K-planes
 

1988 Wellcraft Concept 23ft
boat has a 454 with 400hr an a Bravo 1. runs 57ish has a 22P Bravo I SS 4 blade prop. now the Question is if i install billet K-planes will it benefit me in any way? on a side note motor is completely stock but its soon going to be 500hp. so whatcha got for me!?

The biggest benefit of k-planes are to keep the boat running at the proper attitude in rough water. They can also reduce or eliminate chine walk or porposing.

Unless you are running in rough water frequently, I'd save my money.

biggest issue is i want to go to some bigger lakes an just want to be ready. boat always leans left except if im the only 1 it. tabs would correct the problem? and want more stability at higher speeds.

I have K planes on my Baja. Same motor and drive. I don't even use them. Boat ran slower.I too run 57 with stock motor. When I trim boat with them .It slowed down. I guess you need big HP? http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...sportangle.jpg

K-planes may be a little big, and pricey for that boat, but I have a set of Bennett Dual ram tabs that would be perfect that I would sell for a much more reasonable price, and will definitely fix your listing problem.

but i want the k-planes!! and dont got a prob spending the G's to get them!!

OK, your choice, just saying that they may look cool,but are overkill. I will paint the bennett's black if that will help convince you:grinser010:

To be honest with you, if you plan on running in big water, you may want to save your $$ and buy a more capable hull, I have run a 23 Wellcraft concept with a built 454 in some decent chop, and it is not the best hull for anything over 2'

i know but its all i got an lakes around here arnt all that large. i could go to Texoma or Lake Travis but each is 3hr's away. i kinda like the over kill look to be honest!!! what did u think about the concept? easy choose yo words wisely cause i kinda like it.

The concept is a good boat, for what it is, it is basically a modified bottom on a 23 wellraft cabin cruiser. The step hull is pretty cool, but still a shallow deadrise, and wont handle big water very well. the one my buddy had, the stringers were all rotten, I had to dig them out and replace. This wasnt too uncommon for late 80's wellcrafts, as I dont think they sealed any of the bolts going thru the stringers(at least not very well), might want to check yours for wetness before heading into anything too rough. The way the platform is set up, you have a plumbing nightmare to run thru hulls, or just run them out above the platform like we did. I agree on the overkill of the K-planes, but it IS a LOT of $$ to put on that boat, one other thing to remember when running a big plane on a small boat(especially K-planes as they have independant piumps) is that just the slightest tap of the switch, and the plate will drop a signifigant amount, it is a lot of pressure, and leverage on that small of a hull, the Bennets are more forgiving. I am mounting a K-plane style tab on my 24 pantera with a bennett ram and pump setup(read this as cheaper and more forgiving on a small boat), this is why I am selling the Bennets, I have a complete setup you could have for $250 vs. a few thousand $$ for K-planes.

I put a set off Eddie Marine billet trim tabs on mine. They work great and had them powder coated blue to match the rest of my boat.

your what

I've got a set of 280 plates laying around...It'll save you some $$.

Dave

pm sent!! i want them

Sir...to clear up any confusion...they will NOT make your boat any faster. Some could argue that they may make you run SLOWER because of the extra weight of the whole setup (those plates are heavy) (then you got rams, hoses, and a pump). rchevelle71 is correct...they could be dangerous on a small boat. I have them on mine, and he aint kiddin when he says they drop alot and fast. First time I made a mistake with the switch, I thought it was gonna throw us all outta the boat at 40 mph. Scared the sh*t outta me !! You came on here asking for advice, and these guys know there stuff. They all suggested you dont use them, and to go with tabs. Apparently you dont wanna listen to years of knowledge. One other thing...take it easy on the Pepsi and M&M's. You write like your on a 3 day sugar buzz. :drink:

Not to hijack the thread but i have the same boat 23" concept and have a procharger kit to go on it this winter what size tabs would you guys consider running mine runs 61 on gps now hoping to pick up a few with the procharger thanks

Yer gonna kill yerself, that hull was never meant to go that fast. If yer running Flat water, and dont plan on turning(You should be looking into Hydraulic steering instead) you will be ok, but then you don't need tabs:party-smiley-004:

Funny Story..............

One day I was at the Haulover Sandbar with my wife on my boat, and a couple of friends on other boats. Well, my wife is about 4-1/2 feet tall, and the Pantera has no Swim Platform, or ladder. So when you want to get back in the boat you have to put a foot on a tab, and pull yourself up using the outboard. To make life easier for her, I dropped the starboard tab all the way down, and proceeded to have a few cocktails. A while later we left, and I forgot all about the tab being down, get out of the no-wake zone, and mash the throttles, took me a second to figure out why the right side of the boat jumped on plane, and the left stayed behind:eek: Tabs can be your friend, but can also be detrimental. I say if ya dont need a big tab, a Bennett is good to have for that day you NEED them, but do not go overkill. The setup I bought would have been nice on his boat, but not necessary(they arent necessary on mine either, but it is nice to have them). To put $3000 worth of tabs on that boat is a waste of $$ in my mind.

i do listen to knowledge of peeps who have been there! on the other hand im considering getting rid of the concept!! an no im not on a 3 day sugar high. i only drink 2 REDBULLS a day!! thank u thanks so much for all the feedback

Dont get us wrong, The Concept is a good lake Boat, but that is all it is(OK, well maybe some smaller coastal stuff), will never be a wave crusher, or Speed Demon(at least not safely). If the Concept does what you need it to do, I would keep it, just don't put a ton of $$ into it trying to make it something it will never be.

What would you still consider a safe speed and what could be done just to make it a little safer at speed. I just use it in lakes and some bigger rivers nothing with real big chop or wakes thank you

Probably get a little squirrely around 70ish. if you go with Full hydraulic steering, and everything is tight, I wouldnt worry about it too much, just remember that if it feels like you are going too fast to react to a situation, you probably are. This is true for any boat, but the 23 concept is not the most foregiving hull, and not really set up for the rough stuff(no bolsters, shallow vee, steps etc.). Speed is one thing, out of control is another.