How Do You Use Trim?

[dustynitroz9]

Finally got to try my boat! 2014 Z9 with 250 Pro XS. I am coming from a Tracker 2072 with a Mercury jet(modified jon boat hull) so the handling was crazy different. Everytime we accelerated it pointed way up in the air and once on plane at full throttle didn't want to go over 42 mph at a little over 4000 rpm. The trim gauge was off the end of the scale when the motor was all the way tucked in towards the boat. Does it need to be calibrated? It seemed to gain speed if I moved the motor away from the transom. This is my first boat over 25 horsepower other then the jet boat so I am on a steep learning curve. Thanks.

 

[carlyle2]

Finally got to try my boat! 2014 Z9 with 250 Pro XS. I am coming from a Tracker 2072 with a Mercury jet(modified jon boat hull) so the handling was crazy different. Everytime we accelerated it pointed way up in the air and once on plane at full throttle didn't want to go over 42 mph at a little over 4000 rpm. The trim gauge was off the end of the scale when the motor was all the way tucked in towards the boat. Does it need to be calibrated? It seemed to gain speed if I moved the motor away from the transom. This is my first boat over 25 horsepower other then the jet boat so I am on a steep learning curve. Thanks.

I would ignore the trim gauge for now. Bring the motor all the way down/in before you take off. Give it a decent amount of throttle and the bow will rise and the boat will then plane out. Once on plane, you will immediately start raising up the motor to get on the back pad which will give you the best ride and speed. You will just need to experiment with how much throttle to use and how much trim to give it once you are on plane. As long as your motor is all the way down for your hole shot you can give it up to full throttle if you want, so don't be afraid to give it more than half throttle for the hole shot. Enjoy getting the experience!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Kerz]

Good advice!

 

[dustynitroz9]

Hey thanks carlyle2 , I went out again and got up to 54 mph with two passengers and our dog and some fishing gear(about 500 lbs). Is this all that can be expected?

 

[Duane Mauzy]

No you should get into the mid 60’s to low 70’s.
I have a Z7 with a 150 and I run 59-60 gps. With two guys 250-300 lb each loaded with equipment.

 

[Kirby Wilson]

Some questions: Is the motor connected to the Transom or a Jack plate? What RPMs are you running when you are running 54 mph?
A 250 Pro XS should turn at least 5500 rpm and not over 6000 rpm.
When running at full throttle trim the motor up until you are throwing a roster tail about even with the top of the motor. The boat may start to walk a little, if it does try to steer out of it by pulling slightly left moving the steering wheel back and fourth (it will take a little time to figure it out).
At this point you can experiment to get the maximum speed out of the Boat and Motor.
Also if you have a gps use it for mph it will be concordable more accurate.

 

[dustynitroz9]

It has a jackplate that sets motor back about 10 inches. I think it was just over 5000 rpm. I think the trim gauge is out of wack too.

 

[Kirby Wilson]

The trim gauge is just a reference point and once you get the max performance out of the boat and motor you can then use the trim gauge to know where your trim is at that performance.
This boat and motor setup properly should run in the mid to upper 60s and maybe with a light load run in the lower 70s.
A few questions.
Is the boat lifting as you trim the motor up?
Does the motor gauges have a water pressure gauge?
IF so keep an eye on it when trimming the motor just incase the motor trims up above the water pickup.
Have you had to motor trim at the maximum height while running full throttle?
Again watch the height of the roster tail.
What are the maximum RPMs at that point?
There can be other problems, but until you get comfortable with running the boat you will not be able to know this.
Just go out and experiment a little.

 

[dustynitroz9]

yes it does lift as the motor is trimmed up. I will have to see if it has a water pressure gauge. I don't think it has been raised to maximum height. Once it seemed the motor revved up as if it came out of the water. I don't think it has gone much over 5000 rpm. And I am sure the rooster tail was really high, maybe 8 feet above water level. It has the Tempest Plus 25P propeller. Would the position of the motor and jack plate be set up properly from the factory?

 

[Kirby Wilson]

yes it does lift as the motor is trimmed up. I will have to see if it has a water pressure gauge. I don't think it has been raised to maximum height. Once it seemed the motor revved up as if it came out of the water. I don't think it has gone much over 5000 rpm. And I am sure the rooster tail was really high, maybe 8 feet above water level. It has the Tempest Plus 25P propeller. Would the position of the motor and jack plate be set up properly from the factory?

This is a 2014 Boat even if it was setup at the factory doesn't mean someone didn't raise or lower the jack plate. You can look on line to check for the correct height of the motor to the boat with a 10" Jack plate. Also look up the proper way the check measure the motor height.
With a 8ft rooster tail it is a good indication that the motor height is to high.
Try when you are on the water running set the rooster tail about engine height. take notes on speed and rpm. Then bump the trim up a little at a time taking note of the rooster tail height, speed and rpm. Stop when the speed stays study and the rpms increases.

 

[dustynitroz9]

It does have a water pressure gauge and I adjusted the trim gauge to be at the bottom of the gauge when the motor is tucked all the way in. Someone put the instructions for motor height in these forums so I will check that. You said "Try when you are on the water running set the rooster tail about engine height. take notes on speed and rpm. Then bump the trim up a little at a time taking note of the rooster tail height, speed and rpm. Stop when the speed stays study and the rpms increases." What will this tell me? Should the rooster tail be about motor height when everything is right? Even thou this boat is a 2014 it on has 44 hours most of which are idling and very low rpm. I think the previous owner never did anything to it in terms of making everything right. Thanks very much for the help.

 

[Kirby Wilson]

It does have a water pressure gauge and I adjusted the trim gauge to be at the bottom of the gauge when the motor is tucked all the way in. Someone put the instructions for motor height in these forums so I will check that. You said "Try when you are on the water running set the rooster tail about engine height. take notes on speed and rpm. Then bump the trim up a little at a time taking note of the rooster tail height, speed and rpm. Stop when the speed stays study and the rpms increases." What will this tell me? Should the rooster tail be about motor height when everything is right? Even thou this boat is a 2014 it on has 44 hours most of which are idling and very low rpm. I think the previous owner never did anything to it in terms of making everything right. Thanks very much for the help.

This is a test to see what effects the boat. The boat should run at its best performance with the rooster tail at motor height or lower.
Run some mercury #2 Quick clean. This should help with the injectors if they have gotten dirty setting.
Good luck.

 

[dustynitroz9]

Ok thanks, I did put some mercury injector cleaner in with the first tank of gas. It seems like there might be a small draw on the batteries when everything is turned off. When ever I unhook a battery and hook the negative back up there is a spark?

 

[Kirby Wilson]

Ok thanks, I did put some mercury injector cleaner in with the first tank of gas. It seems like there might be a small draw on the batteries when everything is turned off. When ever I unhook a battery and hook the negative back up there is a spark?

Do you have something wired that bypasses the power switch?
Does the onboard charger have a bank hooked up the motor battery?
Then you may have a short.

 

[dustynitroz9]

Yes an alarm system is hooked directly to the motor start battery but this problem was not there until after the first time I took the boat out on the water. Yes it does have a charger hooked to all three deep cycle batteries and the starting battery. Are there any well known problem area's with the wiring on these boats?

 

[Kirby Wilson]

Yes an alarm system is hooked directly to the motor start battery but this problem was not there until after the first time I took the boat out on the water. Yes it does have a charger hooked to all three deep cycle batteries and the starting battery. Are there any well known problem area's with the wiring on these boats?

No wiring problems that I know of. The charger could give some feed back.
I am not very familiar with alarms sys. Its been a long time since I have dealt with a alarm system.

 

[Allen Dronsfield]

I am brand new to the site, names Al Dronsfield and I fish the Harris Chain here in Central Florida. I recently ordered and received my new 2019 Z20 Pro, a picture below which I hope shows up.
I have been inquiring and reading about trim issues in this forum. Much of what has been talked about relates greatly to my issue. My Z20 has the 225 Pro XS on it and this boat is loaded. Since day one I have had handling issues at higher speed. I even contacted KVD about the issues. Kevin states the high speed loss of control is generally referred to as prop walk. Kirby Wilson touched on it very well. All is good up to 68 mph but as I try to get a bit more out of it by bumping the trim lever it then begins try and turn left and right. Kevin said the same thing as Kirby, a little twitch of the steering wheel can fix the problem. I have minimal success so far with that theory. I have had others suggest gradually lowering the jack plate like 1/4" at a time to reduce this problem. I have had the boat up to 74, I know it can do it but it can get real scary. I suppose the next valid question is how fast do I really need to be going?? Not being a tournament fisherman probably not that fast. Kirby mentioned getting up on the pad, well even on a Z20 I would say the pad could stand to be a bit bigger in order to obtain more stability.
Are there any others which might have some more input on this issue? I would appreciate it.
Thanks from Al

 

[Kirby Wilson]

I am brand new to the site, names Al Dronsfield and I fish the Harris Chain here in Central Florida. I recently ordered and received my new 2019 Z20 Pro, a picture below which I hope shows up.
I have been inquiring and reading about trim issues in this forum. Much of what has been talked about relates greatly to my issue. My Z20 has the 225 Pro XS on it and this boat is loaded. Since day one I have had handling issues at higher speed. I even contacted KVD about the issues. Kevin states the high speed loss of control is generally referred to as prop walk. Kirby Wilson touched on it very well. All is good up to 68 mph but as I try to get a bit more out of it by bumping the trim lever it then begins try and turn left and right. Kevin said the same thing as Kirby, a little twitch of the steering wheel can fix the problem. I have minimal success so far with that theory. I have had others suggest gradually lowering the jack plate like 1/4" at a time to reduce this problem. I have had the boat up to 74, I know it can do it but it can get real scary. I suppose the next valid question is how fast do I really need to be going?? Not being a tournament fisherman probably not that fast. Kirby mentioned getting up on the pad, well even on a Z20 I would say the pad could stand to be a bit bigger in order to obtain more stability.
Are there any others which might have some more input on this issue? I would appreciate it.
Thanks from Al

Most people tend to over steer when trying to control the boat at maximum speeds. Just keep practicing and some patience. Most high performance boats will have to be driven to get the maximum performance. The first time I operated a performance boat in 1982 it took me a while to learn how to drive it.
Just try to pull it slightly pull (back and forth) or a slight jerk to the left should do the trick. The timing is a critical item. Just keep at it and in a little while you won't even notice that you are doing it.
Lowering the Jack Plate may decrease your overall speed, as long as you are not throwing a roster tail higher that the motor, the prop is not slipping and you water pressure is ok lowering the motor will only hurt your top end performance.
Good Luck

 

[Allen Dronsfield]

Thanks for the input Kirby, I have been tinkering with the steering and from time to time I get it right. You are so right, it is a timing thing. Quite honestly I am not getting any kind of a rooster tail at this point, the water pressure is consistent. It may be possible that the motor is a bit to low already. I'm going to get a buddy out with me and in very small incitements I will try to adjust the jack plate till I get a happy medium. Doing 75 mph is nowhere near as important a safe and quality performance.

 

[Kirby Wilson]

Thanks for the input Kirby, I have been tinkering with the steering and from time to time I get it right. You are so right, it is a timing thing. Quite honestly I am not getting any kind of a rooster tail at this point, the water pressure is consistent. It may be possible that the motor is a bit to low already. I'm going to get a buddy out with me and in very small incitements I will try to adjust the jack plate till I get a happy medium. Doing 75 mph is nowhere near as important a safe and quality performance.

Watch you midrange performance also when adjusting.
I always found that having to drive a boat seam to keep you more alert than just cruising.
Be safe.