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Author Topic:   Adding Foil Appendage to Anti-Ventilation Plate
PCBrev posted 06-21-2006 07:40 AM ET (US)   Profile for PCBrev   Send Email to PCBrev  
I am thinking of adding a [Davis Instruments Company's Doel-Fin] or a Stingray [foil appendage to the anti-ventilation plate of my outboard motor].

In past boats it helped get on plane a bit faster and with slow speed steering.

I know there is a lot of knowledge on this board and I was hoping to get some folk's experience with these on Whalers.

[The boat is a ]1979 Montauk, 2002 Johnson 60-HP four-stroke. [The boat reaches a] GPS speed 37-MPH at 5,300 RPM [with one aboard], with family [aboard] 32-MPH at 5,000-RPM. Overall [I am] very happy with the motor but will also be making a propeller change after a few more test rides.

Bulldog posted 06-21-2006 08:47 AM ET (US)     Profile for Bulldog  Send Email to Bulldog     
Do a search on [Davis Instruments Company's Doel-Fin] and you will find many discussions on them. There is two different views, one is they are great and the other is they aren't. I feel they are useful on a boat with [problems] such as underpowered as my boat is. I've used them on two of my boats that needed help getting on plane quickly. Both were powered way under maximum rating. I have Doel fins and like the small size of them compared to others. But there are several others out there that are nice and at least one that requires no drilling. My situation with six people on board, pulling up heavy skiers took a while. Doel fins made a huge difference, boat pops on plane and I'm thrilled. With your 60-HP four-stroke you might see an improvement. Jack
Whaler_bob posted 06-21-2006 09:53 AM ET (US)     Profile for Whaler_bob    
I put a [Davis Instruments Company's Doel-Fin] on my 17 ft Sea Ox (looks like a classic center console Aquasport) which was a bit underpowered with a 70-HP. The major improvement with the Dolefin was getting out of the hole and up onto plane. Instead of the usual bow rise/stern squat, now with the dolefin intalled the stern seemed to lift up with the rest of the boat quickly onto plane. Of course, the bow stayed much lower in the process too. Once up on plane the handling was pretty much as before, but the getting to plane time/performance was improved greatly. I do think it was much easier on the engine too.
PCBrev posted 06-21-2006 10:20 AM ET (US)     Profile for PCBrev  Send Email to PCBrev     
Found some threads.

I did a search 'dolefin" but may not have been in the right section because I got only 3 posts and one of them had been mine where I mentioned it a few weeks ago.

Used "hydrofoil", bingo, also I should have searched in performance and I must have been in repair, my bad. [The SEARCH always searches the entire website--jimh.]

st posted 06-21-2006 11:30 AM ET (US)     Profile for st  Send Email to st     
I don't think it matters at all from which section you intiate the search engine on this web CW website.
Sam
[Correct--jimh.]
Bulldog posted 06-21-2006 11:39 AM ET (US)     Profile for Bulldog  Send Email to Bulldog     
I'm pretty sure it is spelled "Doel-Fin", Dole is a banana company! I think the most you have to lose is drilling holes in your plate to mount them and try them, but before doing anything make sure you have the right prop on her and the motor is mounted right. Jack
Perry posted 06-21-2006 12:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for Perry  Send Email to Perry     
I would do a propeller change first, then see if you still want a hydrofoil. What make size and material prop are you running now? 5,300 RPM at WOT with a light load is too low. What is the maximum RPM for your motor? 6000 RPM? You should prop it so it reaches close to the max RPM at WOT with an average load.

How high is your motor mounted? Where is the anti-ventilation plate in reference to the bottom of your hull? There are lots of factors that affect your performance. I would fine tune it for the best performance before adding any hydofoil.

PCBrev posted 06-21-2006 01:12 PM ET (US)     Profile for PCBrev  Send Email to PCBrev     
I can't spell.

Perry, I'm waiting for my manual in the mail, but dealer tells me range is 4700 to 5300. Keep in mind it's a four-stroke. I know I'm on the underpowered side with 60-HP but was happy with 37 mph (gps) alone and with the family I wasn't crusing at WOT, had a bit more.

I am going to talk with Tom about a SS prop for tubing and what not. I'll report back on the current prop size.

Tom W Clark posted 06-21-2006 01:12 PM ET (US)     Profile for Tom W Clark  Send Email to Tom W Clark     
Paige,

I agree with Perry. You need to get your propeller dialed in first before making other adjustments. You may find that your perceived need for a fin will vanish.

The Judge posted 06-21-2006 01:35 PM ET (US)     Profile for The Judge  Send Email to The Judge     
That prop is perfect being redline is 5350. I agree get a ss prop. My bud has the same setup and it is not underpowered at all, he is maybe 2-3mph slower than my 70hp Suzuki. He is running a 13x18 but can over rev a tad.
Teak Oil posted 06-21-2006 04:48 PM ET (US)     Profile for Teak Oil  Send Email to Teak Oil     
A hydrofoil is a lot cheaper than an SS prop, and I think you will like it. My boat is not underpowered but I tried it with the foil and without and I will not take it off again. It has not slowed me down at all either.

Lets face it 37-MPH is darn good for 60-HP on a Montauk. Why should he shell out $300 for a new prop when he is already maxed out? It is not like this boat is suddenly going to run 40-MPH because it is not. All the owner wants is more hole shot and less bow rise, and a hydrofoil will give him that for $50. No messing with the motor height, no taking props on and off, etc. Just bolt it on and be happy.

Sometimes a foil is a perfect fit and this is one of those times. I personally dont understand why they are so taboo on this forum

kingfish posted 06-21-2006 05:26 PM ET (US)     Profile for kingfish  Send Email to kingfish     
They're not taboo here, I am a strong proponent of hydrofoils, especially simple, inexpensive and effective ones like Doel Fins, on the right boat at the right time. And I'm not alone in that.

It is important though, as someone stated above, that the correct propeller is dialed in and the motor is mounted at the correct height. However, if I felt I had the correct prop, but aluminum rather than stainless, and I wanted to plane sooner and hold plane at lower speeds, I'd make the smaller investment for Doel Fins first and the larger investment for a stainless prop later.

John

JayR posted 06-21-2006 05:34 PM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
On my Madetauk the fin helped keep the transom down in rough seas and kept the bow from slapping the next wave. For that reason alone, I loved it.

I'll wait to see how the Ribbed Outrage performs and rides before drilling holes in the new 150 E-TEC....

PCBrev posted 06-22-2006 07:15 AM ET (US)     Profile for PCBrev  Send Email to PCBrev     
Thanks everyone, all good points.

I am going to speak with Tom about a SS prop as I need a back up and I'd like to use the SS at the lake when tubing and have the old one as a back up.

Over the next 3 days I was going to record some mph/rpm/time, with only myself on board as well as with a passenger.

I have had good experience with the hydrofiol on my 40hp so I believe in the product and also I agree that only doing one change at a time so you can see results more clearly is a good idea.

I had been thinking of adding a sting-ray before the SS prop so I could have a direct comparison, before vs after, with the same prop.

bigjohn1 posted 06-22-2006 07:43 AM ET (US)     Profile for bigjohn1  Send Email to bigjohn1     
O.K. - I'll throw the only "con" I know on the install of a foil. If you later want the best outboard cover made - the one that covers the engine from the top of the cowel down to the lower unit - buy it at www.outboardmotorcovers.com. Trouble is, once a foil is installed, the cover will no longer fit the lower unit properly. Of course if this is no concern to you, go without a cover and install the fin. I have a fin installed on mine and just deal with the cover not fitting properly any more.
jimh posted 06-22-2006 08:46 AM ET (US)     Profile for jimh  Send Email to jimh     
The popular anti-ventilation plate foil appendage made by Davis Instruments is marketed under the name Doel-Fin. I edited the three articles in the archives where this was misspelled.

The consensus of opinion on adding foil appendages to the anti-ventilation plate of an outboard motor is they are generally not needed, but in some circumstances the addition of such a foil can improve the performance, particularly with regard to generating stern lift.

JayR posted 06-22-2006 07:36 PM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
quote:
The consensus of opinion on adding foil appendages to the anti-ventilation plate of an outboard motor is they are generally not needed

Jim, I would have to disagree.... I very well could be wrong but I seem to recall most who have installed and use a foil speak highly of it. Those that doubt their effectiveness have not installed one and have seen limited use 1st hand.

I would not mind seeing a poll regarding them and the 1st hand reports on how they helped.

jimh posted 06-22-2006 07:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for jimh  Send Email to jimh     
I will emend my remarks: the consensus of informed opinion is that anti-ventilation plates are not needed in most situations, but in some circumstances the addition of such a foil can improve the performance, particularly with regard to generating stern lift.

As evidence I submit the fact that all outboard engine manufacturers do not provide them. If an anti-ventilation plate was judged to be useful in most situations, it would likely be provided with the outboard motor by the manufacturer.

SIM posted 06-22-2006 08:31 PM ET (US)     Profile for SIM  Send Email to SIM     
And so would trim tabs on a boat hull.....

And so would gear lube monitors on lower units.....

And so would drive showers.....

These are all add on items.

With a foil it is awfully(sp)nice to be able to maintain a 3-4mph slower minimum planning speed for a relatively small investement. Keep the bow down a bit more in those choppy sea conditions? Agreed?

My spelling stinks tonight. Sorry Jim.

Andy

kingfish posted 06-22-2006 08:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for kingfish  Send Email to kingfish     
I've always felt that foils weren't chosen by outboard manufacturers to be an OEM part of every motor because when they are needed, it's the boat and motor combination that needs them; there'd be no way to know which motor was going to be part of that needy combination. Certainly not every motor.

And JayR, I like your observation and agree with it. I am one who has first hand knowledge on two Montauks, an Outrage 22, a Zodiac and an old 23' cuddy IO with a Ford 302; the only boat I removed them from was the Outrage 22 when I installed trim tabs.

John

bigjohn1 posted 06-22-2006 09:01 PM ET (US)     Profile for bigjohn1  Send Email to bigjohn1     
Couldn't agree more Kingfish, I think your first paragraph is 100% correct. Another first-hand observer that in many, many situations, a $25 "fin" does alot of good for a given boat/motor combination and a given useage of the boat. In my current use of one, it allow me to achieve planing at a slower speed in the ocean while trolling.
fishgutz posted 06-22-2006 09:11 PM ET (US)     Profile for fishgutz  Send Email to fishgutz     
Just a note. Honda outboards offers what they call an SST Hydrofoil (Doel-fin) as an accessory. And Edgewater uses a doel-fin on one of their boats in the performance section.

I think you will be seeing lots of them (actually I see lots of them now)in the future with these heavy motors they're making nowadays.

I use a foil called a Tigershark VG Hydrofoil on a 14 Dauntless with a 75 Merc. What a remarkable difference. I was VERY pessimistic at first . I had trouble getting my fat butt out of the water on skis. Now it's not a problem at all. Planes out at a much lower speed. Cruises much smoother now. Awesome in a chop. I wouldn't be without one.

David Livingstone posted 06-24-2006 04:37 PM ET (US)     Profile for David Livingstone  Send Email to David Livingstone     
I installed a Stingray Hydrofoil http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/montauk1998/detail?.dir=4bb6&.dnm=9e94. jpg&.src=ph to give me some stern lift to off set my motors, stern seat and passangers http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/montauk1998/detail?.dir=7165&.dnm=75c0. jpg&.src=ph


The best $49 and 15 minutes to install that I've spent on my Montauk to date.

:)

David

littleblue posted 06-24-2006 05:09 PM ET (US)     Profile for littleblue  Send Email to littleblue     
I have Doel-fins on my 1991 Outrage 19 that has twin Yamaha 70hp engines. I installed them after my first fishing trip off of the central California coast for Salmon. On that day I had four grown men on board and was heading into a good 3-5 foot chop plus some swell as well as wind. I could NOT hold a plane at a resonable speed and was just plowing along all the way up to the fishing grounds. Too much speed would send me launching up the wave face and the ride was much too harsh, so I decided to install the fins.

I put a set of fins on each engine which made the plane rpm drop significantly. However, recently I had done some testing w/ new stainless steeel Stiletto props because mine did not have sufficient pitch. During this time I decied to look over the transom while someone else was driving to see if the fins were dragging. Because I had twins, the outside fin of each prop were dragging significantly in the water. So I took the outside fins off and did some more speed testing.

The results were good. I gained 1-3mph at various rpms vs. the same rpm w/ both fins installed while keeping the minimum plane speed.

I recently took off the inside fins as well to see how it handled and it was good but when heading into big waves (even with a light load) I just cannot keep that plane speed down, even with full trim down.

In a perfect world I would only install the fins when planning to fish the ocean, while keeping them off in the bay/lakes.

I wonder if I could use a "quick release" method to remove/install the fins at will. I was thinking instead of a screw and nut to secure them, I could use a pin w/ a hole drilled into it and a locking pin (don't know proper term for it) similer to that of a trailer hitch on a car.

JayR posted 06-24-2006 05:16 PM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
David,
How do you like that skeg guard?
Hoosier posted 06-24-2006 06:04 PM ET (US)     Profile for Hoosier  Send Email to Hoosier     
I copied this out of the thread about my Outragte V-20 and how this improved the overall performance. I thought that these comments were relevant to this thread.
" I did add a hydrofoil and that stopped the bow rise and the porpoising, the boat even is more stable in a chop. I used "The Edge" from CoBRA Marine, it's an all metal, one piece, design that mounts under the cavitation plate. I had it's smaller version, "the Angler" on my Montauk and it worked just as well. Both foils are designed with a slight downward bend on the rear edge, so it acts like a flap and lifts the stern, keeping the bow down."
( Photos of the install on my Montauk ar available)
David Livingstone posted 06-24-2006 10:24 PM ET (US)     Profile for David Livingstone  Send Email to David Livingstone     
JayR, I like the Skeg Guard. I had put it on after I installed the 13 1/4 X 19 SS Prop. The old skeg had done it's share of launch ramp rubs, etc. and I required more protection for my new prop. Another 15 minute installation job.

David

JayR posted 06-25-2006 10:01 AM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
I sent them an email as I cannot find the E-TEC listed in the list yet. I hope it is available as I have already nicked it.

As mentioned in other posts, I run shallow rocky areas...... I was not exaggerating.

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