K-Planes New user here need advice
 

I've always had smaller boats (21' Century bowrider, 252 Baja Islander), I bought a 29 Outlaw in October with K-Planes, unfortunately, I have only had the pleasure of using it 2 times prior to winterization. My questions are that the 29 Outlaw has K-planes and me never having a boat with even trim tabs, I am looking for some tips on how to use them, Do's and Don'ts. I know the basics about putting them down to get on plane and when you are in rough water, I am looking for some tips. A friend of mine told me that you can leave your outdrive all the way down all of the time as long as you use the K-planes, are there any advantages to this, or is he just stupid like I suspect he is. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated. This is probably a dumb question, but as far as I'm concerned a dumb question is one that is never asked. Thanks in advance for your help. Eric:confused:

Take a 4' straight edge off the bottom of the boat and lower your k-planes until they are level with the bottom, that is nuetral, put a small mark on your indicator to tell you where nuetral is untill you get used to it. Leave them here unless you are planing or in really rough water. In rouugh water you may want to just bump them down a little bit, do it slow the k-planes are sensitive on a 29 outlaw but will help it fly level and land right, and your freind is wrong you'll just push water with the trim down, it should be at 1/4 or 3/8 trim at speed

Thanks Liquid Asset - When you are coming out of the water to get to plane, how much do you put them down from the level position? Also, if you are in rough water and you bump them down a bit to level out and you have to make a somewhat sharp turn do you bump them back up to the level position or is it okay to leave them bumped down. Also are they easy to break, I'm not talking about the k-planes themselves but the actuators that move them. Also it sounds like you are not supposed to put them all the way down. Right??

you probably won't need them but one or two notches below nuetral. You don't always have to use them to plane. They are very tough to break. Never run with them all the way down. put them back nuetral or up before makeing tight turns

Thanks for your help, it sounds more like I just need to find the neutral position, mark it and go from there, I guess the more I use the boat the more I will understand how to use the k-planes. Thanks again. Eric

nuetral will be the most common place, You won't have to adjust them as much as you think

Yea I do the same thing with my K's Jeff. on those long wakeless areas at Havasu I just drop them all the way down and the boat tracks straight as an arrow.

Big E, I think what someone may have been trying to tell you about using them to plane is that I think most boats can stay on plane at lower speeds with the planes down a bit than if they were all the way up or not there at all,

Liquid Asset,
Rather than put a mark on your indicator, is it not better to adjust the threaded helm end of your indicator cable to "0" when the tab is level? I do this and then check it every couple of weeks.

How do you do that? Is it under the indicators? Do you have to take it all apart? Thanks- Eric

Big E,
My cables are the Red Morse push/pull type. The indicators are Merc Bluewater type. The cable (as I recall) has about 2" of thread on the end for adjustment. The small indicator slide fits through the threaded cable end and is held in place with nuts on each side. On my setup there is enough room under the dash to loosen the nuts and move the indicator slide either up or down.

Canada Jeff,
My indicators have several positions (2 or 3) above zero and about 8 below zero. That way when you go from a level tab (ie. 0) to a fully retracted tab, you still get an accurate readout from the indicator. All readouts are either plus or minus from your level (0) position so it's easy to remember, even for me.

just remember tabs down raises the transom and there for lowers the bow, which is good for smoothing out the rough stuff, tabs up no drag alows your drives to trim out and raise you bow less boat in the water fsster speed and any combination inbetween of the two is a compromise for the situation your boating in, there are times that the water will be rough and if you want to run fast with the tabs up you'll be launching off ways alot which is non productive, no prop in the water no forward movement but you have to trim out for the speed so if you drag the tabs alittle it causes the boat to run flatter and there for no launching so you keep the drives in the water and move forward its all a matter of getting out there and try different settings to see what gives you the best ride and speed.
later
Dave

Big E from what I read into what you said your friend said was not to trim up the bow when you are trying to pin it down with the tabs, waist of HP. I run real close to neutral trim when using the tabs to pin down the bow.I do believe that time is on your side and you will be flying by the seat of your paints before long and you will not even have to look at the indicators to feel what is right for the moment.:cool:

FLSon - when you say neutral trim, I am assuming that you are not trimming up the sterndrive at all or very little. Right? You are right practice makes perfect. I would like to ride along with someone who is a pro racer and see how they would run my boat, it would be a great education for me just starting out in a larger boat. Thanks - Eric

As I see it negitive trim to get on plane, drive tucked under. Neutral trim the drive is at a good right angle to the hull. Positive trim for bow up and best speed,but then again with out my glasses it can't see squat.:D

Got it on the neg, neutral and positive!

I'm the same way, but only near sighted, instead of without my glasses, you can't see squat meaning guages (far sighted), I am, without my glasses or contacts I can't see other boats in front of me or behind me. Unless you are one of those Bifocal guys where squat means near or far, if thats the case the next step for you is blindness. I am only near sighted, blind at things far away, close up I don't need glasses, I have a couple of more steps to go to get to blindness. ;) Eric