We used to operate a 20' boat in a natural harbour. The speed limit in the the summer was 10 knots. At this speed we were pushing water and not on the plane. We added a set of Doel Fins and hey presto, the boat was level and the ride so much more comfortable. To be fair, it made little difference to the top speed but getting onto the plane was much easier. I recommend.
For what it’s worth, we put one on my son’s 14’ (very light) fishing boat with 15hp w/o any kind of power trim installed. He found that he would porpoise significantly when riding alone at WOT no matter what we did with the trim. Putting a hydrofoil on completely eliminated this. One could argue that he also could have just boated a little slower…we tried that approach first, we got nowhere…
I have to say, since I found you 6 months ago, I've learned so much, Thank you for taking the time to make such high quality and well read videos to help all us backyard mechanics! You are an amazing mechanic, very talented and educated. -John from Boston, MA.
remember to paint the holes or protect with grease etc,the stainless bolts touching untreated ally will create static and result in corrosion of the gearbox/paint flaking. Captain John
I've used the drill thru (Stingray) hydrofoils on two different boats (19' Tri-Hull & 18' Bass Boat) and without question the change was dramatic and boat performance (acceleration, bow rise, handling) was improved. Enjoy and I *highly* recommend these to anyone on the fence about it. Cheers and very nice video.
My boat had a problem where it struggled to get on plane. If I had anyone else with me in the boat the would have to jump on the bow to get it going. The hydrofoil helped with it IMMENSELY. I couldn’t believe how a $40 piece of plastic could help so much.
I had a Stingray Classic for years, all good. After 35 years of good service I replaced it with a new one. Before I had time to get my boat back on the water the right wing just fell off while siting on the hard stand. It was replaced under warranty with no worries but then the same thing happened again on the left side. The fault looks like a stress crack had developed from bubbles in the plastic molding. I'm yet to try the new SEsport hydrofoil which has the same bolt pattern. The old saying they don't make them like they used too rings true in this case. Cheers
Hello again and thanks for the immediate reply , rarely I get a response from comments I post . That tells me you are dedicated to what your doing here on youtube. Thanks again for the reply. Tom
Love it! "YMMV if you install one." Basically saying it won't fix a problem you don't have. I do have a boat that seems to ventilate easily. Especially if a bit of chop or it's trimmed up just a bit.
In my opinion, a hydrofoil is an under-rated amazing improvement to boat performance. We ran a 16 foot and 18 foot jon boat at my work. The 16 had a 25 hp, no hydrofoil, and the 18 ran a 50 hp with the hydrofoil. The first thing you notice is the lift of the rear end as you throttle up to get on plane. The bow barely rises as you plane out. Some boats have extremely obnoxious bow rise when first trying to get on plane, to the point you actually loose vision of what is in front of the boat for a few seconds. This does not happen with the hydrofoil attached. Another amazing thing is that once you get on plane, you can actually back off the throttle some and stay on plane at much lower speeds. I guess some boats have porpoising issues, but that can usually be corrected, or at least reduced, by changing the trim on the motor and/or shifting some of your boat cargo to get more weight up in the bow. Mounting your electric trolling motor battery toward the front of the boat can help with this, ice chest, etc.
@@BritishBeachcomber I just bought a new 20 hp outboard this summer. I put a hydrofoil on it immediately. Comes up on plane very quickly and easy with very little bow rise. For the money, they are a no brainer.
Spot on conclusion....Matches my experience. I had one boat that porpoise and the StingRay solved it! Had another boat with no issues and StingRay was no help whatsoever. Mainly a problem solving tool. Enjoyed Ed the dog. 😁
I run my 30 Horse Mariner hot on the transom on my j16 Carolina Skiff I have the stingray on it so I do not get cavitation and it helps my speed give me about 3 to 4 miles per hour
I have an Evinrude 88 SPL on a fairly shallow V 16' fiberglass boat with an open bow. The lower unit didn't have a hydrofoil and my problem was with porpoising while on plane and it took extremely little chop in the water to cause this. When I installed one I could keep the motor trimmed down if it began to porpoise and it really did lock the bow down to the water for much improved ride and once I locked the bow down I could trim it back up gradually to find the sweet spot between comfort and efficiency.
I think you just solved a big issue for us. We have a 4.3m tinnie that had a 30HP 2 stroke Yamaha on it and we changed to a 40HP four stroke Yamaha. When taking off it almost inverts itself with the nose riding up really high unless you remember to trim it full down. We have a hydrofoil but did not fit it to the new motor, (first time we have taken the boat out with thenew motor) but we will for sure do that to hopefully stop the super high nose which is nerve wracking when starting. Thanks for a great channel.
One advantage that doesn't get much mention, is that your boat will stay on the plane at a much lower speed - I used to be a safety boat on the Red Cross Murray River Canoe Marathon, where we were running in water with a few snags, and the slower planing speed (where the hull rides higher in the water), meant that you hit less hidden snags, and if you did hit, it was at a lower speed.
I found that too, boat would plane around 3000 to 3200 RPM. After I fitted hydrofoil it started planing at 2500 RPM and I could slow it down to 2300 RPM once on the plane and keep it there
I put a Dolphin wing on my Johnson 70 hp and it was the best thing I had done for my boat. Faster planing and it kept me planing in chop at slow speeds. Better tracking on turns. I loved it. Thanks for the great video. Keep up the good work. From Bakersfield California.
I'll be keeping track of this video as the boat and motor I'm working on will not be ready for the water until next spring and we will then see if it will be necessary to install one of these hydrofoils, once again an excellent video
2150 ciera sunbrige with a 5.0L. Had a problem getting up on plane, especially when towing a skier. It took so long to get up on plane that I was drowning the skier. This model solved this problem. It does take off the top speed but for water skiing it made the boat jump on plane twice as fast making water skiing a much pleasant experience. I skied behind the boat with and without the hydrofoil, really makes a difference for the skier. I also noticed during rough weather that it seems to help control the bow bouncing repeatidly.
On small RIB’s (310’s and up) I’ve used foils and tabs to get rid of excessive bow rise when transitioning onto plane. By far the the best thing I’ve ever used are “Smart Tabs”. They are like trim tabs with a damper on it. When slow they are down and as you accelerate they slowly move up at a metered rate until you are on plane where they are held up by the force of the water. They have very little down force but only move up at a given rate. The advantage is no drag of a foil in the water stream. Great if you only pin adjustment and no power trim. Also nice not having to play with the trim each time you start off and wear it out.
Stingrays really do work and what I did to mine is narrowed it down 2.5 inches from each side ( due to ice breaking one side off a couple inches.) And it works a lot better I say. Better turns and you still get the bow up no problem. Keeps your motor in the water better too in the chops
Once you get on plane, you can actually stay on plane at lower speeds with the hydrofoil. Good to check the bolts occasionally. They seem to work loose over time. Thanks for posting.
Biggest benefit I found was easier motoring through big wash behind big sport cruisers. It would hold its line easier and not flop about at slow speed.
I have a Stingray senior hydrofoil on my Vanguard Banshee MK 2 sports boat with a 90 HP Johnson. The performance is great, super fast! My engine can lift the boat right up to plane with ease! BANSHEEBOATN’ BABY!!!
I have an 8 horsepower Johnson outboard on a 12 ft rowboat and a hydrofoil definitely makes a difference. Even when the boat is moving at slower speeds, the hydrofoil keeps the bow of the boat down.
Hi my 17 Smartliner with a 60 Mariner 4 stroke came with these fitted. difficult to contole at low speed in marina . dangerouse when a big cruiser wake hite . Fell off the plane at 15 0r so knotts. Took advice and removed them . put 2 bags of sand in the bow locker under £5. Now contoles well in the Marina . Quicker with 5500 on the rev counter as opposed to 5000 . Super reponsive at lower plaining speed and lee expensive in fuel . And turns better at speed . Great video thankyou.
New to this all I bought a used boat when I retired , 3 months ago . My boat is a 14'5 vee hull . Took it out last week . got to plane 1 time after that it just pushed with the bow 3 feet high....got the product you showed in the video , had to saw 2 inches of it to mount and am ready to try it out in 2 days...Again I am new to this Hoping this will solve a problem . Only got another week till my fishing license runs out ,and the State of Ohio says I am done fishing in their state due to corona virus….
Massive hole shot increase as the boat stays flat and does not plow water for 200feet to get on plain. Top speed went up by about 1 mph and it stays on plain at lower speeds. And when getting in the boat from swimming we now have a nice place to put your foot on to get in the boat
The hydrofoil(Dolphin)l improves all aspects of driving my boat. The bow starts coming down immediately upon acceleration which is great when pulling skiers. It gets a better and smoother plane when trimmed out. And it's great at handling turns! No negetives coming from me.
I have a 1998 Campion 627, 20 footer with a 28" bracket outboard set up. 200 hp outboard. I was interested in raising my minimum planing speed to better cut through rough water(by keeping the bow down). I first tried a Stingray SE 200 and found it made a bit of difference, but, not that much. Then, I ran into a guy with a 23' Trophy, who had just gone thru the same process, and consequently upgraded to the Stingray XR111. He indicated a much better enhancement with this foil. Consequently, I did the same thing, switching it up to an XR111. My boat does come on plane a bit faster now, than with the SE 200. The result I like the best, I can hold my boat on plane at 13-14 mph, now, giving me a faster, more comfortable, speed thru the water when running in bad conditions(something I frequently have to do). I did lose a couple, three mph off the top end. Fuel economy doesn't seem to have been harmed, possibly a bit better. For my goals, the XR111 did the job pretty good.
Hey Jim, interesting to hear your results. Travelling at a modest speed through choppy water is something I do often too so I'm hoping it helps me in the same way. I haven't done a top speed run yet, I should have done that for the video, but I'll be interested to see the effect it has had there.
When I had my 16 foot CC OMC Neptune it had a Johnson 70 Sea Horse on it. I installed a Dolphin foil on the lower and the handling difference was so noticeable . It would plane my boat out much faster.
The Doel Fin is supposed to be on top of the propeller not at end of trim tab. The force of the prop and water pushes the fin up increasing its effect. Behind the prop buries it and costs top end.
@@solarfry The way I installed it is the way I see them on the paperwork that came with it. It made my boat perform way better and I didn't lose any speed. But what I did gain is no more long wait time to plane. I could plane at slower speed and no more proposing. My boat ran like it was on tracks.
Because of you & your videos gave us full confidence to work on our own outboard motor and you save us lots & lots of money thankyou!!! Please keep up the good work helping us new boaters out. Eddy cute too! Thanks!
Thanks for your expert opinion. My experience is quite similar. I installed same product you are testing in my Bayliner 180 bow-rider and just minimized the lift of the bow, but made the boat very "wet" in non-flat waters (bays, ocean) or when it was choppy. Also I noted more difficult turn-driving, less final speed and more gasoline consumption. I took it back to the vendor. Now I own a Proline 20 feet and I am gonna install automatic trim tabs, which are quite inexpensive (US$110) and looks the results are much better.
It's interesting that reduced fuel consumption is an advertised feature. I guess it needs to lift the stern out of the water high enough to offset the extra drag it must certainly cause. If it makes the boat wet in rough weather it's definitely coming off! Trim tabs I only tend to see on bigger boats but are certainly a good way to go.
Hi RichE, I have done an extensive research and arrived to the conclusion that in my case (Proline 20 feet, Mercury 150HP) the best tabs I can get is the Nauticus SX9510-80 Smart Tab SX Series Trim Tabs, which is sold at Amazon for US$112+10 shipping and handling. You have to take in count the size and power of your boat to choose the model of the trim tabs, because the actuator (shock absorber which make athe tab movement) depend on these variables. If you have a smaller boat, need an actuator "weaker" and if the boat is bigger and more powerfull, the actuators need to be more stronger to resist the water stream. The Nauticus model I ordered has 90% approval with 4 or 5 stars, which indicates is pretty effective and good quality, I hope. Take a look of their web site to select the model for your particular boat.
I've always used one fin on my three small boats - that did not have power trim. Now I have new boat with motorized trim. I would rather have the fin on and forget about it!!! 🤔 I will go out and see! 🙂
Might not be as dramatic on other boat styles, but on my flat bottom Carolina Skiff with a 90 hp Honda, with the hydrofoil and running at the same rpms, I can raise the bow, get more of the hull surface out of the water, and definitely see a noticeable increase in speed... while running at the same rpms. Also increases my top speed by approx 4 to 5 mph. Just sayin...
@@caycewest4081 Sorry for the late reply I rarely even look at my personal email account anymore. Anyway, there might better ones out there but I've had three engines on my Carolina Skiff and have always used the String Ray Classic. If you haven't already, I'd say buy one and try it!
HI Stu - I have a more compact hydrofoil, kind of looks like a stealth bomber, on a 1993 17' grumman 1784 - 70 hp evinrude. The main things I noted is that the bow doesn't rise as much when trying to get on plane, but whether its quicker is debatable. It also seems to run quieter, no porpoising, and lastly, it gives you a step to put your foot on if you are trying to get back in the boat from the stern (also acts as a bumper like you mentioned to some degree).
Ah, that is true about using it to climb back into the boat when you are swimming. I used to do that all the time when I have had one in the past, I had forgotten about that.
Many years ago we picked up a recon' 40HP Ex RNLI Mariner for our club dive boat - The engine came fitted with a Doel-fin as had been trialed by the RNLI. Usual story for a club boat back then, Under powered / overloaded ...but we found a dramatic improvement over the old 40 getting the RIB on the plain.
No boat should be without one. Had one on a 14ft tinny with a 40hp Evinrude 2stroke and apart from helping planing it stopped porpoising and made the boat more stable going across seas. Put it on after one terrifying day out with esky and water bottles gravitating backwards as the bow pointed skyward so I can't comment on fuel economy. I think it was a SP Sport 200. They have a 300 model for bigger hp.
I have a bayliner 2150, yes I know, very old.....1987.... I've owned the boat for 30 years. omc cobra with a 305 cu chevy engine. The problem was getting on plane fast enough to be able to pull a skier. I put on longer trim tabs before I installed the hydrofoil, they helped with on plane control. I found that the stingray really made the boat get up on plane faster. I installed this hydrofoil myself personally. I found that I could now accelerate fast enough to pull a skier up behind this boat without them having to drink a good portion of the lake. Did it take top speed off? Yes, perhaps 2-3 mph but I rarely run out at top speed due to passenger comfort. For my boat it is a great product that makes it perform much better.
Hey Roy, nothing wrong with old boats, they are often better made than many new ones. More and more it seems that hydrofoils are best suited to boats with problems getting up on the plane and that when installed they really do help with that problem. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Another benefit I've noticed with my hydro foil, is that it cuts down the turbulence from the prop which was messing up the signal from my fish finder's transducer. Without the hydro foil, I get no image when trolling.
The bolt pattern is different as mine was a no hole version but the failure was in the material itself. I believe even the non dynamic tabs are a better choice if funds are limited. I have been running hydraulic tabs on a great variety of boats since the late sixties. PS On your review of new motors a distinct advantage goes to those with hydraulic tappets (Yamaha for one). Honda and Suzuki require a shop adjustment on the valve lash every hundred hours I believe which as a dealer requirement for warranty gets very expensive. Take care. Doug
Good point about the hydraulic lifters being pretty much maintenance free. Suzuki push something similar with using a timing chain over a timing belt, but I think the lifters are a much bigger issue than changing a belt every five years or so.
I have a 14 foot tin boat... 6 gallon fuel tank in the back + a full size battery in the back and one lardass tiller operator:-)!! When I hit the throttle it looks like a P-51 Mustang on the runway. I have to slide on the rear bench from one side to the other to look around the bow to see where I'm going.... 3-50 lb bags of sand in the bow and she is good to go. My gas mileage seem to improve because the ride is so much smoother all around. And if this boat ever pisses me off again it's going to be really easy to sink her with the extra weight in bow.. lol j/k I love my tin boat and I've had some pretty expensive boats in my lifetime. Thanks for another great and honest opinion video Stu.
Kennnny77 thanks. Working on getting the tank, the battery and some additional storage up there... Just can't seem to take a break from fishing long enough to get it done..lol One of these days I'd like to convert the two front sections to storage under a nice carpeted fishing platform :-)
Mr. FatBasstard If u read the comments I have the same problem lol. So I got one it works well for me and carry a can of fuel 2/3 of the way up the boat of a esky.
A simple jar with a pingpong ball in it placed on you dash can help measure effectiveness. Mark with & without with your different tests & that should help you out...
I’ve used one of those on two different boats. First was a 19ft bass boat with a 200hp mercury outboard. It made a massive difference in bow rise. Cruising below 18mph and keeping the bow down wasn’t possible until I put the fin on. Second boat was an 18ft I/O with a mercruiser 4.3 v6. It had too much bow rise and proper visibility couldn’t be maintained when pulling someone on a tube at safe speeds. I’ve seen too many kids get hurt because some idiot was pulling them on a tube going 35, 45, or even 50 mph. That boat just didn’t have the power to get the bow down at 15 mph when full of people. That’s why we have a v-drive now😊.
Hmm I had hydrofoils on my 70hp Evinrude since I bought it. I had to take them off to do some lower unit work in the offseason and was thinking about testing the boat without them and seeing if I notice a difference. I don't have power tilt/trim so planing performance is hit or miss, to say the least. I also put a new prop on, the old one was in really really bad shape so we'll see how that goes as well.
I had some on my Johnson 48spl with my 16’ vhull. It planes out very well, but I have a ugly listing issue when turning on plane and constant low speed bow steer. Planning to remove the hydrofoil and installing Bennet SLT6 trim tabs.
I enjoyed your video , spot on with the info you provided. The hydrofoil seems to help the smaller engine craft or the over weight under powered boats. Your high performance high horse power craft usually looses performance or find no benefit at all. I subscribed to your channel , Thanks , All the way from East Tennessee USA ,
Hi Tom. Yes, they really can work wonders for some boats and make others worse. It seems really hard to predict the result until you try. Thanks for subscribing! :)
Good stuff , put one on my 130 2 stroke, the 1st thing I noticed was it was alot quieter, it planed up quicker and the 23 ft boat was easier to steer. Fuel ?? idk, but its staying on Thanks Dangar, from southern Calif.
I had a stingray starfire at my 5m long aluminium boat with Suzuki DF50 outboard. Did not benefit at all. Top speed dropped 2 kmh. The outboard has installed pretty deep but it is suitable for my boat because the back bottom is pretty shallow.
At low speeds it saved me a lot of fuel , as my 20' boat will stay on a plane at 8 mph where as before it was pushing water till about 15 mph before it planed .
The morning water was calm. Afternoon was choppy. That is likely why on turns it was oscillating between ventilation and not. Hard to compare without equal sea states.
Hi. I’m gonna be “that guy,” but I mean it to be helpful. Section 84.03[d) of the COLREGS state that your all-round white light has to be at least a meter higher than your sidelights. Just helping you not get a citation.
No worries Jeff, I do appreciate your honest attempt to be helpful, it's always good to hear from someone who is both polite and knows their stuff. What is weird for us is that there is an unusual "commuter zone" exemption for the regular lights in our local area. Look for "NSW special Rule" on this page. legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/2011-10-01/sl-2009-0109
How about making the green machine into a full hydrofoil boat by adding some foils up front?! That would lift the bow right out of the water completely raising top speed, lowering fuel use and improving 'ride' comfort while on the plane. Not to mention that it would look ubercool!
Lmfao that would have been funny to see. He sold the green machine awhile back and bought a small inflatable with a small outboard to get back a forth from his larger steel boat.
I've used a few now over the years, rec and commercial. I have my ideas about brands as I found some basictypes not so good compared to some more shaped types. I am also impressed with the latest drop side aluminium models that function as a step (engine off!) and extend out back more than out to the sides (still protects the prop against piles). Turn sharper than anything else I've ever tried. All of the models I have found best are the type that direct water using moldings or drop edges and have most of their shape behind the prop not out the side like wings. I suspect the action against the prop wash is far more powerful than relaying on drag. Biggest advantage I found is the ability to maintain a planing attitude in marginal and storm conditions, rather than finding the bow either pointing at the sky when trying to get back onto a semi plane or shooting forward way too fast for the conditions it is a great help the have the hull attitude so controllable. If the outboard is too high the advantages are less - the leg should have the cavplate at least 30mm below the bottom of the hull, sometimes 50mm is better for cornering authority. Most people have their rigs set too high in my experience, thinking that making the cav plate level with the hull is correct - that confusion creates many of the strange reactions and funny handling issues happen in the first place, particularly when dropping an extended cav plate on... Shark and Noosa cats have flat plates fitted to encourage planing and to avoid water spouting up and drowning the motors...
@Boat Beard Which brand model do you like? I got a 1995 115 merc. I'm trying to get maximum speed control, in the slower speed range. In other words, i want to be able to tow a surfer foilboarder going slowly 10-16 MPH. And also at times be able to make bigger wakes, noise up tilt...
Certain expression certainly get used with miles. eg. "won by miles" rather than "won by kilometres" With the above, phrases like "better fuel economy" are probably more common though, particularly in official documents.
I have a Lund 14 SSV with a 25 hp Yamaha tiller, no electric trim. ☹️. Without a foil, it was almost dangerous in a wind. With just me in the boat, the bow went way up. I tried every pin hole. I put on a foil, SE brand, and it made a big difference. Up on plane no problem. It will porpoise sometimes with the right conditions, wind or wave action. Way cheaper than installing an aftermarket tilt and trim. Maybe someday I’ll buy a new outboard with T&T. Until then, all is o.k. Nice doggie!
I've got a 11ft dinghy, granted oversized engine, but I wanted it to plane out. So with out this it would stand almost straight up, id have to move forward yo get the bow down. And then once planed out it felt very unstable, after adding this it plans out immediately and is much more stable.
I had one on a 40 horse, I was afraid it was dragging all the time, so I trimmed the "cup" off the trailing edge and cut 35MM (1 1/2 in) off each wing tip. It still got the boat on-plane level and seemed to go faster. On yours I would try hogging out the plastic enough to slide it forward an inch. Also visually check the hull lines and see if it's dragging. You can do a speedo test on your phone.
The greatest asset of the Stingray Hydro are the things most boaters seem always to ignore..... The stabilizer tabs that attach to the underside of the foil. the Stingray is almost useless without them.
Nice to make your acquaintance first Mate Eddie !!!.... Stu; I was wondering his name for a while. Now I know. Thank you for another repair / install video, Mate.
I installed one on a 115hp, it's amazing for skiing, the wake/wash is minimal, however it's bad for tubing, you can't turn as sharp to give the tube rider a few swings. Also no wake/wash for the Wakeboard, so it's a bit 50/50, taking it on and off all the time isn't practical
Stringrays are awesome. Improve the performance and handling of your boat by about 15 - 20%. When I see a stern leg without a hydrofoil of some kind on it, I give face like Mr Bean.
Did not work as well on my runabout with 40HP Johnson. While it does in fact planes quicker there is a noticeable loss in speed, For that reason I removed it. May work better with larger engines. Enjoy the channel.
I have a 1982 90hp Johnson it slowed my top speed down a bit for sure. It also made the ride more stable. That engine hauls so it was able to keep up with the extra drag.
Eddy, I think believes he is the Skipper. LOL My dog does. Plus he adds to your vids because whats a boat w/o a dog (seadog). Ciao Victoria, BC, Canada
Tried one on my 17 'Bass Boat (padded V haul) with a 140HP Johnson 2 stroke. I hoped the hydrofoil would correct a Hole Shot problem bur it had no affect, no change getting it up out of the hole, but It did stop mid speed porpoising. Then I put a Four Bladed Prop on and the boat. Now it jumps out of the hole immediately. The transom also rides higher then before and the bow lifts more which helps to get the haul up on the pad which is a spot on the keel near the transom. Also increased the top speed reaching 62MPH. Four Blade prop has a slightly smaller hub that allows the exhaust to divert over the hub, as well as through the hub. This causes mild cavitation resulting to engine RPMs increased. With the standard 3 blade prop the engine RPMs were being held back due to lack of cavitation reducing the HP to about 40HPat 2000Rpm which was not enough to get the boat to plan. The cavitation caused by the exhaust on the out side of the hub allows RPM to reach 6000 RPM developing 140HP more thrust and a hugh improvement in performance. The Hydrofoil I have has the wings angled slightly up wards to get it above the cavataion plate and out of the water when boats on plane, reducing drag.
60hp Merc on 16' StarCraft DC. The boat weighs just under 1100#. Better stability in the water, and coming about at speed. 50% quicker planing. Smoother and more predictable on plane. Totally eliminates porpoiseing Great for smaller, light craft like mine. Dramatically better.
There are at least six different brands of these contraptions I've seen; all just a tad different to avoid any 'patent' infringement of another manufacturer. If they really were effective outboard and I/O manufacturers would build it into the design of their lower units. Marine dealers charge around $60 to $100 for these things. I sell them used for $15 and since they don't "wear out" excluding obvious and substantial damage, you'd be an idiot to buy them new. Check out an outboard dealer or marine salvage operation; they probably have piles of these taken off dead motors.
I agree that if they were a good base option they would be on outboards by default. I'm firmly of the opinion that they are only (potentially) of any use if the boat setup has a problem that can't be solved by any other means.
I have the same foil before hand in my 420 renagade it would be about 24 to 26 km before I got a planning wave. But now it's about 16 km so heaps safer when it gets really choppy in the bay.
One thing mates....from much experience with these things...most of these are installed wrong especially the doel fin which should be directly above the propellor not six inches behind it...but the design on many doesnt allow proper cav plate location so a two piece fin set is the best way to go. the purpose of the fin is two fold ...eliminate bow rise and trap propellor thrust in the area where it is the most effective ....around the propellor. cheers
Every marine mechanic/technician ive ever talked to about this says if you need one of those your propped wrong and they create more drag than you can imagine.
well,if you have a bow rise it helps,i used it on yamaha 50 hp and 4 m long speed boat,i couldnt drive at 5,7,9, knots of speed with out it,it was digging a lot of sea,so i was able to go 3,4 knots or 20 knots,later with use of it i was able to digg less sea and go at 6,9, and other speeds
That does make sense. Many boat will sit flat at very low speed when the hull is in a displacement mode and then okay again when fully up on the plan, but there are plenty of times when you want to travel at something in between.
I'm aware this video isn't new but, I've heard that if for some reason one of the hydrofoils were to break off the boat can go into a death spin.. not sure how true this is but I can kind of see the concern.
It's interesting to see that you don't seem to see how it really improves the boat . So from very small experiment I see the potential in this and a first step to understanding whats going on .
We used to operate a 20' boat in a natural harbour. The speed limit in the the summer was 10 knots. At this speed we were pushing water and not on the plane. We added a set of Doel Fins and hey presto, the boat was level and the ride so much more comfortable. To be fair, it made little difference to the top speed but getting onto the plane was much easier. I recommend.
I installed one of these on my 2004 Dodge Minivan. It rides much smoother and gets better gas mileage now.
Bahaha! Thats great!
I put one on my cat. He couldn't swim with it on so......
@@markspahr242 hilarious. I need video!
Well, nothin’ says good gas mileage like a POS sittin in a driveway with four flat tires….
Looks better too
For what it’s worth, we put one on my son’s 14’ (very light) fishing boat with 15hp w/o any kind of power trim installed. He found that he would porpoise significantly when riding alone at WOT no matter what we did with the trim. Putting a hydrofoil on completely eliminated this. One could argue that he also could have just boated a little slower…we tried that approach first, we got nowhere…
The motor might be mounted too low, but I think every small boat should have one of these fins, they're great.
I have to say, since I found you 6 months ago, I've learned so much, Thank you for taking the time to make such high quality and well read videos to help all us backyard mechanics! You are an amazing mechanic, very talented and educated. -John from Boston, MA.
Thanks John, glad you've been enjoying the vids. :)
remember to paint the holes or protect with grease etc,the stainless bolts touching untreated ally will create static and result in corrosion of the gearbox/paint flaking. Captain John
Corrosion would not be good!
Good tip
I always wanted a clear and honest evaluation of a hydrofoil. Thank You!
I've used the drill thru (Stingray) hydrofoils on two different boats (19' Tri-Hull & 18' Bass Boat) and without question the change was dramatic and boat performance (acceleration, bow rise, handling) was improved. Enjoy and I *highly* recommend these to anyone on the fence about it. Cheers and very nice video.
I've installed one of these on 2 different boats and the difference was astounding!
I'm gonna make mine outta fiberglass and use a stainless sewing braided steel cable welded together to keep everything intact.
I agree, i helped out when I pull a tube also!
My boat had a problem where it struggled to get on plane. If I had anyone else with me in the boat the would have to jump on the bow to get it going. The hydrofoil helped with it IMMENSELY. I couldn’t believe how a $40 piece of plastic could help so much.
Its pretty cool eh! helped my boat out forsure!
I had a Stingray Classic for years, all good. After 35 years of good service I replaced it with a new one. Before I had time to get my boat back on the water the right wing just fell off while siting on the hard stand. It was replaced under warranty with no worries but then the same thing happened again on the left side. The fault looks like a stress crack had developed from bubbles in the plastic molding. I'm yet to try the new SEsport hydrofoil which has the same bolt pattern. The old saying they don't make them like they used too rings true in this case. Cheers
Hello again and thanks for the immediate reply , rarely I get a response from comments I post . That tells me you are dedicated to what your doing here on youtube. Thanks again for the reply. Tom
You're welcome Tom. :)
Tennessee Tom UA-cam is a community and it’s nice to get feedback! 👍
Its always refreshing to see real people who really care about what they do!
Love it! "YMMV if you install one." Basically saying it won't fix a problem you don't have.
I do have a boat that seems to ventilate easily. Especially if a bit of chop or it's trimmed up just a bit.
I had cavitation and trim problems with my boat.changed to a stainless propeller.what a difference it solved the issues big time
Wow stainless propeller! Is there a brand you recommend?
In my opinion, a hydrofoil is an under-rated amazing improvement to boat performance. We ran a 16 foot and 18 foot jon boat at my work. The 16 had a 25 hp, no hydrofoil, and the 18 ran a 50 hp with the hydrofoil. The first thing you notice is the lift of the rear end as you throttle up to get on plane. The bow barely rises as you plane out. Some boats have extremely obnoxious bow rise when first trying to get on plane, to the point you actually loose vision of what is in front of the boat for a few seconds. This does not happen with the hydrofoil attached. Another amazing thing is that once you get on plane, you can actually back off the throttle some and stay on plane at much lower speeds. I guess some boats have porpoising issues, but that can usually be corrected, or at least reduced, by changing the trim on the motor and/or shifting some of your boat cargo to get more weight up in the bow. Mounting your electric trolling motor battery toward the front of the boat can help with this, ice chest, etc.
Exactly why I'm fitting a hydrofoil for next season. My semi-planing dory is just too bow up and never really settles down at speed.
@@BritishBeachcomber I just bought a new 20 hp outboard this summer. I put a hydrofoil on it immediately. Comes up on plane very quickly and easy with very little bow rise. For the money, they are a no brainer.
Spot on conclusion....Matches my experience. I had one boat that porpoise and the StingRay solved it! Had another boat with no issues and StingRay was no help whatsoever. Mainly a problem solving tool. Enjoyed Ed the dog. 😁
I guess it depends on the boat eh?
I run my 30 Horse Mariner hot on the transom on my j16 Carolina Skiff I have the stingray on it so I do not get cavitation and it helps my speed give me about 3 to 4 miles per hour
I have an Evinrude 88 SPL on a fairly shallow V 16' fiberglass boat with an open bow. The lower unit didn't have a hydrofoil and my problem was with porpoising while on plane and it took extremely little chop in the water to cause this. When I installed one I could keep the motor trimmed down if it began to porpoise and it really did lock the bow down to the water for much improved ride and once I locked the bow down I could trim it back up gradually to find the sweet spot between comfort and efficiency.
I think you just solved a big issue for us. We have a 4.3m tinnie that had a 30HP 2 stroke Yamaha on it and we changed to a 40HP four stroke Yamaha. When taking off it almost inverts itself with the nose riding up really high unless you remember to trim it full down. We have a hydrofoil but did not fit it to the new motor, (first time we have taken the boat out with thenew motor) but we will for sure do that to hopefully stop the super high nose which is nerve wracking when starting. Thanks for a great channel.
One advantage that doesn't get much mention, is that your boat will stay on the plane at a much lower speed - I used to be a safety boat on the Red Cross Murray River Canoe Marathon, where we were running in water with a few snags, and the slower planing speed (where the hull rides higher in the water), meant that you hit less hidden snags, and if you did hit, it was at a lower speed.
I found that too, boat would plane around 3000 to 3200 RPM. After I fitted hydrofoil it started planing at 2500 RPM and I could slow it down to 2300 RPM once on the plane and keep it there
I put a Dolphin wing on my Johnson 70 hp and it was the best thing I had done for my boat. Faster planing and it kept me planing in chop at slow speeds. Better tracking on turns. I loved it. Thanks for the great video. Keep up the good work. From Bakersfield California.
Thanks mate, glad to hear a variety of experiences with these foils.
A
I agree! Same on my 90 Johnson!
I'll be keeping track of this video as the boat and motor I'm working on will not be ready for the water until next spring and we will then see if it will be necessary to install one of these hydrofoils, once again an excellent video
Let me know if you had to install one?
2150 ciera sunbrige with a 5.0L. Had a problem getting up on plane, especially when towing a skier. It took so long to get up on plane that I was drowning the skier. This model solved this problem. It does take off the top speed but for water skiing it made the boat jump on plane twice as fast making water skiing a much pleasant experience. I skied behind the boat with and without the hydrofoil, really makes a difference for the skier. I also noticed during rough weather that it seems to help control the bow bouncing repeatidly.
On small RIB’s (310’s and up) I’ve used foils and tabs to get rid of excessive bow rise when transitioning onto plane. By far the the best thing I’ve ever used are “Smart Tabs”. They are like trim tabs with a damper on it. When slow they are down and as you accelerate they slowly move up at a metered rate until you are on plane where they are held up by the force of the water. They have very little down force but only move up at a given rate. The advantage is no drag of a foil in the water stream. Great if you only pin adjustment and no power trim. Also nice not having to play with the trim each time you start off and wear it out.
Stingrays really do work and what I did to mine is narrowed it down 2.5 inches from each side ( due to ice breaking one side off a couple inches.) And it works a lot better I say. Better turns and you still get the bow up no problem. Keeps your motor in the water better too in the chops
Sound like you got the perfect result. :)
Once you get on plane, you can actually stay on plane at lower speeds with the hydrofoil. Good to check the bolts occasionally. They seem to work loose over time. Thanks for posting.
CurtDawg loctite is your friend...
Biggest benefit I found was easier motoring through big wash behind big sport cruisers. It would hold its line easier and not flop about at slow speed.
I agree!
It really helped my 16 foot boat get on a plane much faster and stay on plane at slower speeds.
I have a 16" v hull and the 30 hp yamaha cannot get it to plane just porpoises! It might be a bit underpowered too. Wonder if this gizmo will help?
I have a Stingray senior hydrofoil on my Vanguard Banshee MK 2 sports boat with a 90 HP Johnson. The performance is great, super fast! My engine can lift the boat right up to plane with ease!
BANSHEEBOATN’ BABY!!!
I have an 8 horsepower Johnson outboard on a 12 ft rowboat and a hydrofoil definitely makes a difference. Even when the boat is moving at slower speeds, the hydrofoil keeps the bow of the boat down.
WOW random UA-cam suggestion after 4 years thanks but already seen it :P stew is a great guy
It's the weird the things it flashes up for no apparent reason!
Hi my 17 Smartliner with a 60 Mariner 4 stroke came with these fitted. difficult to contole at low speed in marina . dangerouse when a big cruiser wake hite . Fell off the plane at 15 0r so knotts. Took advice and removed them . put 2 bags of sand in the bow locker under £5. Now contoles well in the Marina . Quicker with 5500 on the rev counter as opposed to 5000 . Super reponsive at lower plaining speed and lee expensive in fuel . And turns better at speed .
Great video thankyou.
New to this all I bought a used boat when I retired , 3 months ago . My boat is a 14'5 vee hull . Took it out last week . got to plane 1 time after that it just pushed with the bow 3 feet high....got the product you showed in the video , had to saw 2 inches of it to mount and am ready to try it out in 2 days...Again I am new to this Hoping this will solve a problem . Only got another week till my fishing license runs out ,and the State of Ohio says I am done fishing in their state due to corona virus….
Sounds like your motor is trimmed up to far and/or you have too much weight in the back of the boat.
I added a hydro on my mercury 60hp with a 16 foot tracker. Wow what a difference night and day.
Great tool to help out a under powered boat
What changes did you notice.....thx
Massive hole shot increase as the boat stays flat and does not plow water for 200feet to get on plain.
Top speed went up by about 1 mph and it stays on plain at lower speeds.
And when getting in the boat from swimming we now have a nice place to put your foot on to get in the boat
@@tittan1500 the pgv16?
Milk Man yes
Milk Man 2012 with the 60 4 stroke
The hydrofoil(Dolphin)l improves all aspects of driving my boat. The bow starts coming down immediately upon acceleration which is great when pulling skiers. It gets a better and smoother plane when trimmed out. And it's great at handling turns! No negetives coming from me.
Some boats definitely benefit hugely from hydrofoils, some it makes worse!
Same! I agree 100%
I have a 1998 Campion 627, 20 footer with a 28" bracket outboard set up. 200 hp outboard. I was interested in raising my minimum planing speed to better cut through rough water(by keeping the bow down). I first tried a Stingray SE 200 and found it made a bit of difference, but, not that much. Then, I ran into a guy with a 23' Trophy, who had just gone thru the same process, and consequently upgraded to the Stingray XR111. He indicated a much better enhancement with this foil. Consequently, I did the same thing, switching it up to an XR111. My boat does come on plane a bit faster now, than with the SE 200. The result I like the best, I can hold my boat on plane at 13-14 mph, now, giving me a faster, more comfortable, speed thru the water when running in bad conditions(something I frequently have to do). I did lose a couple, three mph off the top end. Fuel economy doesn't seem to have been harmed, possibly a bit better. For my goals, the XR111 did the job pretty good.
Hey Jim, interesting to hear your results. Travelling at a modest speed through choppy water is something I do often too so I'm hoping it helps me in the same way. I haven't done a top speed run yet, I should have done that for the video, but I'll be interested to see the effect it has had there.
You Sir,Have Saved me so many Times and helped Me Fix my motors and Boats,A Huge Thank You,I have a new Addiction,Tin(Aluminum) Boats,and Thanks
Glad the videos have helped you. Have fun with your tin boats! :)
When I had my 16 foot CC OMC Neptune it had a Johnson 70 Sea Horse on it. I installed a Dolphin foil on the lower and the handling difference was so noticeable . It would plane my boat out much faster.
They can definitely improve some boats handling hugely.
The Doel Fin is supposed to be on top of the propeller not at end of trim tab. The force of the prop and water pushes the fin up increasing its effect. Behind the prop buries it and costs top end.
@@solarfry The way I installed it is the way I see them on the paperwork that came with it. It made my boat perform way better and I didn't lose any speed. But what I did gain is no more long wait time to plane. I could plane at slower speed and no more proposing. My boat ran like it was on tracks.
@@solarfry I also went from a three blade aluminum props to a composite 4 blade and my hole shot was improved to about double the speed.
I have on on my Banshee 90 hp Johnson, performance is fantastic!
Because of you & your videos gave us full confidence to work on our own outboard motor and you save us lots & lots of money thankyou!!! Please keep up the good work helping us new boaters out. Eddy cute too! Thanks!
Thanks! Glad the vids are helping you. :)
Working on your own outboard motor is very rewarding as-well as saves you money!
Thanks for your expert opinion. My experience is quite similar. I installed same product you are testing in my Bayliner 180 bow-rider and just minimized the lift of the bow, but made the boat very "wet" in non-flat waters (bays, ocean) or when it was choppy. Also I noted more difficult turn-driving, less final speed and more gasoline consumption. I took it back to the vendor. Now I own a Proline 20 feet and I am gonna install automatic trim tabs, which are quite inexpensive (US$110) and looks the results are much better.
Florencio Fontecilla Trim tabs are the best of both worlds!
Venomous villain Thank you, I am on my way to buy and install them...
It's interesting that reduced fuel consumption is an advertised feature. I guess it needs to lift the stern out of the water high enough to offset the extra drag it must certainly cause. If it makes the boat wet in rough weather it's definitely coming off! Trim tabs I only tend to see on bigger boats but are certainly a good way to go.
What brand/model automatic trim tabs and where are you buying them from? Thanks.
RichE
Hi RichE, I have done an extensive research and arrived to the conclusion that in my case (Proline 20 feet, Mercury 150HP) the best tabs I can get is the Nauticus SX9510-80 Smart Tab SX Series Trim Tabs, which is sold at Amazon for US$112+10 shipping and handling. You have to take in count the size and power of your boat to choose the model of the trim tabs, because the actuator (shock absorber which make athe tab movement) depend on these variables. If you have a smaller boat, need an actuator "weaker" and if the boat is bigger and more powerfull, the actuators need to be more stronger to resist the water stream. The Nauticus model I ordered has 90% approval with 4 or 5 stars, which indicates is pretty effective and good quality, I hope. Take a look of their web site to select the model for your particular boat.
The Stingray Classic is a true hydrofoil. The other designs are anti cavitation devices and do nothing to lift the stern up on plane.
I've always used one fin on my three small boats - that did not have power trim.
Now I have new boat with motorized trim. I would rather have the fin on and forget about it!!! 🤔
I will go out and see! 🙂
Great vid mate. Just got my first boat. Been driving boats for years, but never my own. Now to learn all the technical stuff! :)
Have fun!
@@DangarMarine will do mate. Are you up around Parsley Bay? Couldn't tell from the vid :)
Might not be as dramatic on other boat styles, but on my flat bottom Carolina Skiff with a 90 hp Honda, with the hydrofoil and running at the same rpms, I can raise the bow, get more of the hull surface out of the water, and definitely see a noticeable increase in speed... while running at the same rpms. Also increases my top speed by approx 4 to 5 mph. Just sayin...
Syd Quinn I love doing bunny hops in my Banshee and get the front end right up!
Thanks for the information. Was looking to add a foil to Carolina Skiff Flat bottom. Any particular brand u recommend? Ty
@@caycewest4081 Sorry for the late reply I rarely even look at my personal email account anymore. Anyway, there might better ones out there but I've had three engines on my Carolina Skiff and have always used the String Ray Classic. If you haven't already, I'd say buy one and try it!
HI Stu - I have a more compact hydrofoil, kind of looks like a stealth bomber, on a 1993 17' grumman 1784 - 70 hp evinrude. The main things I noted is that the bow doesn't rise as much when trying to get on plane, but whether its quicker is debatable. It also seems to run quieter, no porpoising, and lastly, it gives you a step to put your foot on if you are trying to get back in the boat from the stern (also acts as a bumper like you mentioned to some degree).
Ah, that is true about using it to climb back into the boat when you are swimming. I used to do that all the time when I have had one in the past, I had forgotten about that.
Many years ago we picked up a recon' 40HP Ex RNLI Mariner for our club dive boat - The engine came fitted with a Doel-fin as had been trialed by the RNLI. Usual story for a club boat back then, Under powered / overloaded ...but we found a dramatic improvement over the old 40 getting the RIB on the plain.
No boat should be without one. Had one on a 14ft tinny with a 40hp Evinrude 2stroke and apart from helping planing it stopped porpoising and made the boat more stable going across seas. Put it on after one terrifying day out with esky and water bottles gravitating backwards as the bow pointed skyward so I can't comment on fuel economy. I think it was a SP Sport 200. They have a 300 model for bigger hp.
I have a bayliner 2150, yes I know, very old.....1987.... I've owned the boat for 30 years. omc cobra with a 305 cu chevy engine. The problem was getting on plane fast enough to be able to pull a skier. I put on longer trim tabs before I installed the hydrofoil, they helped with on plane control. I found that the stingray really made the boat get up on plane faster. I installed this hydrofoil myself personally. I found that I could now accelerate fast enough to pull a skier up behind this boat without them having to drink a good portion of the lake. Did it take top speed off? Yes, perhaps 2-3 mph but I rarely run out at top speed due to passenger comfort. For my boat it is a great product that makes it perform much better.
Hey Roy, nothing wrong with old boats, they are often better made than many new ones. More and more it seems that hydrofoils are best suited to boats with problems getting up on the plane and that when installed they really do help with that problem. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Another benefit I've noticed with my hydro foil, is that it cuts down the turbulence from the prop which was messing up the signal from my fish finder's transducer. Without the hydro foil, I get no image when trolling.
The bolt pattern is different as mine was a no hole version but the failure was in the material itself. I believe even the non dynamic tabs are a better choice if funds are limited. I have been running hydraulic tabs on a great variety of boats since the late sixties. PS On your review of new motors a distinct advantage goes to those with hydraulic tappets (Yamaha for one). Honda and Suzuki require a shop adjustment on the valve lash every hundred hours I believe which as a dealer requirement for warranty gets very expensive. Take care. Doug
Good point about the hydraulic lifters being pretty much maintenance free. Suzuki push something similar with using a timing chain over a timing belt, but I think the lifters are a much bigger issue than changing a belt every five years or so.
I have a 14 foot tin boat... 6 gallon fuel tank in the back + a full size battery in the back and one lardass tiller operator:-)!! When I hit the throttle it looks like a P-51 Mustang on the runway. I have to slide on the rear bench from one side to the other to look around the bow to see where I'm going....
3-50 lb bags of sand in the bow and she is good to go. My gas mileage seem to improve because the ride is so much smoother all around.
And if this boat ever pisses me off again it's going to be really easy to sink her with the extra weight in bow.. lol
j/k I love my tin boat and I've had some pretty expensive boats in my lifetime.
Thanks for another great and honest opinion video Stu.
Small boats often need ballast. A hundred lbs in the bow can make a world of difference.
You should put the gas tank and battery up at the bow.
Kennnny77 thanks. Working on getting the tank, the battery and some additional storage up there... Just can't seem to take a break from fishing long enough to get it done..lol One of these days I'd like to convert the two front sections to storage under a nice carpeted fishing platform :-)
Mr. FatBasstard
If u read the comments I have the same problem lol. So I got one it works well for me and carry a can of fuel 2/3 of the way up the boat of a esky.
BAJATWIN that's great and thanks for the tip too... :-)
Even on little 10hp motors & flat bottom boats these plates make a world of difference.
A simple jar with a pingpong ball in it placed on you dash can help measure effectiveness. Mark with & without with your different tests & that should help you out...
To get on plane?
Always the best, and the most clear to understand!!!! Grettings form Buenos Aires; Argentina!
Thank you Diego!
Hows the weather in Argentina?
I’ve used one of those on two different boats. First was a 19ft bass boat with a 200hp mercury outboard. It made a massive difference in bow rise. Cruising below 18mph and keeping the bow down wasn’t possible until I put the fin on. Second boat was an 18ft I/O with a mercruiser 4.3 v6. It had too much bow rise and proper visibility couldn’t be maintained when pulling someone on a tube at safe speeds. I’ve seen too many kids get hurt because some idiot was pulling them on a tube going 35, 45, or even 50 mph. That boat just didn’t have the power to get the bow down at 15 mph when full of people. That’s why we have a v-drive now😊.
Tubing is so much fun, but also dangerous!
Hmm I had hydrofoils on my 70hp Evinrude since I bought it. I had to take them off to do some lower unit work in the offseason and was thinking about testing the boat without them and seeing if I notice a difference. I don't have power tilt/trim so planing performance is hit or miss, to say the least. I also put a new prop on, the old one was in really really bad shape so we'll see how that goes as well.
I had some on my Johnson 48spl with my 16’ vhull. It planes out very well, but I have a ugly listing issue when turning on plane and constant low speed bow steer. Planning to remove the hydrofoil and installing Bennet SLT6 trim tabs.
I might help. Does your motor sit on the pins at a standard height for trim?
An honest man. Stay good bud.
Thanks Bryan. :)
I enjoyed your video , spot on with the info you provided. The hydrofoil seems to help the smaller engine craft or the over weight under powered boats. Your high performance high horse power craft usually looses performance or find no benefit at all. I subscribed to your channel , Thanks , All the way from East Tennessee USA ,
Hi Tom. Yes, they really can work wonders for some boats and make others worse. It seems really hard to predict the result until you try. Thanks for subscribing! :)
Yes it really depends on what type of boat you have. All different boats have different results!
Good stuff , put one on my 130 2 stroke, the 1st thing I noticed was it was alot quieter, it planed up quicker and the 23 ft boat was easier to steer. Fuel ?? idk, but its staying on
Thanks Dangar, from southern Calif.
Thank mate, great to hear that the hydroil has really worked out for you.
Dove si acquista la pinna
I swear these are hated but it kept our Sea Ray 180 BR outboard from ventilation during a hard turn. No air and over rev, just smooth torque
I had a stingray starfire at my 5m long aluminium boat with Suzuki DF50 outboard. Did not benefit at all. Top speed dropped 2 kmh. The outboard has installed pretty deep but it is suitable for my boat because the back bottom is pretty shallow.
At low speeds it saved me a lot of fuel , as my 20' boat will stay on a plane at 8 mph where as before it was pushing water till about 15 mph before it planed .
Interesting. It goes to show that for every boat they do help, there is one they don't. Glad it worked for you though!
The morning water was calm. Afternoon was choppy. That is likely why on turns it was oscillating between ventilation and not. Hard to compare without equal sea states.
You just never know.
Hi. I’m gonna be “that guy,” but I mean it to be helpful.
Section 84.03[d) of the COLREGS state that your all-round white light has to be at least a meter higher than your sidelights. Just helping you not get a citation.
No worries Jeff, I do appreciate your honest attempt to be helpful, it's always good to hear from someone who is both polite and knows their stuff. What is weird for us is that there is an unusual "commuter zone" exemption for the regular lights in our local area. Look for "NSW special Rule" on this page. legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/2011-10-01/sl-2009-0109
Great video Stu! And Eddy should be in more of you're videos😁
Thanks Jim! I told him he's only allowed to be in another video after he grows some fur back and starts to look like a dog again. ;)
what a lovely dog
He has his days. ;)
How about making the green machine into a full hydrofoil boat by adding some foils up front?!
That would lift the bow right out of the water completely raising top speed, lowering fuel use and improving 'ride' comfort while on the plane. Not to mention that it would look ubercool!
Lmfao that would have been funny to see. He sold the green machine awhile back and bought a small inflatable with a small outboard to get back a forth from his larger steel boat.
I've used a few now over the years, rec and commercial. I have my ideas about brands as I found some basictypes not so good compared to some more shaped types. I am also impressed with the latest drop side aluminium models that function as a step (engine off!) and extend out back more than out to the sides (still protects the prop against piles). Turn sharper than anything else I've ever tried. All of the models I have found best are the type that direct water using moldings or drop edges and have most of their shape behind the prop not out the side like wings. I suspect the action against the prop wash is far more powerful than relaying on drag. Biggest advantage I found is the ability to maintain a planing attitude in marginal and storm conditions, rather than finding the bow either pointing at the sky when trying to get back onto a semi plane or shooting forward way too fast for the conditions it is a great help the have the hull attitude so controllable. If the outboard is too high the advantages are less - the leg should have the cavplate at least 30mm below the bottom of the hull, sometimes 50mm is better for cornering authority. Most people have their rigs set too high in my experience, thinking that making the cav plate level with the hull is correct - that confusion creates many of the strange reactions and funny handling issues happen in the first place, particularly when dropping an extended cav plate on... Shark and Noosa cats have flat plates fitted to encourage planing and to avoid water spouting up and drowning the motors...
@Boat Beard Which brand model do you like? I got a 1995 115 merc. I'm trying to get maximum speed control, in the slower speed range. In other words, i want to be able to tow a surfer foilboarder going slowly 10-16 MPH. And also at times be able to make bigger wakes, noise up tilt...
You said "better mileage". I did not know that was a term that was used over there? I love your vids... keep it up.
Certain expression certainly get used with miles. eg. "won by miles" rather than "won by kilometres" With the above, phrases like "better fuel economy" are probably more common though, particularly in official documents.
I have a Lund 14 SSV with a 25 hp Yamaha tiller, no electric trim. ☹️. Without a foil, it was almost dangerous in a wind. With just me in the boat, the bow went way up. I tried every pin hole. I put on a foil, SE brand, and it made a big difference. Up on plane no problem. It will porpoise sometimes with the right conditions, wind or wave action. Way cheaper than installing an aftermarket tilt and trim. Maybe someday I’ll buy a new outboard with T&T. Until then, all is o.k. Nice doggie!
I've got a 11ft dinghy, granted oversized engine, but I wanted it to plane out. So with out this it would stand almost straight up, id have to move forward yo get the bow down. And then once planed out it felt very unstable, after adding this it plans out immediately and is much more stable.
Best hydrofoil on the market made a huge difference on my 70 hp evinrude Was like adding 2 ft extra length to my boat.
I had one on a 40 horse, I was afraid it was dragging all the time, so I trimmed the "cup" off the trailing edge and cut 35MM (1 1/2 in) off each wing tip.
It still got the boat on-plane level and seemed to go faster.
On yours I would try hogging out the plastic enough to slide it forward an inch. Also visually check the hull lines and see if it's dragging.
You can do a speedo test on your phone.
Eddie is a classic. deadly vidz with the installation.
Thanks mate! :)
The greatest asset of the Stingray Hydro are the things most boaters seem always to ignore..... The stabilizer tabs that attach to the underside of the foil. the Stingray is almost useless without them.
Interesting presentation and it has certainly got me thinking.
Another top video Stu thanks for the explanation, you are always practical and easy to understand
THanks mate. :)
Stu's channel is great! He is an avid boater!
The sun's come out and I can't be bothered to change the exposure so it's time to go hahaha love it
Born lazy!
Sometimes its just too hard lol
Thanks great feedback
Nice to make your acquaintance first Mate Eddie !!!.... Stu; I was wondering his name for a while. Now I know. Thank you for another repair / install video, Mate.
Thanks Angelo, glad you enjoyed. :)
Its a great video!
I've noticed that I can run slower and remain on plane. Plus fuel economy I've saved a ton on fuel.
Exactly what I found!
Same
I installed one on a 115hp, it's amazing for skiing, the wake/wash is minimal, however it's bad for tubing, you can't turn as sharp to give the tube rider a few swings. Also no wake/wash for the Wakeboard, so it's a bit 50/50, taking it on and off all the time isn't practical
Just trim the bow up so the boat sits deeper and creates more wake.
I appreciate all of the videos you make . You are my go to source for any outboard related issue .
You're welcome John, glad they are helping you. :)
Love Eddie and all of your videos!! Thank you Stu!!!
Stringrays are awesome. Improve the performance and handling of your boat by about 15 - 20%. When I see a stern leg without a hydrofoil of some kind on it, I give face like Mr Bean.
blohmymind they are fantastic and it really takes my Vanguard Banshee MK 2 to the next level!
Did not work as well on my runabout with 40HP Johnson. While it does in fact planes quicker there is a noticeable loss in speed, For that reason I removed it. May work better with larger engines. Enjoy the channel.
Hey John, I'm going to do a top speed run on my boat soon and see how much has come off. If it is too much I might remove it too.
I have a 1982 90hp Johnson it slowed my top speed down a bit for sure. It also made the ride more stable. That engine hauls so it was able to keep up with the extra drag.
Eddy, I think believes he is the Skipper. LOL
My dog does.
Plus he adds to your vids because whats a boat w/o a dog (seadog).
Ciao
Victoria, BC, Canada
My dog it always the skipper! 🤣
Tried one on my 17 'Bass Boat (padded V haul) with a 140HP Johnson 2 stroke. I hoped the hydrofoil would correct a Hole Shot problem bur it had no affect, no change getting it up out of the hole, but It did stop mid speed porpoising. Then I put a Four Bladed Prop on and the boat. Now it jumps out of the hole immediately. The transom also rides higher then before and the bow lifts more which helps to get the haul up on the pad which is a spot on the keel near the transom. Also increased the top speed reaching 62MPH. Four Blade prop has a slightly smaller hub that allows the exhaust to divert over the hub, as well as through the hub. This causes mild cavitation resulting to engine RPMs increased. With the standard 3 blade prop the engine RPMs were being held back due to lack of cavitation reducing the HP to about 40HPat 2000Rpm which was not enough to get the boat to plan. The cavitation caused by the exhaust on the out side of the hub allows RPM to reach 6000 RPM developing 140HP more thrust and a hugh improvement in performance. The Hydrofoil I have has the wings angled slightly up wards to get it above the cavataion plate and out of the water when boats on plane, reducing drag.
So 4 prop is better?
60hp Merc on 16' StarCraft DC. The boat weighs just under 1100#. Better stability in the water, and coming about at speed. 50% quicker planing. Smoother and more predictable on plane. Totally eliminates porpoiseing Great for smaller, light craft like mine. Dramatically better.
There are at least six different brands of these contraptions I've seen; all just a tad different to avoid any 'patent' infringement of another manufacturer. If they really were effective outboard and I/O manufacturers would build it into the design of their lower units. Marine dealers charge around $60 to $100 for these things. I sell them used for $15 and since they don't "wear out" excluding obvious and substantial damage, you'd be an idiot to buy them new. Check out an outboard dealer or marine salvage operation; they probably have piles of these taken off dead motors.
I agree that if they were a good base option they would be on outboards by default. I'm firmly of the opinion that they are only (potentially) of any use if the boat setup has a problem that can't be solved by any other means.
Jelly fish.....squirrel. Thanks for the info on the hydrofoil.
I have the same foil before hand in my 420 renagade it would be about 24 to 26 km before I got a planning wave. But now it's about 16 km so heaps safer when it gets really choppy in the bay.
Nice one! Sounds like a big improvement.
One thing mates....from much experience with these things...most of these are installed wrong especially the doel fin which should be directly above the propellor not six inches behind it...but the design on many doesnt allow proper cav plate location so a two piece fin set is the best way to go. the purpose of the fin is two fold ...eliminate bow rise and trap propellor thrust in the area where it is the most effective ....around the propellor. cheers
A lot of people don’t think so but that Bimini up and then not will not let up see the true difference
Every marine mechanic/technician ive ever talked to about this says if you need one of those your propped wrong and they create more drag than you can imagine.
well,if you have a bow rise it helps,i used it on yamaha 50 hp and 4 m long speed boat,i couldnt drive at 5,7,9, knots of speed with out it,it was digging a lot of sea,so i was able to go 3,4 knots or 20 knots,later with use of it i was able to digg less sea and go at 6,9, and other speeds
That does make sense. Many boat will sit flat at very low speed when the hull is in a displacement mode and then okay again when fully up on the plan, but there are plenty of times when you want to travel at something in between.
Eddy is looking great. Thanks for sharing.
I'm aware this video isn't new but, I've heard that if for some reason one of the hydrofoils were to break off the boat can go into a death spin.. not sure how true this is but I can kind of see the concern.
You and Eddie
Laurel and Hardy
BOTH LEGENDARY ! ! !
WE LOVE YOUR VIDS MATE ! ! !
looks sharp, I want one
It's interesting to see that you don't seem to see how it really improves the boat .
So from very small experiment I see the potential in this and a first step to understanding whats going on .
great video
Supposedly they able to help you steer better at lower speeds. More responsive staring at lower speeds.
yes extremely smooth at lower speeds. Helps you get on plane much easier also.