Just because the dots line up on the tab indicator doesn't mean they're level. Offset tabs could be inducing walk ?

Last...Be very, very, careful adjusting tabs at speed. I won't. I have oversized tabs that - as Team Saris said - are used to fool the boat into thinking it has a longer hull IE they're basically "wheelie bars" and unless I'm going very slow, I don't touch the tab switches...a heavy hand on the tab control at speed could be "damned inconvenient".

Have fun & good luck...there aren't too many things as satisfying as coaxing those last few mph out of you boat.

Thanks for the advice!! I have saddle fuel tanks on the sides, one battery on each side, and I built a locker opposite the helm seat purposely to make sure it is as balanced as I can get. I think you all are on to something with the bottom..I am really curious to see what I'm going to find once I get her off the trailer and do some checking. The bottom is clean yet I don't think it's ever been waxed or polished so that was on the agenda for the winter anyway so might as well check the bottom and repair/adjust as required to make sure she's straight. Thanks again!!

Don't wax or polish the running surface.

Oh yea?? Why not? I assumed I would want it as smooth and shiny as possible??

BBYSTWY,

Copy/pasted from another thread I just replied to:

On our model boats, particularly the outriggers and hydroplanes, we use a technique we call "crosshatching" on the sponson bottoms. We drag the bottom of the sponsons across a piece of 1000-1500 grit sandpaper on a flat surface, in both directions, on a 45DEG angle relative to the direction of travel. You really can't even feel it, other than it feels slicker than the gloss painted finish. It creates significant aeration of the wetted surface, but doesn't create any unwanted changes to hydrodynamic behavior. This can translate into several MPH and a smoother running boat. I have often wondered if it would do any good for full size boats.




Essentially, glossy is sticky.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991

Oh wow...did not know that thanks for the advice!!