Rough Riding 16' Cruiser in Chesapeake Bay chop

lloyds · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

I can personally say to me, there was a huge difference between the Doelfin and the Permatrim. Not sure why unless it is because the Doelfin has a lot more lateral lift but Permatrim gets theirs from increased length behind the engine. Permatrim wins hands down.

thataway · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:15 pm Post subject:

There is a "Bob's Machine shop" fin which is used on the East Coast. I have used the Doel-Fin on inflatables and aluminum sliffs up to 13 feet, and they worked fine there. But for a bigger boat, you need a bigger fin--more lift and more rigid.

The Doel-fin is plastic and flexible, I don't think it will have as much effect. The Permatrim is made "down under" but distributed by SIM--and used nationwide--plenty of them in Florida.

Cosmic C · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:23 pm Post subject:

Is there ever any reason to consider adding a Permatrim to a boat that already has trim tabs?

thataway · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:58 pm Post subject:

Cosmic C asks if there is a reason to put a Permatrim on a boat which already has trim tabs. We ran the C dory 25 for a year without Permatrims, although we already have Permatrims on the Tom Cat (which cannot easily use trim tabs).

I can say that for our boat, and our type of boating, it made a real difference. We were able to get the bow down much further and drive it through the chop with less or no pounding, in conditions where we had pounded with just the trim tabs.

We also found that it got us on a plane at a lower speed and improved the handling at the low speed planes.

I would put it on again.

DoryLvr · Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:02 pm Post subject:

O M G!!! I installed the Sport SE Hydrofoil on the engine yesterday. It is a shorter hydrofoil that extends out beyond the boat more than most. Kind of a combo between the permatrim and a dolefin. (See pics I am posting under DoryLvr) Took the boat out today. Wow what a difference in the chop. It planed so fast and at a low speed. The speed to RPM ratio was wild, I picked up a lot of speed per RPMs and was cruising at 14.7 knots with only 3000 rpm. And smooth, hardly a bump at all. Thank you to all for your input. Problem solved! Very Happy

Wefings · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:19 am Post subject:

Sounds like it may have cured a cavitation problem as well ......
Marc

rogerbum · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:37 am Post subject:

C-Nile

I know this is re-openning a can of worms, but my dealer checked: Suzuki will void the balance of the manufacturer's warranty on my motor if I install any hydrofoil on the lower unit. Please note that this is for the entire motor -- not just the lower unit. I have 5 years left on a 6-year warranty, and will not take that risk, particularly given the problems I had with the motor's wiring harness last year. To Suzuki's credit, they honored their warranty, and the repair cost me nothing.

I'll just have to live with the problem of keeping the bow down in rough water.

DoryLvr · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:20 pm Post subject:

The Yamaha dealer was willing to do the installation, has a selection of hydrofoils, and gave me tons of advice on doing it myself. No problems with warranty, this is my second engine and boat with him. My advice, dump the Suzuki, get a Yamaha or Honda.

C-Nile

Suzuki makes an excellent motor, and as I have witnessed -- they honor their warranty agreements. However, if I had a choice for the CD 16, it would not be a Suzuki for the following two reasons: 1) it is a heavy engine, which weighs down the stern I believe more than its competitors, and 2) they won't let you install a hydrofoil on the lower unit. My 4 HP Yamaha kicker (which is a vital safety hedge) adds another 50 lbs. to the stern. Believe me -- if it would cost me less than $1,000 to swap my Suzuki for a Yamaha, I would do so today. However, it's not worth the thousand's of dollars in replacement cost. I'll wait for my warranty to end in 5 years, and then re-assess the situation.

On the other hand -- if I had a CD22 or bigger boat, I would prefer the Suzuki. I've read, and have been told of cases where Suzuki's have 4000+ hours on their engine without major overhaul. Do you know that they don't use a timing belt? They use a timing chain with an automatic, hydraulic tension mechanism. Try to get than many hours on a Honda or Yamaha!

Thanks!

Rich

Sawdust · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:44 pm Post subject:

Rich,

Different on the best coast --Hondas with over 7 or 8000 hours not uncommon. BUT, the high hour motors are usually commercial (charter/fishing) operations where they are run often and get good maintenance. Brands don't make much difference IMO. I have Honda on one boat and Yamaha on the other. Both are great. Suzy is good too.

OMG! I looked outside and the sun is shining!!!!! Hot

Dusty

cbgale · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject:

Wefings: Have you ever checked with Suzuki on the use of the Permatrim regarding warranty?

DoryLvr · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:14 pm Post subject:

C-Nile, the other option might be the SE Sport Hydrofoil that I installed. It has an optional kit that allows it to be installed WITHOUT drilling. This is a bolt on application that hugs the cavitation plate and has a clamp that hooks up under the anode on the underside of the cavitation plate. Easy to put on and take off if you have to go get service. That way you get the performance with the worry of the warranty voiding.

Check with West Marine, they carry the bolt on kit and the hydrofoil. I bought both, then opted for a drilled on application after talking to my dealer. I am cheap too and wanted to save my $40. Both together cost about $100. However, the bolt on kit is very easy, it looked like it would add only about a half hour to forty minutes to the overall installation process. And the SE Sport works great so far.