Bow sticks up in the air!

[Mucho_MPG]

I own your basic bench seated 14' aluminum boat that is beginning to frustrate me. When I give the 9.9 outboard throttle the bow points straight up in the air. I have experimented with all 3 of the available trim angles the outboard has, but to no avail. It was actually dangerous last weekend as in that position, the stern is very close to the waterline. I got a bunch of water in it from the wake of a very large boat.

Has anyone tried one of those hydrofoils that goes over the cavitation plate? I gotta figure something out, short of putting a couple of cement cinder blocks in the bow to keep it down.

I have heard that aluminum lightweight boats are tough to plane and trim correctly.

 

[duaneb9729]

my neighbor puts two bags of softener salt in the bow of his boat, he claims it helps

 

[Mucho_MPG]

Duane, I think that is the route I'll go. It is not bad at all with a 200 lb buddy sitting in the bow section, so putting in some weight is cheap and easy.

Thanks!

 

[FZ1]

The evinrude/johnson 9.9-15 2 strokes have about 5 trim positions. Sounds like you need to trim the motor down to the lowest position to keep the bow from rising so much. Re distribute the weight in the boat a little more forward and lessen the weight in the stern if possible. I prefer the lighter weight of the 2 strokes as the transom sits higher in the water.

 

[Steve S]

That is an outboard thing. There are also extenders for the throttle thing that lets you sit in the middle seat.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I have a 97 Mercury 9.9 and on the side it shows only 3 positions and they are labeled, 1,2, and 3. I'll try to see if lowers even more, otherwise, I'll have to simply add a hundred pounds to the bow.

The 9.9 only weighs 103 lbs per the sticker on it, but I am 260, so that is probably what's wrong. I better go on a diet.

 

[RTexasF]

A hydrofoil will indeed help as will trim tabs on the hull. The hydrofoil would be the least expensive. It's really a case of too little horsepower and too much weight in the stern. Make sure the prop is in perfect shape, no nicks or boo boos. Get a longer hose and put the fuel tank in the bow but make sure it's secure. All gear should be stowed in the bow if possible.

 

[FZ1]

The transom weight is an important factor,particulary with small boats,my 'rude 9.9 2 stroke just weighs about 76 pounds. I think the 'foil might help,I just hate the drilling aspect. Experiment moving the weight forward and trimming the motor down. Maybe you could take it back to the dealer and get a lighter 2 stroke. No need to endanger yourself with a motor too heavy for your boat. Most small boats were designed for the lighter 2 strokes.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I really want the hydrofoil, but I just can't bring myself to drill into the cavitation plate. This outboard is absolutely in mint condition (looks like less than 25 hours of usage from the previous owner).

I will put the trolling motor battery and fuel tank in the bow and just carefully run the lines along the side of the boat. I don't know how trim tabs could be installed on a 14' aluminum boat. I thought that stuff is only for the bigger vessels.

On another note, I am very impressed as to the fuel economy of these small four strokes. I ran around the lake for 2 hours and barely used any gas from my 6.6 gallon tank.

 

[duaneb9729]

i really think all of advisers should get walleye fillets say around three pounds just for being such good help.

smiles
Duane

 

[FZ1]

Small boats are very sensitive to weight redistribution. I think you will be surprised how much difference it makes + redistribution is much better performance wise than just adding weight.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I think you are right. I am attempting to find a tiller extension handle that is 48" so I can run the boat from amidships. Minn Kota has a 30" extension handle but it isn't long enough.

I figure me weighing 260lbs, I bet the boat will ride much lower if all of my weight is not in the stern.

My weight 260 + battery for trolling motor 40lbs+ gas tank 45lbs + weight of motor 103 = 448 lbs riding in the stern!!! When I add it up, it is no wonder the bow sticks straight up!

 

[FZ1]

It's a shame those boat dealers are so quick to sell customers 4 strokes w/o considering the effect of the additional weight of the 4 stroke on the transom of a small boat. You could do the easiest things first and test the results. You can get a longer fuel line,so maybe moving the fuel tank forward is the easiest thing to do. Probably too late but,if you could return the motor, you could shop for a slightly larger used boat rig.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I agree with you on that. The dealer said they will not take it back for exchange (i already checked on that). My fault for not taking into account the added weight of this 4 stroke over the 25hp 2 stroke that I also own.

I am already in the process of buying the 15' extension cables from Minn Kota for the battery to ride in the bow, and will be buying a 50" tiller extension handle as well.

I want to relocate the gas tank up front as well, but was wondering where I can fuel hoses that long.

 

[FZ1]

I got a 10' 3/8 fuel line at the dealer,I'm sure they make longer lines as well. You could just do one mod at a time and check the effect before spending money for the next mod.,etc.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

I'll do the battery cable extension for now. My fuel hose right now is about 6', so I already moved the gas tank to the middle of the boat.

The extension handle deal seems like it would be real easy to make a mistake steering the boat at higher speeds. The leverage you would have with a handle that long may not be the safest thing.

 

[FZ1]

Agree that the extension handle might be dangerously unwieldy. Moving the battery will have a noticeable effect. P.S. You will have to figure out how to secure the battery in place,once you decide on it's location. Don't want to hit a wave and have that thing come back at you.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

Yeah, the idea of a 40lb battery hitting me in the noggin doesn't sound like fun.

Thanks for the help this evening FZ1. Heading to the lake tomorrow to experiment and hopefully land some slab [censored]. Wow, I cannot believe the name of a fish c.r.a.p.p.i.e. is censored here.

I'll keep ya updated.

 

[Mucho_MPG]

That'd be doable if I could land some nice walleyes. In recent years, walleye has become harder to limit out on here in my opinion. Growing up, a red/white dardevle trolled or some nice juicy leaches seemed to be all that was needed to consistently limit out. Ah, the memory of grandma battering/frying walleye pieces to a golden brown color. yum!

 

[RTexasF]

For what it's worth there are self adjusting trim tabs for boats from 10' and up. No hydraulics or electrical hookup is involved. They simply screw/bolt to the transom. With the weight redistribution and an extended tiller I doubt you would need them but they are available if nothing else works to your satisfaction.