Dear all,
having researched the internet for several hours I couldn’t find any sound estimation regarding the minimum planing speed (MPS) of a bass boat. I specify the MPS as the minimum speed, a bass boat needs to stay on plane.
The MPS clearly depends on several factors – like weight, hull type, propeller-design, etc. But I don’t want to generate an explicit formula, quite the opposite: I offer to put together a table reflecting your specific experiences with your boats and posting this table summarizing your answers!
In order to make your experiences comparable I propose the following setup of information:Boat type [manufacturer, model]:
Boat length [feet]:
Total weight (boat, engine, passangers, equitpment) [lbs]:
Hull type [V-shape, Mod-V]:
# of propeller blades [3; 4; 5]:
Power-Trim used [yes/no]:
Hydrofoil used [yes/no]:
Minimum planning speed [mph]:
The background of my question is, that I’m currently in the process of buying my first bass boat. And living in Germany I’m faced with serious speed limits (10-12 mph). Getting a bass boat on plane is the most economic and hence most eco-friendly way of exercising this wonderful sport. With your help I will estimate better whether there is a chance that the MPS of a specific setup will be lower than speed limits, hence will help me making the decision of investing more time in boat setup.
Thanks in advance and I hope this table will support you also.