Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

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fallguy1000
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by fallguy1000 »

I had a 14' Lund aluminum that would not plane with two big guys and some gear with 15hp.

Do the hub mark check.

Check the performance with one person.

Run the jack plate all the way down.

See what happens with a pitch change.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

bklake
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by bklake »

Going by one of your picture, you have a lot of weight on the transom. Engine, bracket, trolling motor. I would move stuff around to balance the boat fore and aft, moving weight forward. I'm guessing it just plows and cannot get over the hump.

I have a Carolina Skiff J14 and it is frustratingly difficult to get it balanced so it will plane. Based on posts on their old forum, almost everyone with the J14 boat had problems getting it to plane. I finally fixed it the old fashion way by putting a 25hp engine on it but it was scary to go more than 3/4 throttle. I'm back to a 9.9 and have to shift things around to rebalance so it won't plow.

If you don't know your RPM, you will never get the prop dialed in. I found a cheap electronic tach on amazon. Tiny-Tach is the well known brand but there are many knock offs now. It has a signal wire that wraps around one of the spark plug wires. It is very simple to install, the hardest part is working your fingers in the crowded space of the engine. 10 pitch seems a little too steep. I know the Suzuki 20 comes with a 9" pitch 3 blade prop. You must know what your RPM is a full throttle. Did I mention RPM?

fallguy1000
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by fallguy1000 »

bklake wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:47 am Going by one of your picture, you have a lot of weight on the transom. Engine, bracket, trolling motor. I would move stuff around to balance the boat fore and aft, moving weight forward. I'm guessing it just plows and cannot get over the hump.

I have a Carolina Skiff J14 and it is frustratingly difficult to get it balanced so it will plane. Based on posts on their old forum, almost everyone with the J14 boat had problems getting it to plane. I finally fixed it the old fashion way by putting a 25hp engine on it but it was scary to go more than 3/4 throttle. I'm back to a 9.9 and have to shift things around to rebalance so it won't plow.

If you don't know your RPM, you will never get the prop dialed in. I found a cheap electronic tach on amazon. Tiny-Tach is the well known brand but there are many knock offs now. It has a signal wire that wraps around one of the spark plug wires. It is very simple to install, the hardest part is working your fingers in the crowded space of the engine. 10 pitch seems a little too steep. I know the Suzuki 20 comes with a 9" pitch 3 blade prop. You must know what your RPM is a full throttle. Did I mention RPM?
Great post! If he can find out wot rpm, he can get the best prop..
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

Fuzz
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by Fuzz »

I picked up a Tiny Tac just last week off Ebay. Good price and the seller was great to deal with.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255413525300

TomW1
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by TomW1 »

blake I do not see a trolling motor on his boat. Could you confirm this AndrewS? Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

TomW1
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by TomW1 »

Fuzz wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 2:43 pm I picked up a Tiny Tac just last week off Ebay. Good price and the seller was great to deal with.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255413525300
Yes, you need some type of tach to dial in the rpm's and the motor to the prop if you do not have one get one. Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

bklake
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by bklake »

TomW1 wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 5:14 pm blake I do not see a trolling motor on his boat. Could you confirm this AndrewS? Tom
Post number 5 has a link to pictures. I was going by that.

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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by TomW1 »

bklake wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:21 pm
TomW1 wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 5:14 pm blake I do not see a trolling motor on his boat. Could you confirm this AndrewS? Tom
Post number 5 has a link to pictures. I was going by that.
See it now. Thanks Tom. It is going to complicate my weight calculations and make his balancing the boat weight harder. He has a lot of weight on the transom depending on where the batteries are for both motors. Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

bklake
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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by bklake »

Fuzz wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 2:43 pm I picked up a Tiny Tac just last week off Ebay. Good price and the seller was great to deal with.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255413525300
I got one on amazon that has a battery. It only has one thin wire. I used a Tiny-Tach before and the extra wires for power were a pain to get under/through the cowl. The one I got was supposed to be water resistant. It probably was for the first 5 minutes of its life but then the seals dissolved in water and it leaked :lol: I remember the Tiny Tach being well potted and it didn't leak for a long time.

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Re: Heavier GF16 having trouble getting on plane

Post by AndrewS »

I ordered a tinytach on amazon, thanks for the recommendation. as far as weight distribution, I have the 2 6 gal takes up front, I have 2 house batteries in the middle and 1 trolling motor battery under the rear seat.

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