Boat Bounce

[Glen Webb]

Don't know what else to call it. I have a PT 165 with a 40 HP Merc. The situation is that when start off I have the trim all the way down to plan out.. After I plan out and start to trim up the motor the boat starts to bounce (even on water as smooth as glass). With other boats I noticed when you plan out the boat will pick up speed. But with two people in the boat I can only go about 20 - 22 MPH before it starts bouncing. I have read some articles that some individuals with similar set up are going in the 30

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Glen, what you are experiencing is called porpoising. You are trimming out too far or are not powered enough for that trim. If you are WOT, try trimming down until it stops. There is nothing wrong with your boat. With a 40 hp, you could achieve 30 mph by yourself. But with 2 people and loaded 25 mph is more accurate. I'm sure someone here will have more concrete numbers for you, but don't worry about your boat!

 

[mike chip]

You should be in the 30's, my best friend has a pt 16 and the standard 25 merc and he goes 25.8 mph (gps) with 2 people and full gear. The 40 should push you to about 33 to 35 mph.

 

[TrepMan]

Glen - Like Bob set give us somer more specifics? What year is the boat, have you added anything (specificaly heavy items) in the front,rear, sides that might be affecting the balance of the boat (extra batteries??). Is that the 2 cycle or 4 stroke 40hp?



Checked Tracker's site and (i've found thier speed numbers to be very close at least for my boat) the 165 w/40hp 2 cycle she should top out at 31-33 so yes i'd say something's not Kosher here. You should at least (with 2 folks) get into the upper 20's.

 

[Glen Webb]

Bob the weight distribution is an empty boat except a 115 lb passenger and 188 lb driver, gas tank located behind passenger and two batteries located behind driver. The motor is a 2000 Merc. 2-cyl and as far as I know original prop. How can you determine what the prop size is. I will post later today what the motor height is. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[gone bye bye]

So true Bob. Sometimes even same boat, motor, setup is too hard to predict.



I expect it is a trim and weight distribution issue, but I am no expert, Bob is.



Mini

 

[Jim Clevenger]

I have a PT175 with a 50 Merc (3cyl) and get 33-35mph gps max by myself. That includes about 200lbs of fat and about 50 lbs of gear. Also 12 gallons of gas, a trolling motor and two batteries.



I can get about 31 max with another person (regardless of size). I can porpoise if I overtrim a lot, but I would have to be trimed to the point of almost having my prop out of the water with my configuration.



Jim

 

[Gene McCarthy]

I have the identical rig.I get low 30's with two men and gear.The first time at wide open I experimented with the trim and the porpoising came without any warning as I eased the motor up.There was a light chop and before my lightening fast reflexes could take over and recover I almost became a torpedo.Scared the breakfast out of me how sudden and violent this occurred.Another little caution to be aware of is at WOT, DO NOT take a sharp turn as the boat will simply lose it's grip on the water and slide.I have almost visited the squirrels on the bank in the Ochlockonee River trying to beat a storm back to the landing.These tendacies are learned by motor time and experience.By the way, I installed a hydrofoil on my motor and was amazed how the hole shot performance and handling improved.The boat leaps on plane in 1/3 the distance as before and corners like it's on rails, although it will still slip in tight turns.Downside is maybe I lost 1 or 3 mph top end, but it gets there quicker now.I have read the past posts about Mercury voiding the warranty with this type of installation, but I feel it is safer and better performing now.I see no reason it will adversly affect the motor in any way, but I'll cross that bridge if I happen on it. Sounds to me like Merc or some half-assed dealers are looking for excuses not to honor the warranties, but that's my opinion and everyones got one.Back to your post, I suspect the boat is performing better than you think.GPS the speed and DO NOT trust the speedo.Shift some weight to the forward compartment and if you feel it's worth the risk try a foil.

Gene

 

[Glen Webb]

Bob and all more details on my setup. The Merc is mounted on next to bottom hole. I borrowed a friends GPS late yesterday and took it out to the lake. I got up to arround 28 MPH with two people. However I was running around 5800 rpm. Don't know if that is normal or not.

 

[Glen Webb]

Looks like this is an overall tracker issue.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Gene -



You owe Bob, other reputable dealers and Mercury an apology.



I've been hanging around this board since it's inception about 2 1/2 years ago and other boards some time before that. I don't ever recall seeing a post about a dealer or Mercury actually not honoring a warranty because of the installation of a hydrofoil.



What I have seen are post after post by people who misinterpret their warranties. Adding a hydrofoil will NOT void the warranty except in those cases where the warrantied part was directly effected by the installation. You install a hydrofoil and the cavitation plate breaks where the holes are - not covered. You install a hydrofoil and the oil pump fails - covered.



Please, don't go calling people names when you don't know the whole story.



me

 

[Staci Matheis]

P.S.



We all owe Bob a big "THANKS!"



He comes onto the board and gives us the benefit of his many years of experience..... Experience that he charges his regular customers for..... And never asks us for anything in return.



I tip my hat to you, Bob!



me!

 

[Glen Webb]

Thanks Bob. I will have to set up a time to go over to them. They are about 2 hrs away from me. How much does something like that cost.

 

[Gene McCarthy]

Whoa back boys. My comments weren't directed at anyone specifically, especially Bob. But to say there are no dealers that sell Merc, Tracker, Nitros, Fords, Chevys, etc. that won't go around the block to keep from honoring a warranty is nieve. Please don't take my remarks personally as they weren't directed at anyone in particular. My dealer has been great and perhaps I should have approached the subject prior to my installing the extras on my boat, but I didn't. It improved the performance of the boat I pay for and I feel it made it safer. If there are no dealers that deserve that label perhaps the guy that ordered the boat in November and was "forgotten" about a few posts back should go and apologize to the dealer for being ignored. Bob I tip my hat to you also and anyone else who helps and goes the extra mile to help people. But in my post I said it was my opinion. I formed this opinion reading all the differing information, not just on that post but others over the last year. I will try and keep my opinions to myself in the future to avoid hard feelings.

Again sorry.

Gene

 

[Ken Neeley]

Let me jump in here for a second....Dealer's have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with whether or not the MANUFACTURER is going to honor /pay for a warranty claim. To suggest that dealers try not to honor warranties is ludicrous, as dealers get paid very well by the manufacturer to perform warranty repairs...in some cases, it is their bread and butter. The dealer has NO part in the decision making, they are simply the authorized repair facility that performs the work after the manufacturer has approved it.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Thank You, Gene!



me!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Boys,



What we have here is MIS-COMYUN-EE-CAY-SHUN.



Gene's complaint was about any dealership or company (and here the issue specifically is Mercury Marine) that intentionally ducks being responsible for a valid warranty claim. I think he has a point, but Bob does too. The dealership receives a specific service bulletin from the manufacturer about how to judge a warranty claim. They don't have a choice. If Mercury won't pay for the repair, and the customer won't pay for the repair, the dealer is stuck and either eats the cost himself or declines to do the service.



Scott and I talked at length over dinner on Friday about customer service being diretly related to the bottom line. Short-sighted companies (and here I'm specifically talking about the manufacturer) look at warranty claims as a drain on their profitability. But companies that think beyond the tip of their nose understand that customer service and properly handled warranty work will result in a stronger revenue stream down the road. Customers talk about their experiences, good or bad, and share them with friends on places like the internet.



Tracker Marine, Inc. leadership probably never spends the time or effort to cruise this board, and I told Scott that they probably do not appreciate the power of just this one site to steer prospective customers either toward or away from Tracker/Nitro boats. This is FREE advertising for them. What a shame if Tracker doesn't see this as an inexpensive but very effective product evaluation tool and a customer service resource. Think of it, everyone here who owns a Tracker product is a volunteer product tester.



I just mailed a letter off to Tracker Marine, Inc. complimenting them on the boat I bought, but also making four specific suggestions for improving FUTURE models. Will they listen? Maybe. Will they respond to me? Probably not. My point is that in a perfect Tracker/Nitro world, we would see folks from Tracker CORPORATE asking us questions and providing us with specific answers to our questions. Lok at the excitement Penny Berrymann's post generated and imagine if the head of Tracker Marine's Customer Service Division were to be a regular participant on the board. Sure, he'd take some flak at first, but he could use that information to improve the entire product line and really build a positive reputation for the company.



I'll stop pontificating now. If that position ever opens up at Tracker Marine, my resume' is ready.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Note to Self: Symptoms of Cabin Fever may persist for days after a substantial dose of Spring Fishing. Move to Florida.

 

[Gene McCarthy]

Guys this has gone crazy. I used a term concerning dealers that was in retrospect out of line in the context I used it. No excuses. No alibis. I only intended to offer advice to Glenn who happens to have the exact boat motor set up as I. As I said there is a history of "hydrofoils voids the warranty" talk both on this site, the bait shop, the boat ramp, whatever. I am not qualified to say if it is or not. I intended my advice for Glenn to correct a problem, not attack a group of people, a company, or certainly an individual that is imminently more qualified than I to address warranty claims. Ken you are probably absolutely correct, but it happens. TEE has apparently had problems getting warranty work done as well as countless others. Now whether the warranty work is flat denied or the company or service provider takes an inordinate amount of time to perform, the customer who keeps these people in business is the loser. If you don't think there are differences in service simply read the dealer report cards on this site. One person will rate a dealer excelent and another will FEEL screwed to the wall by the same dealer. I love my boat. Love my motor. Speak well of my dealer because thus far I've been happy. But I paid for the boat and motor. I EXPECT no less. I don't expect the dealer to pay for my mistakes. But I have been on the short side of warranties for what I feel are unjustified reasons. I'm sure there are any number of people that know of SUCCESSFUL dealers, not just boat dealers, that have a reputation for poor customer service and warranty work yet they thrive.

Again, Glenn sorry I ended up highjacking your post. Good luck with the boat. Bob there was no intent to attack you or your profession in general. Thanks for sharing your expertise and good luck. And to the rest sorry about the poor choice of words and any offense I caused.

Gene

 

[Ken Neeley]

Gene,

No offense taken buddy, and I'm glad to see you posting again...

 

[Glen Webb]

Thanks to all reply's. Even thought the topic went a little off. You still learn alot of information. All information is good information.