Whale Tail

[cmiller]

I am about to buy another boat. 20ft- 150 mercury. When I just did the water test and I went to give start to take off it wanted to stand up for a little bit before finally planing off and taing off. It ran reel good but my only concern is it not planing off faster than I am used to. I have a 15 ft. with a 75 right now that has a whale tail on it and it planes immidiately.</p>

So My question is shouldI be concerned with this as much and learn to live with it. Or is it benificial for the boat anddriver to get the whale tail?</p>

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Any help would really be appreciatied. Than kyou.</p>

 

[lafae7]

Most likely improper engine height or trim or combination of both.

 

[jbh3]

The boat you're looking at may be somewhat under powered. Once you get it loaded with gas, gear, full live wells and another person the hole shot will be worse. Look for the BIA tag in the cockpit for the max HP rating. Most any fairly current 20' glass or tin boat will be rated for 200-250 HP. The larger HP engines will also have a larger displacement which also gives them the torque necessary to get the larger boats up and running. Whether you can live with the lack of performance is up to you, of course. I don't think you'll be happy and, unless it's a steal, I'd keep looking. Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[cmiller]

With what you said JB. with the boat being underpower is it going to cause engine problems down the road from engine strain?

 

[Gator]

In my opinion you will be miserable living with an underpowered boat that won’t come out of the hole. Pass this one up would be my advice.

 

[jbh3]

cmiller - 7/14/2018 6:37 PM

With what you said JB. with the boat being underpower is it going to cause engine problems down the road from engine strain?

It's possible. You'll be running it harder and burning more gas to get up and running and maintain speed. An adequately powered boat will get on plane quicker and maintain cruising speed with less throttle while turning fewer RPM's. Quite possible to actually burn less gas with the larger engine that's not "working" as hard.

 

[silvertalon]

Any 20' bass boat can be propped to get a decent hole shot with a 150 and reach 'high pad'. Top end rpm/power curve, is the biggest concern as to Not lug the engine. Too much prop pitch will cause this. A 20' with a 150 should run about 52- 55 mph at a minimum of 5,200 rpm- The Tempest will give you more bow lift and top end speed and will allow higher engine mounting height and rpm's. Be sure you have a water pressure Gauge. A whale tail may be necessary regardless as, most 20' rigs weigh a lot- unless it's a Bullet boat. Also, a 20" Trophy 4 blade will provide a better hole shot but you will not get the bow lift and top end of the Tempest. Additionally, a 150 weigh's about 100 lbs less than a 225/250. Proper top end rpm's are the most important factor in setting up any rig. The whale tail can then be added later if there is still a poor hole shot. IMO