getting up on plane faster

[nitro90]

Bought my first boat last year, because of gas prices, I've been mainly putting in and trolling right from there. But, when I do want to get up and go, the boat ,a nitro 750sc with a merc 90 optimax, takes quite a while to get up on plane. I was wondering about putting on a hydrofoil.....any comments, suggestions, or straight out answers would be greatly appreciated.... thanks

[bassman_ky]

My brother had one on has Hydra Sport. He has played with it on and off. He gets on plane a lot faster but you lose top end speed and gas milage. But if your main problem is getting on plane faster it works well.

[Monarkman]

Go over to Bass Boat Central and do a search for Bryan's Foil. It seems to be one of the better ones for bass boats.

[DYNATRAK]

i have a dynatrak 150 (15' long or so) with a johnson 60hp. i bought a hydrafoil down at stokely's a few years ago. HUGE difference in hole shot.

[MrSplitshot]

I have a Tracker PT175 with a 50HP 2-Stroke Merc on it...my hole shot kinda ***** as well, but I've always been under the theory that anything else sticking down in the water will cause more drag and cost you (1) speed and (2) gas mileage. I don't want to trade a better hole shot for slower top end speed and more money at the Shell station, so I have stayed away from the Hydrofoils.

[ryan_ekubass]

i had a 06 ranger 175 vs with an optimax 115 on it and it took forever to get onplane especially if you had someone big in the boat plus a full live well so dad put a stingray hydrofoil or whale tail on it and it got on plane great... plus man u have a optimax and those things get great gas mileage i upgradedto a 188 vx with a 175 pro xs on it now but i dont have no trouble getting on plane with it and i get great gas mileage with it.... look at your mercury specs a merc burns more fuel at 2000 rpm than it does at 5000 rpm.....

[Cheese]

Have you considered a lower pitch prop? That would probably get you out of the hole faster but like almost everything else, you will loose top end speed. Maybe a 4 blade prop instead of 3?

In a past life, I had a friend that had a prop that changed pitch as it ran. I recall that it was about a 16 until it hit 3 or 4 thousand RPM and then it switched to about a 23 for top end. It worked really well for the summer he ran it. He sold it the next winter but I can't recall why.

[Gregory]

Bought my first boat last year, because of gas prices, I've been mainly putting in and trolling right from there. But, when I do want to get up and go, the boat ,a nitro 750sc with a merc 90 optimax, takes quite a while to get up on plane. I was wondering about putting on a hydrofoil.....any comments, suggestions, or straight out answers would be greatly appreciated.... thanks

What pitch prop you running, you may just need to drop down one size or if your running a 3 blade try going to a 4 blade. I have a 20' Procraft 225 Pro XS, I was running a 25P 3 blade, dropped to a 24P 4 blade Trophy Plus and it shoots out of the hole now and still running 5800RPMs @ 71mph on GPS. I just bought a 25P 4 blade Trophy Plus to see if I can drop the RPMs alittle and pickup some top end speed, mainly for KY Lake long runs. Just my 2 cents.

[18'stratos]

I had a 15-1/2 foot Astroglass with a 115 Johnson. Hydrofoil was a plus. Better hole shot, no porpising (up and down like a dolphin) and I got better top end speed cause I was able to lift the front of the boat out of the water and run on the pad. That boat would run 55+. That was plenty fast for a small boat. Good luck.

[MsgMills]

I like you had the same problem with a 97 Nitro 700DC with the exact 90 hp motor. I dropped down in prop size and got the hole shot I was after, but lost about 3 mph on top end. But the getting up on plane faster was well worth the lost mph, since I wasn't in no hurry in getting anywhere anyway. Good Luck

[Cajun78]

Yea, I would definitely check the prop and try something different. Also, make sure your weight distribution is balanced in the boat. Try putting a heavier piece of weight (cooler or something) up toward the front as well.

I have a 17'6" Cajun with two casting decks with a 115 Evinrude. i have a great hole shot and get about 46-47mph top end @ 5100 rpm (5500 max). I currently run a 19 inch prop and may be able to turn one with a slightly bigger pitch, but I am at about the optimal balance in my opinion.

It does make a huge difference though how your weight is distributed.

[Bobby Headrick]

I have a 98 Nitro 700lx with the 90 Merc Tracker, I have a four blade Turbo prop on it and it gives me great hole shot, I lost a few mph but I get up on plane a lot quicker and the four also seems to help in rough water some.