Handling Question on a Velocity 260/496 MAG/Bravo 1X
 

Need some expert advise on driving this Pad bottom boat. Had it now for one season and still can't get it to handle (in control) at speed. This tends to happen even more so in rougher water; after approaching about 65 MPH boat starts rocking side to side violently to the point where you have to get out of it or be thrown overboard. Steering is Hyd. and new, no slop, it's tight, no damage to skeg or prop (Bravo 1/26P). Weight is distributed evenly (verified by me at helm and bubble level on dash w/boat at rest in the water).

I welcome "ALL" comments and opinions, thank you...........:popcorn:

1st. Put a mirage plus will fix 75% of it. The rest is balance of the boat. At that speed. Tabs up! And Believe it or not to much trim down will fight you. Trim one stab at a time and wait for it to react

Yep, you have too much transom lift with that prop. You could also talk to Brett and BBlades.

No seat time on the 260, yet my VR1 has no chine walk with my 28/30p Bravo one props. What are u trimmed out to when it starts walking?

You can't go with level and think its balanced. while underway is the way to balance. your torque and prop trying to twist your hull as it moves forward has to be addressed especially coming off a roller,chop,swell or other boat wash and wakes.
Its not easy! Try a 3 blade first.. Buy a new un-molested prop. Because you never know what has been done to them by others.

Trim is slightly below level with the pad when it starts this crap. Obviously it get worse trimming up further. Tab adjustment (downward) seems to help but at a cost of negative MPH's.

I had a "BRAND NEW" Tempest Plus 27P/3 Blade, it cavitated coming out of the hole. It had plenty of cup in it so that didn't work out to well............sold it.

My 280 likes the Bravo one props. From what I have read is the hydromotive will have a higher top speed (only a mph or 2 difference) but is harder to plane and you lose cruise speed. My 280 came with a labbed hydromotive that wasn't labbed for my boat. I hated that prop. Could barely get it on plane.

So you are running with the drive trimmed down? If so that could be part of your problem. On my drive Indicator the drive is at 3 level with the Pad. I have it in all the way getting on plane. Once I get on plane I slowly raise the drive to 5-5 1/2 at cruising speed of 3500rpm/48ish mph. When I'm going wot I slowly trim it to 7-8. The drive Indicator goes 1-8.

I run a stock bravo 26. Boat seems to love it with the 496 HO

When I bought the boat it had a Bravo 1 26P BBlades Prop, ran great, good out of the hole but felt like it wouldn't carry the bow, but it did lift the aft end. I've tried a 3 blade as mentioned above, even worse results. Bought another Bravo 1 26P that had been cut for a C/Console boat with an O/Board, it was a labbed prop from Mercury, best prop to date, excellent out of the hole, 3 MPH faster than the BBlades prop.

I don't think the tabs were installed in the right place by the original owner, to far inward toward the drive, further outboard would have had a greater effect at less tab down angle. Boat hands much better when trimmed down (one notch from full down on electric gauge) but the loss of speed is evident. I've been up and down on the trim and angle of the tabs and just can't seem to find the sweet spot. Guess I'll continue my quest for control with more seat time next year as the shift shaft assembly locked up last Sunday at a local Shootout. Thought about making new tabs that are of a larger size (like K-Planes) for next year because before I even feel at input from the tabs, there like 80% down.

The "rocking" you refer to is called "chine walk", where the boat oscillates, or rocks from side to side, or chine to chine. The Velocity hull is famous for it. Also boats with a higher prop shaft height, (X-dimension) are more likely to experience this event. You're already halfway there by having hydraulic external steering. It's difficult to explain, but when a boat at higher trim begins to chine-walk, the driver input can minimize this by steering into the side of the boat that is rising, then back to the other side that is about to rise. in action, it will look like you are turning the wheel back and forth a couple-few inches. The TRICK is the timing! If you get behind, you will actually amplify the action. However, once you get a little ahead of it, the boat will quickly settle without backing off the throttle or trimming in. This is a "seat-of-the-pants" feel that is hard to teach. But, once you get the feel of it, it quickly becomes natural.
There are drivers that can get the feel of a boat in a few minutes and make it look as solid as a pontoon boat.
Others, not so much.
Good luck!