hydrafoil (whale tail),

[edrey1996]

i just bought a good used boat, my first good working boat. And i did not see a hydrafoil (whale tail), should i get one ?i have a 1999 Maxum 1900 sr with a 5.0 mercruiser ,alpha 1 gen II out drive . and what is the best Prop to get for this boat ski and some ride around the lake

[seapuppy]

Hi Edry
there are 2 thoughts on this one.....one...you need to drill one into the cavitation plate which means that the screws needed are stainless steel...dissimaller metals and will cause corrosion...
thus damage to the drive....the size of your boat shouldn't be an issue with the doelfins...but a better option would be Bennette trim tabs...they will allow you to plane faster and then trim it from side to side depending on weights and balance of the boat...
the part about a prop is gonna have to come from one of the guys that have that size of boat......a stainless would be something to concider...pricey but they give way better performance than an aluminum prop does...

SP

[tglee]

What size prop do you have now? Is it not working well for you?

14 1/4 X 21 should be good. If you are having trouble pulling a skier with that try a 19 pitch.

Like SP said, trim tabs would work much better then a hydrofoil.

[edrey1996]

my prop is now 14.5 X 19 . aluminum ,but it hard to get on boat in plain. and that is with 3 Kids my wife and me meybe 600 lb. i think i will go with some trim tabs .and a stainless steel prop. thanks i hope this hepl me out.

[Argonaut]

I was in this position ... thinking about fitting a foil ... glad I didn't.
Drilling holes in anti-cavitation plate not a good idea & would invalidate warranty ( was an issue for me)
Plus puts a lot of extra load on drive .
The answer for me was SMART TABS ............ it made my boat a completely different experience, no bow rise, comes on plane much faster. will stay on plane at lower speed, stays stable in beam-on seas or wind.

It was the BEST investment I made in my Maxum .... 2nd best was fitting a High5 prop, and for less than the cost of a tank of fuel.

I wrote this up if you want to know more ...
http://www.maxumownersclub.com/forum...ighlight=smart

[jkcoon]

I'll echo Argonaut's comments... I outfitted my 1900 SR2 (4.3L) with the smart tabs and it dramatically improved the handling.

[edrey1996]

well this weekend i put on this Trim tabs . i think i made a big difference . I was at lake Conroe " Memorial day week-end " and the trim tabs do what it said it will do ! it keep the front of the boat down on take off , and i was able to get on pane faster and easier. . and i did stay on plane at a lower speed . . and yes i will tell a friend to put trim tabs on there boat ? Now the bad . i did not like drilling holes in my boat . so measure twice, drill once . And no i do not work for any boating company !

[Argonaut]

Everyone I have given the tip to fit Smart Tabs has been impressed with them, I'm in UK and a set of Tabs is much cheaper than a Tank of fuel .... best investment you can make in your boat.
My 1800 SR3 was a different hull ... before the tabs, bow rise was terrible.
Much faster to plane ... and quickest to pop skier out of the water, and maintains plane at lower speed for knee boarding etc.

I have the disconnect levers fitted so I can click Tabs up out of the way if I want to beach the boat, or want the hull to hunker down for bigger wake.

[Spleasure]

Originally Posted by jkcoon

I'll echo Argonaut's comments... I outfitted my 1900 SR2 (4.3L) with the smart tabs and it dramatically improved the handling.

Hello JKCOON, I know it's 10 years since the picture, but do you know if you installed the 60 or 80 lb version?