Props turned in on Donzi 38zx
 

Picked up the boat about 3 weeks ago and took it to the lake this pass weekend and a buddy (RT930Turbo) noticed my props were turning in. 5 Blade 26p, I knew that maneuverability was a issue with props turned in but didn't think anything of it. We ran the boat that night pretty good, not WOT but close and she ran good, the next morning I had trouble clearing the docks as the wind kept pushing me towards them and it got a little hairy. My question is how much gain am I gonna see turning them in vs out. I would like to have maneuverability with a 38 footer over speed as long as it isn't a huge loss. Is it a top end loss or mid range too?

I came across this a few days ago and was wondering about the accuracy of the writeup. This guy is saying that the boat may run faster turning them out.??
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...-efficiency%2F

You may not like the manners at speed....my PQ turns in too, I got used to the docking. Remember, you have a big boat that catches air.

donzi turns them in on the 38 zx. Has a little to do with speed and I also read it makes it more stable with the step hull. Going forward the 38zx handles fine around the docks. Backing up, not so much. Take your time with it and you will get the hang of it.

Trimming the drives positive helps with docking manueverabilty when turning in.

Positive? Is that in or out?

Just read the article and I was under the impression that turning them in gave you stern lift which gave you more speed but less maneuvering. And turning them out gave you more maneuverability and with loss of top end.

Mach 1, on his ZX props turn in

FWIW, turning the props outwards will give better control at docking. Turning the props outwards giving too much stern lift for my boat [ 24* deadrise with V-delta pad ] and carrying the boat too high, clearing the chines and the boat rocks side to side without tab input. Turning the props inwards lets my stern settle lower, thus giving more control with chines touching the water. My boat is faster turning in. Every boat respond differently to prop rotation so it's trial and error but it's a fact, turning out is always better handling at the dock.
That article above agrees with turning in for twins> "The counter-rotation prop works to balance (or reduce) the torque effects from the right-hand prop. Most twin engine applications are setup with the the props “turning in”; the port engine spinning right-hand and the starboard engine spinning counter clockwise".
Reggie Fountain turns in for speed ,so there, lol

Pos ='s out

Just try switching your props from one side to the other so they rotate out and go for a test drive to see for yourself and you will know first hand, i did on a 353 fastech i had and it handled like crap at higher speeds so i left them turning out, assuming you have bravos but a local drive shop told me its harmless to a bravo to do this, just remember your shifting will be backwards for the test drive

My old 33ZX had the props spinning in, i got pretty good at backing it up, just takes lots of practice. As said by someone earlier try trimming your drives out a little when you back up. It changes the angle of the water going under your boat. All boats that spin in ate a pain to back up then when you have steps in the bottom it really messes with you. I also had pretty good luck with a little throttle to get the boat to start responding. I never tried spinning them out, I could be wrong but I think you will probably lose anywhere from 2-5mph. plus handling could be a little worse at speed. Only way to know is to try it.

My str8 bottom 33 ol didn't like it, but I can tell you want I noticed.

It lifted my bow and felt less stabile turn IN. I gained about 1mph turning IN but didn't like feel.

First thing I noticed was less reversing thrust with them IN, so the comment about more throttle was right on. And like JT said, lifting drives up a lil helps push thrust under hull.

With a lil more throttle it was not as responsive so it was more forgiving too.

Good luck.

I have the 33 zx and it took some time to get used to but I can get it to do what ever I want now around the docks just give it time and find out what works for u. I play with the throttles and the shifters around the docks

Gonna take some time to get use to that's for sure. Not only am I going from a 31 to 38, props in vs out, and higher side wall then normal, I'm also losing the smooth shifting of trannys. All worth it in the end, I just need more practice on calm days.

U will get it and u will love the boat. Cant wate to see it soon

This. Both my boats spin in, one is a outboard setup, the other is kaama drives. Outboards are very high up and surfacing, never have any problem backing up or docking. A touch of positve trim and just drive it like a big single engine.

I got good response with no wind just sucked when it was blowing 20-30mph.

Cool .... u willl get it...