# Whale tails?



## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

I've got a suzuki 150 outboard and my boat is porpoising like crazy at pretty much anything over 25mph if I don't have it trimmed pretty much all the way down. Anyone had experience with a whale tail fixing their own porpoising issues? Anyone running one on a suzuki 150 and can recommend a brand or style? Boat is a rear heavy deck boat. I've put all the extra stuff I store in the boat directly under the bow seats to add some weight, but it didn't help. Boat is a starcraft stardeck 209 travis edition. I've always owned fairly deep V boats so haven't encountered this issue as of yet. I'd like to be able to trim it up and get the bow out of the water to give it a better ride and handling as well as a higher top speed.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Is the trim pin in the transom bracket set to max your trim?


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

lastcast said:


> Is the trim pin in the transom bracket set to max your trim?


You also have several heights that can be easily set on engine height.


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

Trim is set as well as height. It's about optimal as far as I can tell. I've got plenty of down force I can give with the trim as well as a ton of up I can go, it's just that it starts porpoising. I'm looking at the whale tails because they're the cheapest fix I've seen. Other options are trim tabs or a different prop to give more stern lift.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Had similar problems with twin 300s. I do have hydrofoils (whale tails) and I think they help. But the most effective fix I found was raising the motor just 1 hole. Made a big difference especially with a heavy load. That was counter-intuitive for me as I thought lowering the motor would allow more "bite" but nope, had to raise it.
Oh and trim tabs would be a must for me. Once you learn how to use them they allow adjustments due to sea conditions.


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## RMS (Dec 9, 2008)

Agree on raising the motor. Too low is just as bad as too high, and porpoising is an indication of too low.


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## specktackler57 (May 15, 2011)

Is it fiberglass? Whale tail may help but if rear heavy trim taps would be best. When we had our dealership we occasionally saw the same issues with the smaller ones. That 150 is heavy also. Try the whale tail and see if it works. Good luck.


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

Vent plate is about 1" above the keel of the boat. I'd love some trim tabs, but there's not $600 in the budget for them right now, whole reason I'm asking about the cheaper whale tails. Yeah it's a glass boat. She's ass heavy for sure. Thanks for all the input everyone. I'll try one of the cheaper ones and see if it makes any difference. Here's some pics of what the boat looks like, and a pic of the hull style if it helps ya'll at all.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Wow I would not think that hull design would have a porpoising problem. Flat and wide. Something is definitely off. Post up a pic of the transom if you get the chance, and a side view of the motor as mounted.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Engine height. If you put trim tabs on it's gonna cost speed or fuel. Post that picture. Where is the cavitation plate when running.


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

Yeah I don't want to go the trim tab route specifically for the reason you stated. It already runs pretty level with an offset load since it's so wide, its also costly to upgrade. I wouldn't use them since I stick around the bay and don't really take long trips on it. If I were running for miles on end, I'd look into a set, but as of now they're not the route I'd like to go. Here's some pics. You can see the plate sites maybe an inch or so higher than the keel. I'm not sure where the plate runs when I'm on plane since I'm behind the wheel and haven't had the boat very long. I'll check and see next time I'm out how much motor is out of the water. It's already raised a hole above the transom as you can see in the pics. I do know it will cavitate on up trim with medium effort, so I believe it's in the right spot. I have just enough up trim to get the bow up and get most of the hull out of the water, but then it porpoises.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

I would try up one or two holes on the tilt if adjusting the tilt doesnt work up one bolt on height. It just doesn't look right to me, anyone else opinion.


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## specktackler57 (May 15, 2011)

I agree with sealark. He knows he’s stuff.


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## bfish (May 19, 2008)

Take that trim pin out completely


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

bfish said:


> Take that trim pin out completely


I don't think the trim is the issue. If I trim down too far it sinks the bow and makes the steering hard as hell. It planes at the correct height and I feel like the proper amount of hull is out of the water, but the porpoising starts. Trim doesn't have much at all to do with it. If I take the pin out, it will just dig the bow even further. I think I'm gonna get a hydrofoil and see if it works. If not, I'll raise the engine one hole. If that doesn't work, then I'll put a 4 blade on.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Go ahead throw your money away. Do the engine up first. What happens when you trim engine up with the trim switch while porposing.?


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

sealark said:


> Go ahead throw your money away. Do the engine up first. What happens when you trim engine up with the trim switch while porposing.?


Depends on the conditions. At some point it can level off and ride smooth, and sometimes it will get worse. I absolutely see where you're coming from with moving the motor up a notch. I too think it would help. The foil would be the cheaper option for me at the moment than building an a frame and buying a chain hoist to raise the engine up a notch though. And if it doesn't work, I can sell it and recoup some of my money. As said, I'm gonna try the foil, which was the whole point of my original post, and if that doesn't work, I'll take into consideration all the other advice I've been given. I trust you all when it comes to this, which is why I asked yall in the first place. I've done several installs on engines and never encountered this issue until owning this specific boat. I'm not uneducated on the topic and I've done plenty of research to see what kind of affordable fixes there are. I even went so far as to buy a motor specific manual for this engine to see if the manufacturer recommended anything different from the other manufacturers as to mounting and it's still the same industry wide instructions. Cav plate lower than keel for power and pushing loads, cav plate even for middle performance, cav plate 1-3 inches higher than keel for sport performance, and higher than that with specific lower units. I do appreciate everyone chiming in with their knowledge. You've confirmed what I was thinking. I'm going to take it out in a few days and make sure the plate is at the water line on plane and go from there. If anything, I'm out a total of $60 as opposed to buying the lumber, bolts, and chain hoist that would surpass $250.


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

sealark said:


> Go ahead throw your money away. Do the engine up first. What happens when you trim engine up with the trim switch while porposing.?


If you wanna get out of the house and go for a boat ride, I can pick you up along the water anywhere you want in W Pensacola. I'd love to have another set of eyes on it while it's running and see. I still need to get that anchor from ya anyways. Just let me know.


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## kahala boy (Oct 1, 2007)

I'll bet that there is someone on here that has an engine hoist you could borrow


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

kidsoncoffee said:


> If you wanna get out of the house and go for a boat ride, I can pick you up along the water anywhere you want in W Pensacola. I'd love to have another set of eyes on it while it's running and see. I still need to get that anchor from ya anyways. Just let me know.


Got too much going on now with christmas and other things. As for the anchor if you want a 8 lb. Danforth type and chain. It's free. If I am not here I will let you know where it is in the yard. And like I said before anything you put in the water on a plaining boat will cost you from drag. Have you called the boat manufacture asking them about it?


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## Snagged Line (Sep 30, 2007)

If you drop the trailer tongue as low as it will go and block up the motor at the foot, you can raise the motor by cranking up on the trailer tongue which will drop the transom at the same time..... you ain’t ******* enough......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

No good, look at his engine mount all holes no slot to allow a raise or lower without taking all mounting bolts out.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

I think the bottom ones are Ron.




__





Boost Speed with Outboard Engine Height Adjustments - boats.com


Raising an outboard higher on the transom can reduce drag and raise top speed.




www.boats.com


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Search youtube for raising an outboard. Saw a video where a guy raised his just using his trailer jack. I'm not trying to dissuade you from the whale tails -- I have them and they help. But, at the end of much work, raising my motors 1 hole made a world of difference. And for the record, that motor looks low to me.


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## kidsoncoffee (Jun 14, 2018)

Snagged Line said:


> If you drop the trailer tongue as low as it will go and block up the motor at the foot, you can raise the motor by cranking up on the trailer tongue which will drop the transom at the same time..... you ain’t ******* enough......
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I've considered that, but putting all the weight of that engine on the tip of the skeg scares me. Not just resting on it, but actively pushing against it to raise the engine. I did also consider blocking up underneath the bracket between the bottom of the trim and the engine and using my 3 ton jack to lift it while leaving the bottom bolts in. That will give me barely enough travel to get to the next set of holes. This takes out of the equation of having to lock the steering and putting all that weight on such a small surface area of aluminum. I'm gonna get a better look at it tomorrow and see what I can do. Thanks again for the info and recommendations yall.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

lastcast said:


> I think the bottom ones are Ron.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok in that case it's an easy raise or lower. A jack, wrench's and a few blocks of wood.
Lower tongue to raise engine. Before starting to get engine high enough to get jack under engine


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## Old man 67 (Dec 11, 2020)

It sounds like your prop is "blowing out", this often happens with heavier non-pad boats with high horsepower motors. Look at one of the 4 blade stainless pros with good up. They actually help hold the bow up with less cavitation. The "whale tails", I believe are bad about putting excessive load on the motor.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

If you need a chain hoist, got one you can HAVE. 

P/U in C-view.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

I don’t think your motor is low enough to cause it to porpoise. Your other option is transom wedges. They’ll give you more negative trim. They will do you better than the whale tail.









Bob's Reversible Transom Wedges


Reversible Transom Wedges, wedge




bobsmachine.com


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

JoeyWelch said:


> I don’t think your motor is low enough to cause it to porpoise. Your other option is transom wedges. They’ll give you more negative trim. They will do you better than the whale tail.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Or stack washers to see if it'll help??


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