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05-23-2019, 11:56 AM | #1 |
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Trim up or Trim down
When piloting may boat in heavy chop or whitecaps
I will usually trim up and slow down and keep the bow high. I recently went for a test drive and the pilot kept the trim down and pushed thru the waves it seemed to ride smooth This had me questioning my methods and thought I would ask the Forum what they do. |
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DotRat (06-09-2019) |
05-23-2019, 12:00 PM | #2 |
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Trim down and plow through waves. Trim up to do top speed runs or to save fuel when on plane and conditions are smooth.
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05-23-2019, 12:03 PM | #3 |
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Depends so much on speed, size of waves / wakes, type of boat, on plane or off plane, etc...?
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05-23-2019, 12:06 PM | #4 |
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In heavy chop...”trim down, slow down”
Dan
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05-23-2019, 12:07 PM | #5 | |
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05-23-2019, 12:33 PM | #6 |
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Depends a lot on the size/style of the boat and some on wind direction relative to course. If you're quartering you might want to trim one side up a little to minimize spray. The naval architect who designed the boat thinks it runs well at a certain speed without trim tabs, and tabs are used to adjust for variations in load (weight & balance). For whatever reasons, I see more GFBL's go by trimmed bow up which makes them spank or slap. I agree with Ishoot308 that generally as it gets rougher, bow up, slow down. With more sophisticated electronics, you can see variations in speed and fuel flow when you tickle the tabs.
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05-23-2019, 12:39 PM | #7 | |
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Dan
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Hillcountry (05-23-2019) |
05-23-2019, 12:41 PM | #8 |
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Witchboat --
Think of it this way -- when you trim up, your bow rises and thus you "slap" the waves more making for an uncomfortable BANG, BANG, BANGING ride. Put the trim down and you have a greater likelihood to "Cut Through" the waves making for a smoother ride. The larger/heavier the boat the better this system works --- if you have a pontoon boat -- then simply head home cuz none of this will help.
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05-23-2019, 02:52 PM | #9 | |
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05-23-2019, 04:01 PM | #10 |
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Trims
There are two types of adjustable trims. drive trims and transom trims. All boats except inboards have drive trims. Performance boats and some inboards have transom trims.
Drive trims are used to provide the 'attitude' of the bow. When the drive is down the bow is down, drive up, bow up. Transom trims are use mainly to help level the boat from port to starboard or vice versa. On ski boats, with the trim down, there is less wake, trim up there is more. On performance boats the throttle man usually use the transom trims to adjust the stern attitude along with the drive trims adjustment to provide a nice 'tude at speed and chops. Technically on a semi V or flat bottom boat, you would want the bow down (trim down) in choppy weather to 'plow thru the waves. At speed you will trim up until the rpm rises, tap back down. At times a boat will porpoise or chine walk before rpm increases, tap it back down. Deep Vs especially heavy ones you would want the trim horizontal to the hull in chops. You would want to ride through the waves than plow into them. One of the most memorable experience using trims is the dancing from one swell to the next at the Cigarette Top Gun School in Aventura FL!
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05-23-2019, 05:58 PM | #11 | |
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05-23-2019, 06:09 PM | #12 |
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Exactly! I also move passengers to the stern on my Tritoon when it’s rough...
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05-23-2019, 06:14 PM | #13 |
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IMHO it all depends on how your boat is handling the water you are in at the time. There are a lot of variables to take into consideration. Wind and current, size of boat, weight of boat, hull design, and the direction you are going in all play a role. My rule of thumb is if you can trim down and get up on plane and get up and over the chop without beating yourself, (and the boat!) up, then do it. If it's just to rough and the boat is taking a beating and/or water is coming over the bow, then I slow down, trim up, (get the bow up in the air), and "plow" through it. People's "opinions" vary, (needless to say). One guy's way of getting up on plane and flying over the chop while the boat takes a pounding may be his way of doing things, while another guy would never do that to his boat. Money always plays a factor too. If money is no object, then you can "beat" on the boat all you want, where other's will treat it like a baby and try to be conserveative. All kinds of "factors" that play into people's behavior, and how they "run" their boats.
Last edited by Cal Coon; 05-24-2019 at 05:27 PM. |
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05-23-2019, 07:23 PM | #14 |
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05-23-2019, 09:07 PM | #15 | |
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05-28-2019, 04:41 PM | #16 |
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Yeah, on a 'toon the math is;
trim down + big waves = everyone's going home to change clothes. trim down + low speed + trough = someone is buying new front panels (Hint: Bennington charges ~$360 for the front port panel, ask me how I know) |
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