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Author Topic:   First Real Outing for Dauntless 16

skred posted 07-06-2004 10:57 AM ET (US)
Just got back from 10 days vacation with my 16 Dauntless and my daughter (notice the order of importance?). Cruised and fished every day - probably put 30-40 hours on the boat. I am totally pleased with the performance and the layout of this boat. Handled seas up to 4 feet without a bounce or whimper, never shipped a drop of water, even in the face of a 30 mph "breeze". Totally comfortable, and the 90 Honda sipped gas. Nearly as I can calculate, I used 13 gallons of gas, but I did a lot of trolling... Top speed was 35.5 with 45 gallons of fuel, a lot of gear and 2 persons. The motor is still on the lowest mounting hole, and it does "nose up" some when starting up. Going to raise it 2 holes this week, in time for the Door County Rendezvous.... Will post some pics of trip and my bimini installaton on my web page or Photobucket when I get a chance. Met 3 Whaler owners at the gas station in Sister Bay. They knew nothing about CW, so I did some P.R. for CW and invited them to the rendezvous. Since they're local, they just might show up...

ocuyler posted 07-06-2004 12:27 PM ET (US)
Sounds like terrific fun. I have a 2003 w/ 115 4s. I moved the motor up one hole and the porposing improved, but not the bow rise. I installed a "StingRay" foil and it was a HUGE improvement. The bow rise was gone and she now stays on plane at 13 MPH.
I would suggest reconsidering raising the motor more than one hole if you ever have kids or people in the bow, as this lifts the stern and it can be difficult to keep the prop in the water in a following sea or in turns.
You do have to love this little boat... Like my teenager said last weekend "and, like, WHY? would you ever sell this boat?"
Enjoy the rest of the summer.
skred posted 07-06-2004 03:10 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try one hole instead of two. I always bring my tools (including drill) along when I go out for more than a day, so, if the improvement is not there with the motor height, I will install a Stingray on the spot. It would be absolutely perfect to plane at 13 mph. Right now, I'm at 4000-4200 rpm, and - into the wind - it comes off plane at that speed. I'm guessing about 20-24 mph. One thing that might affect this plan is that my '99 has the "notch" in the hull at the stern. I don't really think it should make a difference, however.
Marlin posted 07-06-2004 03:11 PM ET (US)
Skred,
Glad you had a great time. I wouldn't raise the motor 2 holes unless you have some testing time before your Door County trip. Like ocuyler, when I raised my Merc 115 4-stroke by 2 holes I got way too much ventilation on turns and in chop, and insufficient trim-up authority. Assuming the Honda's length and mounting holes are similar to the Merc's, 2 holes may be too much unless you're running a surface-capable prop like a Laser II, Rapture, or Stiletto.
I put an SE Sport 200 foil on this spring, and it has dramatically improved handling in almost every way, including reducing bow rise and dropping my minimum planing speed from about 20 MPH to about 15 MPH. If I were to do it again, I'd either put on the slightly larger Sport 300 or go with the Grand Isle Marine Turbo-Lift to avoid the drilling. The 200 looked big in the box, but not so big on the engine. In any event, you're unlikely to be disappointed by adding the foil of your choice.
-Bob
skred posted 07-07-2004 11:28 AM ET (US)
Bob, Thanks for the observations. I think the mounting holes are similar: about 1.5 inch center-to-center. I figured that if I put a StingRay on it, and decided to remove it later, I could put a round-head bolt thru the holes in the AV plate from the bottom side and a self-locking nut on top, and not suffer any cosmetic or performance hits. Been hearing great things about the Turbo-Lift, however - even if it does look clunky...

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Author	Topic: First Real Outing for Dauntless 16
skred	posted 07-06-2004 10:57 AM ET (US) Just got back from 10 days vacation with my 16 Dauntless and my daughter (notice the order of importance?). Cruised and fished every day - probably put 30-40 hours on the boat. I am totally pleased with the performance and the layout of this boat. Handled seas up to 4 feet without a bounce or whimper, never shipped a drop of water, even in the face of a 30 mph "breeze". Totally comfortable, and the 90 Honda sipped gas. Nearly as I can calculate, I used 13 gallons of gas, but I did a lot of trolling... Top speed was 35.5 with 45 gallons of fuel, a lot of gear and 2 persons. The motor is still on the lowest mounting hole, and it does "nose up" some when starting up. Going to raise it 2 holes this week, in time for the Door County Rendezvous.... Will post some pics of trip and my bimini installaton on my web page or Photobucket when I get a chance. Met 3 Whaler owners at the gas station in Sister Bay. They knew nothing about CW, so I did some P.R. for CW and invited them to the rendezvous. Since they're local, they just might show up...
ocuyler	posted 07-06-2004 12:27 PM ET (US) Sounds like terrific fun. I have a 2003 w/ 115 4s. I moved the motor up one hole and the porposing improved, but not the bow rise. I installed a "StingRay" foil and it was a HUGE improvement. The bow rise was gone and she now stays on plane at 13 MPH. I would suggest reconsidering raising the motor more than one hole if you ever have kids or people in the bow, as this lifts the stern and it can be difficult to keep the prop in the water in a following sea or in turns. You do have to love this little boat... Like my teenager said last weekend "and, like, WHY? would you ever sell this boat?" Enjoy the rest of the summer.
skred	posted 07-06-2004 03:10 PM ET (US) Thanks for the suggestion. I will try one hole instead of two. I always bring my tools (including drill) along when I go out for more than a day, so, if the improvement is not there with the motor height, I will install a Stingray on the spot. It would be absolutely perfect to plane at 13 mph. Right now, I'm at 4000-4200 rpm, and - into the wind - it comes off plane at that speed. I'm guessing about 20-24 mph. One thing that might affect this plan is that my '99 has the "notch" in the hull at the stern. I don't really think it should make a difference, however.
Marlin	posted 07-06-2004 03:11 PM ET (US) Skred, Glad you had a great time. I wouldn't raise the motor 2 holes unless you have some testing time before your Door County trip. Like ocuyler, when I raised my Merc 115 4-stroke by 2 holes I got way too much ventilation on turns and in chop, and insufficient trim-up authority. Assuming the Honda's length and mounting holes are similar to the Merc's, 2 holes may be too much unless you're running a surface-capable prop like a Laser II, Rapture, or Stiletto. I put an SE Sport 200 foil on this spring, and it has dramatically improved handling in almost every way, including reducing bow rise and dropping my minimum planing speed from about 20 MPH to about 15 MPH. If I were to do it again, I'd either put on the slightly larger Sport 300 or go with the Grand Isle Marine Turbo-Lift to avoid the drilling. The 200 looked big in the box, but not so big on the engine. In any event, you're unlikely to be disappointed by adding the foil of your choice. -Bob
skred	posted 07-07-2004 11:28 AM ET (US) Bob, Thanks for the observations. I think the mounting holes are similar: about 1.5 inch center-to-center. I figured that if I put a StingRay on it, and decided to remove it later, I could put a round-head bolt thru the holes in the AV plate from the bottom side and a self-locking nut on top, and not suffer any cosmetic or performance hits. Been hearing great things about the Turbo-Lift, however - even if it does look clunky...