# My boat is listing to the Left on plane



## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

So since I bought my 2003 21'Palm Beach it has a heavy list to the left. I was told that I could put trim tabs on it, but I really would like to know the reason of WHY?? I have ruled out sloshing gas, unequal loads, and wind.. I am at a loss. The boat runs like a dream other than this. I have heard of maybe the torque of the engine, but I have Yammi 150 V6 2stk. Its a great powerful engine, but come on.. really. So I am leaning toward the trim tab option anyway b/c the boat will ride better. So instead of putting a bandaid on the situation, I would like to understand it. Oh and it only does this when riding flat out on the back bays in the Gulf it is straight up and down.. Thanks for any advise.


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## marmidor (Mar 15, 2008)

Trim tabs are a way of life on a boat. Ill never own a boat without them.


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

Yeah... But I'd still like to know why it lists


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## Patriot (Jun 4, 2009)

Ruling out the typical things you mentioned....

Check the zinc/trim tab on the motor mower unit located right above the prop. It is adjustable. It's really used more for steering feedback, but it can help.

You may have a hook in your hull. This occurs when the boat is on a trailer or lift for a long time and the bunks do not extend past the transom. Over time the transom will actually start to sag under weight of engine. I know this sounds far fetched, but it does occur and it doesn't take much to create the condition.


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## Lil' Scout (Oct 1, 2007)

Pretty common. My Sailfish does the same thing to the stbd side on plane. A little tab adjustment takes care of it though.


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## Aquahollic (Sep 24, 2009)

Is your engine all the way down or is it tilted up some? My old boat would list until I trimmed the motor up.


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

Call the company and ask. They should have the original marine design and tell you the cause of the hull listing to the left.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

flickerjim said:


> Yeah... But I'd still like to know why it lists


You are correct...It should not list. When the boat is set up right tabs aren't needed in calm seas.


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## Bustedknuckle (Feb 11, 2009)

I have the same issue on my 2003 22ft cape craft however mine is starboard list. Only after about 15+ knots is when I have the listing problem. Trim tabs fixes it but still a pain. Moving weight to the left side helps because im about 210 lbs on the starboard side. 

My engine is counter rotate, this is funny because you have a port side list and im assuming standard rotation right? Could you tell me if your list occurs all the time or just under way?

I also wonder is your hull rated at the HP you have on your boat? I think its powered right on a 21 footer though.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Maybe motor is mounted crooked????


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

Aquahollic said:


> Is your engine all the way down or is it tilted up some? My old boat would list until I trimmed the motor up.


There are a couple good answers here. But it's really as simple as your hull design. Hence the reason aquahollic stated his would stop at certain trim. That's because if i had to quess, aquahollics hull he was talking about had "chines" designed more aggressive toward the stern. By "trimming out" he allowed his boat to have close to only the last quarter of the boat in the water. That's why in calmer conditions this will take more effect. In rougher conditions your hull isn't allowed to sit still long enough to have ,as much, of an effect on listing, but still some.(more related to weight, from your offshore gear) Your palm beach has a deep v with almost no chines running farther to the front. And i'm not positive, but probably not too much near the transome. Palm beach has a hull design closely related to the early cape horns. Straight V' design with no chines. (can anybody relate to how bad an early "wet horn" will lean? I can...:thumbdown: The fix to your problem is trim tabs........never leave home without them.....every boat should be standard with tabs. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:


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## flappininthebreeze (Jul 13, 2009)

Assuming it does not list at rest? If you have any blind compartments, some boats do, you may have accumulated water somewhere. It may shift when you are moving. I had this, but had a definite list at rest and underway, with noticeable speed loss. Otherwise, above suggestions may be the path.


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

nitemarez said:


> I have the same issue on my 2003 22ft cape craft however mine is starboard list. Only after about 15+ knots is when I have the listing problem. Trim tabs fixes it but still a pain. Moving weight to the left side helps because im about 210 lbs on the starboard side.
> 
> My engine is counter rotate, this is funny because you have a port side list and im assuming standard rotation right? Could you tell me if your list occurs all the time or just under way?
> 
> I also wonder is your hull rated at the HP you have on your boat? I think its powered right on a 21 footer though.


My buddy Cliff was asking which way the prop rotated. I think that its in a clock wise form.. I never really thought about it. And it only is once on plane at about 20mph.. I'm at a loss.. if we are charging in the Gulf it rides like a champ.. if its a crusin kinda day, well we list. I have found that turning to the right will pull it up, but when I straighten out it goes back to left.. Oh and the hull is rated for power up to a 175HP. I really feel that the 150HP is plenty. I can plane out in less that 4sec, and in the Gulf its a beast.. I am still leaning toward the tabs, just need to decide on electric or hydralic. I have heard that boats 21 and up need them, and with mine being 21 maybe it will cure my problem.


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

horsepower has nothing to do with it. If that was the case then a 22ft bay boat with a 300hp fourstroke would flip over sideways. All you need is set of electric tabs. No upkeep


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

bayougrande said:


> There are a couple good answers here. But it's really as simple as your hull design. Hence the reason aquahollic stated his would stop at certain trim. That's because if i had to quess, aquahollics hull he was talking about had "chines" designed more aggressive toward the stern. By "trimming out" he allowed his boat to have close to only the last quarter of the boat in the water. That's why in calmer conditions this will take more effect. In rougher conditions your hull isn't allowed to sit still long enough to have ,as much, of an effect on listing, but still some.(more related to weight, from your offshore gear) Your palm beach has a deep v with almost no chines running farther to the front. And i'm not positive, but probably not too much near the transome. Palm beach has a hull design closely related to the early cape horns. Straight V' design with no chines. (can anybody relate to how bad an early "wet horn" will lean? I can...:thumbdown: The fix to your problem is trim tabs........never leave home without them.....every boat should be standard with tabs. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:


BayouGrande, 
Well I have decided on trim tabs for sure. I will say that the ride is not wet at all. My Carolina Flare is amazing. It has helped. so I guess the real question is.. Electric or Hydralic now right?? LOL!! it's always something isn't it.


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

Aquahollic, the engine is trimed up when we are cruising. not excessive though just enough to keep us cruising above the water.


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

flappininthebreeze said:


> Assuming it does not list at rest? If you have any blind compartments, some boats do, you may have accumulated water somewhere. It may shift when you are moving. I had this, but had a definite list at rest and underway, with noticeable speed loss. Otherwise, above suggestions may be the path.


 Hey Flappin, I guess it could be a water issue, but would my bilge take care of that. It works, trust me..


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

flickerjim said:


> BayouGrande,
> Well I have decided on trim tabs for sure. I will say that the ride is not wet at all. My Carolina Flare is amazing. It has helped. so I guess the real question is.. Electric or Hydralic now right?? LOL!! it's always something isn't it.


Glad you decided on the tabs. I wasn't refering it as wet like a older cape. I was just talking about the lean. But...............just for a fyi.....that's not what's called a carolina flare.
:thumbup:here's what they call a carolina flare


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

heres a comparision on the foward chines
on the left--contender
on the right--older style cape


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

Oh.. I thought that was the flare out of the bow?


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## flickerjim (Sep 17, 2012)

Touché sir!!


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## SteveFL (Aug 2, 2010)

Heeling Torque.

Notice nitemarez's list is opposite with a counter rotating prop. Ocean style boats are in general built for stability at rest and there's the trade off as opposed to freshwater boats. So that nice deadrise that stabilizes the boat at rest in waves also allows prop torque to pull the stern during various engine power settings. Some don't do it only because of weight/hull combinations, size, engine size/type and other various reasons.

The answer is simply trim tabs. And knowledge of what exactly is going on. IMHO, no ocean going vessel should be without trim tabs given all the different conditions we face.

Here's a good article describing prop torque in detail: http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-Boat-Prop-Torque&id=3090719http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/members/nitemarez-6959/


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## Tylerfishsmith (Oct 17, 2008)

Chines are the first set of sharp angles encountered where the hull sides meet the water. I believe you are referring to strakes in your comparison pic. and not chines. From keel up to sides is where the strakes are located on a modern boat hull. Some have one others like the contender may have several.


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## bayougrande (Oct 4, 2007)

*from power boat design:*

*PLANING FLATS AND STRAKES: 
*Almost all planing powerboat hulls are of single chine configuration and most have 'chine flats' or 'planing chines' and occasionally 'planing strakes' that assist with getting onto, and maintaining the planing attitude. It is my opinion that chine flats are desirable on all planing craft. Intermediate planing strakes may not be worthwhile on boats intended to perform at less than 30 knots.* Planing chines or flats, will start with a small or no flat, at, or near the bow and the width of the flat will gradually increase, until it reaches its widest point somewhere just aft of amidships and maintains this width through to the stern. *The efficiency of the 'chine flat,' may be improved by canting it downward by say 2 to 4 degrees throughout its length.

So in otherwords, the terms for chines and strake can be somewhat crossed over. used for both designs. Technically, a rub rail could be called a strake. By definition, any longitudinally strip of planking. Rubrails used to be called rubbing strakes... ...lets not confuse the fella:thumbsup:


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## TheCaptKen (Mar 14, 2011)

Just for grins, take a tape measure and be sure the engine is dead center of the transom and not sitting a bit to one side or the other.


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## jasoncooperpcola (Jan 2, 2008)

I say go with Hydraulic tabs. A little more involved in the install but then you do not have electric motors in the water. 

The 250 Sportsman we used to own had a bad starboard list at rest and when running. It turned out to be caused by the weight of all the rigging on starboard side. We moved the livewell off center and fixed it. Just saying, some manufacturers dont care how the boat acts after leaving their factory.


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## Tylerfishsmith (Oct 17, 2008)

Intermediate planing strakes may not be worthwhile on boats intended to perform at less than 30 knots.

Chines are at the waterline basically and strakes are under the hull. Always been that way. They are not the same thing, so as not to confuse.


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