getting on a plane
- Thread starter king koke
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Full_Monte
Well-known member
The first thing to try is a prop with a lower pitch. If you go down two steps, and it doesn't help, your motor might be underpowered for your boat.
Kokanee Katcher
Active member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
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- 33
Have you tried putting some weight near the bow to see if that would help? I had the same problem and moved the battery forward and that did it.
smokin' Kokes
Well-known member
2 stroke or 4 stroke engine?
how much people weight and additional weight in boat?
width of 12 fter?
the narrow 12's can be difficult to get on plane even with only 1 person in it, especially if all the weight is in the tail
with 1 person which is the most common i would try
1. long tiller extension handle so that you can set in middle seat while running to the fishing spot. centering the weight makes the hull come up on plane much easier. putting a 12' hose on portable tank and setting it in the nose along with the gear helps but usually not enough. don't add extra weight to nose just to force it down, causes major loss of top speed.
2. pull the tilt adjustment pin and put the tilt in one more hole closer to the transom, forces the bow down to force the hull up on air cushion of plane, reduces stern tail drag. keep going in on the holes until hole shot plane does not improve.
3. make sure the motor cavitation plate, the big wide one that the H. troller attaches to is at the water surface when the boat is on plane, least lower unit drag and best prop efficiency.
4. have your shop test your motor to make sure it is reaching max. rated rpm. a motor becomes slow and doggy over time and the owner will not notice 1000 rpm loss off top end.
motor may need decarboning, rings may jacked out by carbon increasing friction and decreasing compression power. carbs/injectors may be plugged.
5. take the H. Troller off and try trolling socks to slow the troll down for kokes
how much people weight and additional weight in boat?
width of 12 fter?
the narrow 12's can be difficult to get on plane even with only 1 person in it, especially if all the weight is in the tail
with 1 person which is the most common i would try
1. long tiller extension handle so that you can set in middle seat while running to the fishing spot. centering the weight makes the hull come up on plane much easier. putting a 12' hose on portable tank and setting it in the nose along with the gear helps but usually not enough. don't add extra weight to nose just to force it down, causes major loss of top speed.
2. pull the tilt adjustment pin and put the tilt in one more hole closer to the transom, forces the bow down to force the hull up on air cushion of plane, reduces stern tail drag. keep going in on the holes until hole shot plane does not improve.
3. make sure the motor cavitation plate, the big wide one that the H. troller attaches to is at the water surface when the boat is on plane, least lower unit drag and best prop efficiency.
4. have your shop test your motor to make sure it is reaching max. rated rpm. a motor becomes slow and doggy over time and the owner will not notice 1000 rpm loss off top end.
motor may need decarboning, rings may jacked out by carbon increasing friction and decreasing compression power. carbs/injectors may be plugged.
5. take the H. Troller off and try trolling socks to slow the troll down for kokes
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skookum9
Well-known member
I am curious if king koke got this problem solved. I was just looking at this old post and I agree with everything that was said but I would add one more thing. There is a product I used to see everywhere but haven't seen for sale for a while now called a "Dol-phin", (I think I got the name right). When I was younger, I used to run a 10ft Zodiac with a 9.8 Merc. I had a lot of trouble with planing this boat if I had a lot of gear or a second person with me. Once I added one of these Dol-phins to my motor, the boat just popped right up out of the water and away I would go. I come from a family of large, (heavy), people and when I had three people on board it still wouldn't plane so it won't fix everything but it sure did a lot to help. I don't even know if these things are still available or not but they are worth the price.
Bduck
Flaming Gorge Forum MODERATOR
I agree, the dolphin is an excellent choice. I use to have one myself. It was hard to get the boat on plain until I installed this. I also went to a different size pitch on my prop(a 19 down to a 17 for merc) and the quickness of this added jump.
I finally broke down and bought an altitude prop this year. I'm anxious to try it at Gorge this year. The last 5 years I've run the 19" pitch and haven't had a lot of trouble but thought I could add some zip with something less so I went to a 16". It should pop out of the water like a cork now!
onlychild
Kokanee Creek Tackle
you guys are right about the dolphin i have used them years ago another thing to consider is aluminum props v stainless less flex with the stainless however more $$$
smokin' Kokes
Well-known member
something that helps a great deal with fishing on high altitude lakes is tuning a carb motor for the correct air/fuel mix to match the altitude.
most ECU computer controlled fuel injected engines automatically adjust for altitude and thinner air.
pure non ethanol gasoline also produces more horsepower. have noticed the substantial diff. in the main outboard and especially on the 15hp 4 stroke kicker. Merc. carbed 4 stroke kickers are not the smoothest running on slow troll, the real gas made it purr as quiet as my old Honda 4s. cold weather cold water starts are also much easier.
cleaning, waxing and buffing the bottom of the boat helps
removing any unnecessary weight makes a great deal of difference.
4 blade lower pitch props make for a great hole shot launch and almost the same top speed, especially in heavier boats. they lift the back end on take off.
this is the way I've went to save money and still have multiple pitch props for different types of fishing. i run a 4 blade lower pitch on the main when ocean fishing especially making the long run for tuna in ocean rollers to grab the waves with the prop.
3 blade high pitch for long flat lake runs.
i have 2 pitch blade sets for the kicker depending on what type of trolling I'm doing.
easy to change blades, good take off prop grab and tough.
also protects the motor lower unit shafts and gears, expensive unforgiving items.
http://www.piranha.com/propellers.php
if changing the prop, it's critical to long engine life to reach the manuf. required rpm range. too low max wide open rpm ends in engine overload and failure.
most ECU computer controlled fuel injected engines automatically adjust for altitude and thinner air.
pure non ethanol gasoline also produces more horsepower. have noticed the substantial diff. in the main outboard and especially on the 15hp 4 stroke kicker. Merc. carbed 4 stroke kickers are not the smoothest running on slow troll, the real gas made it purr as quiet as my old Honda 4s. cold weather cold water starts are also much easier.
cleaning, waxing and buffing the bottom of the boat helps
removing any unnecessary weight makes a great deal of difference.
4 blade lower pitch props make for a great hole shot launch and almost the same top speed, especially in heavier boats. they lift the back end on take off.
this is the way I've went to save money and still have multiple pitch props for different types of fishing. i run a 4 blade lower pitch on the main when ocean fishing especially making the long run for tuna in ocean rollers to grab the waves with the prop.
3 blade high pitch for long flat lake runs.
i have 2 pitch blade sets for the kicker depending on what type of trolling I'm doing.
easy to change blades, good take off prop grab and tough.
also protects the motor lower unit shafts and gears, expensive unforgiving items.
http://www.piranha.com/propellers.php
if changing the prop, it's critical to long engine life to reach the manuf. required rpm range. too low max wide open rpm ends in engine overload and failure.
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Full_Monte
Well-known member
A real intelligent approach, Smokin Kokes. I haven't tried all the variables you have. I did go to a lower pitch prop for high altitudes. It made a big difference. I was also thinking of changing the jets in the carburetor, but couldn't find the parts or instructions to do it.
