fiberglass vs aluminum

Post by **Hoser** » Fri Apr 30, 2004 8:14 pm

I had a fiberglass Skeeter with a gas guzzling 115 Merc. Switched to an aluminum Lowe with a 70 Evinrude. mph is about the same but I get a "floating" feeling cornering and it's not great in rough water. I realize the weight difference has an impact but wonder if this is an inherent problem with aluminum bass boats. I also have the doodads on the lower unit of the outboard to plane quicker (can't remember what they are called) Could this be part of the problem? Playing with the trim doesn't seem to help.

Post by **DonD** » Sat May 01, 2004 5:29 am

Hoser, I also have an aluminum boat, it's a Tracker tournament V-18. I have a 75 merc on it, and have no problem at all with cornering, of course it's the deep V, which cuts through the water on tight turns, and great in rough water.
You didn't say whether your Lowe was a flat bottom on v-style hull, or how big it was, these could all effect the ride of your boat.

Post by **Hoser** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:06 am

Hi Don. Didn't know there was a fellow Almontian here.

18', flat bottom. I can see where the V hull would make a difference on the corners. I'm wondering if taking the doodads (what are they called anyway?) off the motor's lower unit would give me more stability. They were on the boat when I bought it, so not sure how they are affecting the performance.

Post by **bass ackwards** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:22 am

The extra fins on the motor will help you get on plane faster, BUT they increase the drag on the boat = slower, I've had the same problem which generally relates to a weight distribution problem. The quickest method to check this is to note how the boat sits in the water (level). My boat had to much back weight and I had to trim the motor all the way down to keep the nose down. You say that the trim postion does not make a difference??? ':roll:' Hmmmm. Very interesting.