Hydrofoils?

Greg · Sep 8, 2008

Does anyone here use a hydrofoil (whale tail, whatever you call 'em) on your outboard? Do they work as advertised?

I've got a Lowe 1436 with 15 HP Merc. It runs great and seems to be pretty quick, but it doesn't seem to plane out completely. This is an un-modded boat, with all of my gear, the battery and my two young sons moved to the front.

The guy I bought the boat from threw in one of those Atwood brand 'foils...but its really small compared to some of the other brands out there. I'm hesitant to start drilling holes in my anti-cavitation plate until I get some opinions. :?

https://www.attwoodmarine.com/produ...Accessory&headername=Fuel+and+Motor+Equipment

Anyone have any experience with this one or any others?

bassboy1 · Sep 9, 2008

I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those - personal opinion though. I feel the right way to fix that problem is with smart tabs, or trim tabs. In certain cases, they do actually work, but otherwise, they have gained a lot of hype, and don't really work as advertised.

Do you say that your boat doesn't seem to plane, and rides level, or is the stern still sunk in?
If the stern stays sunk in, your boat might actually be a candidate for one of those, as much as I hate to say it.

Greg · Sep 9, 2008

Yeah, the stern seems awful low.

Also, when at WOT, the driver's seat is a pretty wet ride. I don't know if this is a jon boat thing or what. This is my first experience with a boat other than a fiberglass bass boat.

redbug · Sep 9, 2008

I had a foil on my tin boat that made a huge improvement.
it was worth te money

sccamper · Sep 9, 2008

I put one on my old 18' runabout, 135hp. The cavitation plate had a chunk knocked out of it and the steering tab was turned hard to get it to run straight. It sure helped get out of the hole, I think it slowed the top end couple mph. Think it had more drag. Ive been thinking about putting one on my 20hp.