Hydrofoil or Not?

[Fishin Fool]

I am running a 2007 482 Nitro with a 115 Optimax engine. I've had ski boats and the like in the past and most of them have had Hydrofoils on them. On Ultimatebass.com there seems to be a lot of folks that swear by Hydrofoils on bass boats to help with getting out of the hole and so on. Any suggestions or personal experiences?

 

[m17glock]

from what ive seen and have been told low powered heavier boats do benifit from these by getting on plane
faster and staying a little more level doing so but at the cost of a little top end

the lighter more powerfull boats ( ie bullet w/150) since they allready have a fast hole shot makes very little
improvement and still takes away some top end

my father in law has a 16ft nitro with a 4 stroke merc 60hp it made a huge improvement on his hole shot and getting on plane however it did knock his top end by 2-4 mph. since he is not a speed freek he is quite happy with his.

if you are interested i have a white doel fin i will sell you for $15

 

[digitalcb]

I love mine but mostly for the fact that it lets me cruise on plane at a much lower speed than without it.

 

[foodsaver]

I think everyone is missing the point. Congrats on the new boat!

 

[m17glock]

emoDoh emoDoh emoDoh emoDoh congrats Fishing Fool emoThumbsup

now who is it that releases those picture hounds emoTongue

 

[Guest]

Yeah man congrats on the new boat. Shoot us some pics so we'll know it's you on the water.
My personal experience with hydrofoils is that they are a waste of money for the vast majority of boats. I've had them on 2 boats and they did nothing like what they were advertised to do.

 

[dtw2]

Just what was said, will lift boat faster on plane, keep it there at slower speeds, will take about 3 to 4 mph away. I never found mine to be gas saving, but if you are coming out of the hole faster it has to save money some. Thats my story and I am sticking to it. emoBigsmile

 

[Fishin Fool]

Thanks for all the info guys. I just hate drilling holes and then being disappointed with the results so I am really going to research it. It IS a new boat like foodsaver said. Fishin Fire and I are partners with this thing and are sharing the cost because we fish together all the time anyway. I'll post some pics soon in the off topic discussion area. I do have to admit that I miss the old tracker some. Going down the lake at 50mph versus 30 is almost too fast for me! Guess I am getting old.

 

[SNUFFY]

good lookin` boat Terry....if I`m seeing right I see a 3 blade prop??? before I`d do any hole drilling I`d try a four-blade in the same pitch and then maybe go down one size if it don`t do just right...
you should be able to get it right with props...it may take a a few tries but you should be able to find one to do the job !

 

[flip1up]

Nice boat Terry, congrats. There is one made that doesnt require any holes to be drilled. I believe its in the BPS catalog. </p>

After reading the post again and realizing this is a joint venture, congrats to you fishing fire also

</p>

 

[Fishin Fool]

SNUFFY - 8/13/2007 9:02 AM

good lookin` boat Terry....if I`m seeing right I see a 3 blade prop??? before I`d do any hole drilling I`d try a four-blade in the same pitch and then maybe go down one size if it don`t do just right...
you should be able to get it right with props...it may take a a few tries but you should be able to find one to do the job !

Thanks Pat! The people at Island Cove said the exact same thing. four blade in a smaller size. The pics are from the online gallery that Nitro has. It just happens to be the same color and lay out, but a different motor, with the one on my boat being an Optimax 115. I appreciate the info. Makes me feel better when I hear it from friends on the water, verus a dealer.

 

[fishing fire]

It kills me that some people have to be so darn observant Thats ok we were kinda hopeing to do it by surprise but oh well. Thanks guys so much for all the info. Thanks for all the congrats too. This forum has been more help than some know. emoThumbsup

 

[SpurHunter]

DAngit!

....Now I need a faster boat to follow yall to the secret hole...THANKS A LOT! My wife is gonna kill me!

 

[Fishin Fool]

SpurHunter - 8/13/2007 10:29 AM

DAngit!

....Now I need a faster boat to follow yall to the secret hole...THANKS A LOT! My wife is gonna kill me!

Dang Spurhunter I should have told you upfront! This 2007 model has an optional cloaking device like they have on Star Trek on the Klingon Birds of Prey! It's completely invisible until I slow down to make the first cast!

 

[Guest]

Now that you have the new shiny bass boat don't forget us guys that have the skipjack crusted jonboats.emoBigsmile Throw up your hand when you go blowing by.

 

[Fishin Fool]

cheez - 8/13/2007 11:47 AM

Now that you have the new shiny bass boat don't forget us guys that have the skipjack crusted jonboats.emoBigsmile Throw up your hand when you go blowing by.

Cheez you guys know I do as much FISHING as I do Bass Fishing! I'll never be the exclusive "bass" type. Just too much fun to catch everything else! So look for me to be right out there beside the Jonboats from time to time!.....emoLaugh

 

[DHaun]

I use this on my boat - no drilling required:

http://www.chattanoogafishingforum.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=330&posts=2

 

[Dropshot]

Nice boat.

 

[Fishin Fool]

Thanks David! I think that is exactly what I am looking for. Called them today and had a talk with them about it and they said they could have one out to me in about 10 days. I really appreciate the info.

 

[fishing fire]

Hey we are not bass snobs We are fishermen there for it if it's a fish we fish for it! I've been raised to never forget your friends, just because the boat changed doesn't mean we will. Hey that foil looks cool Dave.