Any of you guys running a Hydrofoil? If so do they help with hole shot or is it kind of a gimmick?
Any of you guys running a Hydrofoil? If so do they help with hole shot or is it kind of a gimmick?
Running a Chris Bailey Custom Hydrofoil - not a gimmick, worth every penny to me. Was having hole shot issues when i purchased my latest boat. Improved hole shot and allows me to stay on plane at lower speeds much easier.
2017 Nitro Z18 - Mercury ProXS 175 - 24P Fury - Elite 9 TI2 - Fortrex
It depends on what you want the hydrofoil to do. It will help you get on plane quicker and stay on plane at slightly lower speeds.
I wouldnt put Chris Bailey’s hydrofoil in the normal hydrofoil from BPS category. His is a badass piece of art...batwings are...well they are what they are!
2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV
I have one on a 2003 Nitro NX822 with a 125 Merc on the rear. Hardly any bow rise at all on take off. It's more like the bow stays down and the transom just comes up.
I've had them on all my boats in the past. Mostly run-a-bouts and a old HydroDyne ski boat with a V8 I/O.
It's the first thing I put on the Nitro after it's initial trip. Big difference.
I put a Chris Bailey one on mine and like Wisconsin said it just rises up and takes off. I had a porpoising issue at medium cruising speeds and it solved that.
I can also plane at a lower speed for just cruising around. Money well spent!
I recently put a foil from Chris Baily on my Mercury 115 4stroke. I chose to go with mirrored stainless and no logo's on the outer wings, keeping it clean in appearance. My installation was a bit more difficult due to I run a steering torque tab. But it still was not an issue, just a bit more time consuming. The steering tab had to be removed. Then extra care had to be taken to not just center the foil on the cav plate left and right and parallel to the center line of the cav plate, but also center the hole in the foil to the circle of the recess for the steering tab. None of that is difficult, just move and clamp and measure and be patient till you have it correct. Then I used the predrilled holes in the foil to guide my drill bit to drill the cav plate. Once you accept that your really going to drill holes in you cav plate, it is easy.I did find I needed my 90 degree drill attachment to line up the holes though. I chose to use shorter bolts and thinner locking jam nuts so I would have a little less sticking up above the cav plate. This wasn't actually necessary, I am just OCD about such things. When I reinstalled the steering tab, I had to file it down about 1/16" on the top to give a bit more clearance for it to seat in its recess properly. Again, not difficult, just added a bit of time to my installation that most won't have to deal with.
Performance has fully met expectations. I can plane nearly level and quicker, allowing better safety planning in shallow water. I also can run on plane slower making following tricky submerged creek channels that bend back on themselves much safer. Both of these are very important in the impoundments we have here.
Chris makes a nice piece !!! Need to check out all the pieces he offers !!!
BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
www.ncboatguy.com
Foil's are the real deal...I can think of three or four things they can help improve in a positive way. The only one negative I can think of is looks...with that being said there is no way you can get me to remove my ugly foil
I have had Brian's foil on two boats, and low speed planing has greatly improved. I never reinstall the steering/torque tab. Trim has always been my torque adjustment. I notice in the pictures, your plate is positioned forward. Mine are lined up at the rear of the cavitation plate.
True, but this is where it has to sit to center the hole for the steering tab. If the foil were longer on the back end it would not add to its function. I prefer it not be visible on the back of the cav plate.Originally Posted by glasscat
Chris Bailey foil is the real deal for sure,,, Talons killed the hole shot on my Ranger and CB foil got it back,, had him powder coat to match the silver color of my Torque Master lower unit and it almost looks like it come from the factory and another added bonus is after instillation i can stay on plane at 19 mph where before it took 25 mphWill not own another boat with out one
Just installed 2 this week, one one a Phoenix/SHO and one on a Phoenix/ProXs, doing some comparison test next week, they also look Awesome.
I am a dealer for CB Marine products and will be happy to help if anyone needs a foil or any other items.
http://www.drew-tek.com/parts/product/bailey-hydrofoil/
Drewcraft Specializes in Lithium Batteries and Chargers, We carry all Brands of Trolling Motors and Graphs, Minnkota, Lowrance, Garmin, Motorguide
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Any of you guys running the Hydrofoil Stinger? To be honest I'm not willing to drill my outboard even if it means tightening set screws every time I run the boat.
Once you get over the initial shock of drilling holes in your cavation plate its not that bad. When you see how it improves your hole-shot you will ask yourself why did I wait so long to do this. My motor was 6 weeks old and had 10 hours on it when it meet the drill bit. I had played around with motor height and had my prop worked on but my hole-shot was just not what I wanted it to be. I had a hydrofoil on a boat several years prior so it was no big deal to drill into my new motor because I knew what I was going to gain.
I had a foil and it slowed my boat down and made it lesss Nimble. As soon as I took it off I was happily surprised at how much faster I got on plane. Works for some not all
it shouldn't slow your boat down or make it less nimble. Once the boat gets on plane/pad the foil will be out of the water.
2004 Stratos 295 Pro XL
2004 Mercury 3.0 L EFI 200 HP SN: 0T908560
Standard/Servicemaster Lower 859399T13
DID any of you guys lose top end speed with foil?
I installed a CB foil, and did not loose any speed. As others have stated, the foil is out of the water once on plane in a bass boat. If you loose speed due to a hydrofoil, it has to be touching the water, and thus the motor is set too low or its one of those clunky old plastic foils that is sagging down into the water. I would think it would be physically impossible for a CB Marine foil to cost you any speed.
1994 Stratos 201 Pro XL 2004 Mercury 200 EFI
"Had a foil and it slowed my boat down and made it less Nimble " ?...………..CB foil , or a Walmart foil ?
"As soon as I took it off , I was happily surprised at how much faster I got on plane " Was it on your boat when you bought it, or did you add it after owning the boat ?
Zero loss in speed for me with the CB foil ,, when you are on plane it is not even in the water
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