Hydrofoils I have questions.

[Delta Bass Fool]

So with the way my boat is set up I am not able to run on plane at any speed less than 25 mpr before it wants to come off plane and point the bow up to the sky making it unsafe to drive long distances like that.

Several years ago I was pulling the exes kiddo’s with a ski tube on lake Almanor but the little girls were not liking it complaining it was too fast with me driving as slow as possible to stay on plane.

I don’t have any issues getting on plane with in about 4 to 5 seconds but if I want to drive slower than 25 mpr for night time driving or pulling tubers etc then it’s not possible atm with how my boat is set up.

Would installing the proper hydrofoil allow me to get on plane and stay there at say 15 mpr or some what slower than the 25 mpr slowest speed it can plane at now?

I am looking at the Bass Pro 2024 Master Fishing Catelog pages 460 & 461 and it has me thinking about this. Was specifically interested in the no drill mounting foils.

If the no drill foils are not any good I could probably make one out of some sheet metal.

What do y‘all know about foils?

[Cajun Skeeter]

I don't have one now, but I had installed foils in the past on a 18' Sprint and a 20' Skeeter. Immediately had substantially faster planing, lower speed on plane, etc... This was just with the old plastic "Stingray" foil.

[Delta Bass Fool]

Thinking keeping the engine trimmed down with a foil would help with slower planing speeds.

[big_o_tom]

I night fish a lot. I put a small aluminum foil on a Hydrasport and loved it. I do remember having to run 25 mph to stay on plane and the foil let me run quite a bit slower and stay on plane.

[jerzia]

I added a Chris Bailey foil to my previous Champion 203, and it allowed me to drive on plane at a much slower speed. The other bonus was the hole shot became almost instant.

[mactlman]

bobs makes one and it worked great on my stratos-- helps in reverse also

[billnorman1]

I use the plastic foil on my 200. Really helps the hole shot, and planes much faster. I think jackplates really exascerbate planing problems. I don't mind drilling four 1/4" holes in the cav plate, it seems more secure than adding a clamping device.

[wareagle24]

How far down do you have it trimmed at 25 mph?

[Okie Poke]

Depends if you want quicker hole shot or fastest speed.....

[Tone357]

It will definitely fix the issue that you're having. Adding a foil is my first mod to any boat I purchase. When I got my Ranger with an SHO, they said, you don't need a foil with that motor. I had one on my previous boat (a Triton) and had gotten use to being able to run at slower speeds without the bow pointing towards the sky and almost instant planning. A lot of people that give them negative comments are going on hearsay, never having run one. As far as speed is concerned, it's out of the water when running wide open.

[LateralLine]

How far down do you have it trimmed at 25 mph?

I'd say at 25 it better be trimmed all the way down. My older two stroke motor had one like below and worked great for better hole shot and staying on plane. I even pulled tubers with my BassCat PII like you spoke about. My newer 4 stroke don't need it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27616394854...6de96e824ebe06

[btlsranger]

Really helps getting on plane fast and being able to stay on plane at slow speed. Helps that I’m running a 5 blade too. No top end speed but for bigger water the control is amazing.

[Whopperstopper]

I have owned a couple Skeeters with 225 Yamaha. One 4 stroke one two stroke. Had same issues you have. Bought a cheap foil. Think they were SE Sports--not certain. But less than $100. Worked out great. Lower speed on plane and handles very well.

Don't need to spend a lot on custom made as the cheaper plastic ones work fine.

[wareagle24]

I'd say at 25 it better be trimmed all the way down.

Yep. That's why I asked him.

[Tone357]

I have owned a couple Skeeters with 225 Yamaha. One 4 stroke one two stroke. Had same issues you have. Bought a cheap foil. Think they were SE Sports--not certain. But less than $100. Worked out great. Lower speed on plane and handles very well.

Don't need to spend a lot on custom made as the cheaper plastic ones work fine.

This is true. I bought a custom one made by a guy that used to be on here that passed away, I think his name was Chris Brown maybe? But I put that one on and wasn't blown away, then went back to the SE brand. I think the cheaper one was the better of two, but not in the looks category.

[jdwo2212]

His name was chris bailey. And makes amazing foils. Ive had one on my triton, and helped tremendously for stayin on plane at slower speeds. I too pulled my kids on tubes and thats why i got it. If you can find someone selling one it would be your best bet. As they arent made anymore.

[21XDC]

You are a candidate for a larger diameter 4 blade. More blade area is needed to provide lift at slower speeds. The Bravo1 XS/FS or Marks Razor4 XL would be my suggestion. I can run 16 mph on plane w/o a foil.

[Delta Bass Fool]

You are a candidate for a larger diameter 4 blade. More blade area is needed to provide lift at slower speeds. The Bravo1 XS/FS or Marks Razor4 XL would be my suggestion. I can run 16 mph on plane w/o a foil.

So this begs to question could you run even slower than 16 mpr if you had a foil?

I always trim fully down before making any attempt at getting up on plane. This boat already has what looks like a custom prop, no markings on it but is stainless steel with about 5/16” holes for cavitation or to help with what ever those holes help with. So I’m not really interested in re-propping this thing. Too much money involved anyway and that money is needed in other places like carpet, seats UV lighting and gas shocks for all front lockers and rear hatch. Also as previously mentioned the hole shot is not an issue. She gets right up on plane and wants to boogie. Tops out around 55 - 60 mpr. Which is not to shabby IMO for a smaller boat. I have not seen top speed since recently getting it running again as the speedometer was clogged and my gps on graphs was not working.

A buddy was telling me I don’t really need a jack plate based on the tapered shape of the stern and transom. Seems a jack plate would just add stress to the transom anyway.

I have a piece of sheet metal from a street sign that was laying on the side of the highway many years ago after an accident or something along those lines. The holes were wallowed so it was not going to be put back up regardless. Anyway when I saw it laying on the ground I stopped and picked it up with intentions of making a foil out of it. I just never got around to it. No I don’t promote taking street signs to modify for personal projects, this one was already damaged and not in use laying on the ground so please don’t give me a hard time about it :/

One reason I never got around to making a foil is because the motor always had over heating issues when running at slower speeds and second is because the cavitation plate has a crack and is bent up a bit just above the prop on the port side from previous owner. The front little semi circle was and still is all chipped up and missing as well. This is why I asked about the no drilling types but thinking I might need to just find a good local welder who can fix the cracked cavitation plate before putting a foil on. This BOAT truly lives up to the bust out another thousand saying.

If I do end up making my own foil I’d definitely add a slightly rounded edge pointing downward to the rear/tail section to allow more lift. I am aware I may loose a couple mpr top speed but that is the trade off. I don’t like running wide open all the time anyway. With fuel being so darn expensive and this engine being so thirsty I’m better off running slower anyway. Not sure if I’d get better mpg at slower speeds but if so I’ll take it.

[21XDC]

So this begs to question could you run even slower than 16 mpr if you had a foil?.

I doubt it.... No need to go slower than 16 mph on plane anyway...

[Transom]

Really helps getting on plane fast and being able to stay on plane at slow speed. Helps that I’m running a 5 blade too. No top end speed but for bigger water the control is amazing.

I do not have one on my boat but most of my family has older boats with a foil installed and they run well at lower speeds. I bought a high five prop for my spare and it does a good job keeping the stern up at lower speeds. I have it on the boat when the weather is cold so I do not have to get as much wind chill. A good prop with stern lift is will help a lot.