I finally got the boat home from Dallas and went right to work in the shop.
After getting the poles and running them I came to the same conclusion as others, the wind drag from them slows me down and in mildly windy days can cause handling issues at high speeds. The weight I don't feel is an issue, as I compensated for it by removing ballast. I do believe they dig at takeoff, but I have another modification for that. I looked for tilting brackets, but none allowed for tilting and running. They just allowed for temporary tilting. I though I would make one that allowed the poles to be tilted and locked in place for running.
I'm currently off 1.5mph from my typical running speed with the poles. 5-85 times have not been impacted. In the data logging graphs you really see it drop off after 85. When I compare my 85-95 times you can see the boat fighting the wind drag. My 5-97 times are much slower. Some of the times show 10-15 more seconds to hit the higher speeds. Since I typically don't do a pull from 5-97 or higher I don't have a lot of data to look at. 97-100 on my boat (before poles) I usually crept into or hit from a run, so I don't have a lot of data for those speeds.
The brackets started out as Minn Kota Talon brackets. I looked at these and the Hydrilla Gear ones and the Minn Kota ones had a few features I liked more for ease of use and modifying so I went with them. It sealed the deal when I found a pair of them in the Cabela's bargain cave at 50% off. I machined a 3" hole in the center and slotted the center release handle so the hoses could run in the center. The kids swim off the back, so I didn't want the hoses out in a place they would feel tempted to grab. I also like them in the center so brush won't catch on them as easy when fishing.
I added wedges to adjust for the angle so the poles don't hit when folded down.
The side added pieces lock the poles in place tilted down. I'm hoping that is enough to get them out of the wind. I have another version with ready to be made that have 15 degrees more travel in the event I want to tilt them down further. I will start with 90 degrees and see how it goes.
I plan to powder coat everything after I test. The power pole mounting brackets are temporary, I will make my own after I get all the bugs worked out. They are a back a little far for my liking. I also plan to machine material out of the tilt brackets to drop the weight further. Right now they are 5lbs each and I have pulled a lot of weight out of them already.
Reply With Quote