Hydrofoil for drift boat kicker?

[Twitchs_Tackle]

OK, I know these are important on larger motors to help get the bow down, but are they necessary on smaller kickers used on drift boats that aren't run 'wide open' or used on a constant basis? Noticed that the smaller motors don't have holes on the cavitation plate for one, would a person need to drill it out to install?
More hasle than its worth? Any imput appreciated...


[ 02-28-2004, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Twitchs_Tackle ]

[blacktail]

Twitch,

Check out Clackacraft. I think they sell a combo prop guard/dolphin.

Mike

[Grantspastor]

It seems to help my drift boat

[Zodiac-Fisherman]

I have a 14ft Zodiac, and was wondering if this hydrofoil plate would benefit me? I have a 15hp yamaha outboard. Also how difficult would it be to mount it onto the plate on the lower unit of the motor?

[Grantspastor]

The Doel-Fin unit I have is very easy to mount. You just drill a couple of holes

[ampersat]

I did a search a while back on the Doelfins. Some folks swear by them. There were some reports that it didn't help keep the nose down at all. Some folks have had their cavitation plate broken by them (drop and bump type situations where they wouldn't have broken it had they not had the Doelfin installed). So far, I haven't committed to drilling the holes in my cavitation plate just yet.

What I'm wondering is why folks insist on mounting the motor "level" on the boat? Yes, it's the most efficient position for the motor but since when has the drifter been considered an efficient boat? Wouldn't pointing the motor "down" a little help force the nose down? The more power is applied, the greater the force pushing the stern of the boat up, and the nose down.

[Slugranch]

had a kicker on my 16' Lavro, if I tried to force the bow down too much it would lift the kicker out of the water. I had a Doelfin on it and it worked great.

[Snapset]

A drift boat is like a rocking chair. If the bow goes up, that means the stern is down, and vise-versa. In order to get the front end (Bow) of the boat down, you have to get the rear end (Stern) up. While you can do a little correction by adjusting the motor trim, the hydrofoil is a much better solution. In addition, if you accidentally fall in, and are having a hard time pulling your old out of shape body over the gunwales without swamping the tub, it is mighty handy to have a plate to stand on and climb into the boat from the stern on. (Emergency use only)

[AnnaDraMoss]

It might depend on how you use your outboard on your driftboat. I have a dolphin hydrostabilizer on my 10 HP honda and am convinced that this setup helps bring the bow of my driftboat down while I backtroll fast water. I also use a trolling plate,alot of other boats cant troll as slow as this thing does in slower water.

[Snapset]

If you ever want to go fatser than trolling speed with your drifter, definitely invest in the Hydrofoil. I made my own, out of a sheet of scrap aluminum. Its probably not as hydrodynamically sound as a commercial model but the price was a whole lot better. Yes I did have to drill my own holes in the cavitation plate. Especially on a drift boat, these are helpful.

[drhall99]

Ampersat,

I have my motor pointed down, like you describe and my bow doesn't come up as much as the guys with them mounted level. Also, I haven't tried them, yet but the foil that Clackacraft sells clamps on and does not require any drilling. When I do try one, it will be theirs. Another thing that helps to keep the bow down is to have some hefty fishing partners. One of my "lighter" fishing buddies buddies tips the scale at around 290 lbs. When he's in the bow, it definately stays down. Doesn't do much for the speed, though. And I put out about a 4 foot wake [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img] .

Doug

[Twitchs_Tackle]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, so far the consensus looks like they do help and would be worth putting one on...