Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

I have recently been talked out of putting a Procharger on my boat for several reasons. I would like to get a little more top end. I am wondering about the 'hook' that VIP put in the trailing edge of the bottom of the hull. If you put a straight edge on the trailing edge, there is a considerable gap between the straight edge and the hull. (1/2") What would happen if this was sanded flat and refinished. The boat runs bow heavy, even at top speads. I am running 58-59GPS now, with a 350 mag mpi, Ballistic 21p, Alpha, 2102 VIP Victory, 4900 RPM. I have a 21p Mirage that I can test to get more bow lift, but I don't know if that is going to work or not. Will the boat have a tendency to porpoise without these hooks? I do have trim tabs to counter this, but I don't like to use them any more than I have to. I am mainly just looking for some more top end. thanks, Justin

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

one more pic

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

oops! wrong picture!!!! Sorry. I have 12" x 12" tabs on it now.

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

i am not 100% sure but I know when i blueprinted the bottom of my Hondo(flatbottom) it was good for 9 mph, on a flat bottom blueprinting is the process of totally flattening the bottom, over time they warp when sitting on the trailer. I'm sure you would pick up some speed but I'm not sure if it would affect handeling on that hull.

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

You can expect the nose to "free up" significantly.
You can also expect a tendency to porpoise, but since you have tabs it is a non-issue. Will probably end up shifting weight around in the boat a bit to tweak the CG.

If you have decided to force this hull to go fast, then the hook will have to go. Just remember, that for best results you will need to flatten the last 5' of running surface, not just the last 12".

This is a lot of work. You do know that, right?

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

I will probably have to pull the boat half way off the trailer to do this. How should I finish this off when I have it sanded flat? I have a good friend that is an awesome body/paint guy. Thanks for any info.

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

You don't want to "sand it flat"!!! You are going to need to fill in the area that is recessed first and the sand it.

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

what type of prep work would be needed to do this? Any step by step? here are some pix. The hook is only on the outside 14" or so of the bottom of the hull.

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

If it's only from the strake out, then don't bother.
If you get the boat over 65mph, there will be nothing but spray in that area anyhow. That is a molded "ducktail" to help the boat plane easier and maintain attitude at a slow planing cruise.

As has been mentioned, this is not a performance hull, and you're starting to go through some serious effort for questionable benefit. And resale will be hurt by each thing you modify on this hull.

If you want to straighten your bottom, concentrate on these areas:

1) sharpen all trailing edges on strakes and hull/transom junctions.
2) fill all dips and sand out all high spots on a "triangle shaped" area starting 6 feet from the transom, and going outwards to include the outer strakes you have shown.

The molded "tabs" you show are too large to attempt to sand out. Filling the dips will result in an area that will probably crack out over time due to flexing (your hull/stringer joints are likely full of "production boat" air voids).

best of luck

Re: Hook on trailing edge of hull....what if.......
 

OK, I'll drop it. I just have spring fever, and am looking for ways to make a few MPH. I think I will just keep playing with the props. I just bought a 21p Mirage Plus on Ebay this morning for $150, so I'll start with that. I have a friend that is going to borrow me his 21P Mirage as well to try out. One of those should give me a little better bow lift. I don't know if it would be worth sending one of those to Darrin at Houston to try for any gains. It sounds like my boat is at about max speed. I really appreciate you guys helping all of the smaller boat, unexperienced guys in this forum. I am learning more and more every day! Thanks a million. Justin