Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Minimum water depth going on and off of pad?
dlivings4433.
Ok, so I got my 26p fury running on my 05 Puma with 05 225 evinrude HO. Im wondering what peoples thoughts are as to how deep the water should be before trying to take off or come down off of pad. It seems like I can get up in 3 to 3.5 feet of water (sonar measuring from bottom off boat… No offset). And coming off of pad maybe 4 of water. Also running some of the boat paths in Okeechobee Ive watched the sonar read as little as 1.4 feet of water, now I cant tell if this is truly the case or if the signal is bouncing off of weeds. Any suggestions on running this skinny water? I would think running the gas out of the back of the boat first and then going to the more forward tanks would help the boat settle in flatter when coming off of pad and lift more level when taking off? Maybe I need to rethink my tackle storage and putsome heavier items more forward also, as it would seem the heavier the butt end is, the more that would settle down deeper and dig in deeper on takeoff and stopping. I have a hydraulic jack plate and would also think that raising that up a little higher on take off would give the boat more forward thrust (angle of thrust more in line with the weight of the boat than under the boat) and then lowering back some (or maybe no difference at all?). I have noticed that with the fury prop I feel the whole boat lift up vs what I was running before where the butt end would definately dig down. My holeshot is at about 4-5 sec pretty much fully loaded with two guys 2/3 or better gas. Thanks for any input.Last edited by dlivings4433 on October 28th, 2010, 2:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2.5-3 feet take off(soft or sand bottom)- but modified take off- Wheel all the way right Hammer it but be ready to straighten it out!Set down- little deeper than my 59″ knees.C.O.D. Jr. III
On FLorida sand bottoms the risk is less and you can do a lot to get up and down in skinny water, whereas in Arkansas reservoirs, TN, and similar situations you can hit a rock bottom and make a big mistake.
We have a lot of soft mud, marsh bottoms and some sandy bottoms as well. I can generally get up in 2.0 feet without issue and set down in about the same. Just have to know what type of bottom your on. If you are in a rocky area or a area with alot of shells ( oyster beds for us ) you can mess your prop and or lower unit up. Like Ward said though, In most areas I would say 3.0 feet minimum considering the hard bottoms. Chris CoupelPaulina, La.Chris CoupelPaulina, La.
Do you give any consideration to the weight distribution in the boat?What about the hydraulic jack plate? Is it a good idea to raise it up on take off? Or even raising it up before coming off pad (or do you leave motor trimmed up?)Ill try the hard right turn trick and see how that works, before with my other prop I tried that once, but it just made it harder for the boat to get out of the hole. I had heard about turning to the right before, but after trying it figured I must of heard wrong.
Weight distribution? I assume more in back leads to better hole shot-Jackplate? I havent seen a big swing different in times out of the hole. If its real shallow though I dont think Id be excited about lowering the plate-Turn holeshot- it works no question. Just need both hands on the wheel and gotta be comfortable enough to be a little aggressive starting from that position- it comes up sideways pretty quickly-C.O.D. Jr. III
On the weight distribution…. Ive been in a couple tournaments where the boat had problems getting out of the hole, as a result I, as the passenger, I went to the front of the boat, this helped the boat get up and on plane. I understand for top speed we want the heavy stuff in back, but is that also true for best holeshot? Also if the butt end is loaded down, when you come off plan, wont it sink even deeper vs having the weight at the nose of the boat?
In our opinion a 26 Fury for a 225 HO is a tall pitch on this model. That is where your hole shot is, try and there is ventilation and more to consider. BCB
BCB I thought with the older gear case the 27Fury should run good, Denny Rhead turns a 26 Fury to the limiter and thats with 1:71.1 Gears, not the 2005s 1:86.1…..Just askin..Your Signature …
I turn 6000 rpms at 74.5 or 74.6 mph fully loaded and 2 guys. No vent plugs work best. I did consider 4 blade prop but went with the fury. My question though isnt really about propping the boat, but the other physical factors that we can change to improve starting, running, and stopping, in shallow water. Ie weight distribution, motor height on take off and stopping to run in the shallowest (in other words the safest way) water to avoid bottoming the boat out. Lets say you have two identical boats, load one with the weight all in back, the other with all the weight up front, does this make a difference on take off? (will it take off more level? Or not). Same scenario when coming to a stop (does the butt end sink down more when shutting it down if all the weight is in the back?). Or is the difference so little that it doesnt matter? Then what about the hydrolic jackplate, higher up on take off and shut down? And trim… I understand all the way down, and have heard of starting to trim up when taking off to get on plane faster. On coming to a stop, do you trim all the way down? Or most of the way or just part. Maybe Im just over thinking this. . Wouldnt be concerned if I was still in MO. I cant tell you how surprised I was fishing BFL first time on Okeechobee making 40 min run 60-70 mph in 3 foot or less of water watching boats throw up mud. Just glad I wasnt driving.Last edited by dlivings4433 on October 30th, 2010, 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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