Trim my rowboat...HELP!

[JimInMichigan]

1st time out with my boat, my cousin was with me ( 675lbs combined ). At full speed ( 15/60 Richline & 9.9 Merc ) we was able to hit 13 mph. I thought that was great and the boat ran level with my cousin in front. Then I wondered how fast the boat would go with just me in it. Well, that was a mistake. At full throttle, the bow of the boat was like 6 feet in the air and I was hitting 8 mph. No way to see where I was going.

How do I trim this if I want to go out in the boat by myself? I measured where the cavitation wing on the motor was in relation to the bottom of the boat, it was 2.5" below the bottom. Is this the cause? Or is that just to help with the speed?

I asked someone at the boat dock, they told me I need to make a long tiller handle and sit in the middle seat. That sounds too hill-billy to me. And even on the verge of being dangerous.

 

[huntinfool]

First I'd raise the motor to level with the bottom of the boat. Then I'd check the trim pin and see where it is.

 

[jethro]

My 14' Grumman is like that, it's probably a 200lb boat and I have a 15hp Evinrude on it. The only way I can keep the bow down is to put the battery for the trolling motor way up front. The long handle tiller is a good option and not really unsafe, just wear your PFD (as you always should under power) and use your tether (which you will need to extend).

 

[Kismet]

Some wise person, maybe JigNgrub or Pappy, suggested filling a five gallon pail with water (with a cover on it) and putting up front, moving it from place to place to see what is best for your weight/power/hull combo.

When I go out in the 13' Golden Hawk Y-stern canoe with a 3 hp Evinrude, I put a duffle with barnyard lime or sand up front to get best use of the prow and keel on the boat.

Like life, it's mostly about balance.

:lol:

 

[great white]

Typing on a tabket sucks, so ill just drop a link on ya:

https://littlerubberducky.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/countering-bow-rise-when-transitioning-from-displacement-to-planing/

Couple ideas there. Trim of the outboard came to my mind first.....

 

[lovedr79]

raise and trim the motor first. then you can add weight up front, i have used 5 gallon buckets with lids filled with water and/or sand.

 

[Dark3]

Two words, sand bags

 

[BigTerp]

Dark3 » August 5th, 2014, 4:50 pm[/url]"]Two words, sand bags

This is what I will probably end up doing with mine. I'm the opposite of the OP though. I have a 1648 with a 50/35 jet and forward captain seat with stick steer. It runs perfect with a passenger or 2, but when I'm by myself the bow rides a little too low and pushes more water than I'd like. Since 95% of the time I'm out in my boat with someone I'm not going to mess with trim or redistributing weight. 100#'s worth of sand near the rear seat should do the trick for me when I'm on my own.

It will depend on how you typically run your boat. If your by yourself more than not, it will be worth it to adjust the trim, redistribute weight, etc. to get it riding perfect when your alone. If not, and you typically have a passenger with you the sand bag trick should work well when your by yourself.

 

[richg99]

Or, you could consider Smart Tabs