j_stud13

Naive or not?
Guys I love the look and layout of my boat but not at all satisfied w/the handling! I've tried 3 blades, a four blade, hydrofoil, tabs, etc and can't get a smooth ride unless I'm trimmed up and over 4500 rpm's.. I started w/a 6.2L and thought the extra tourque/hp of the 496ho mag would be my savior and have enough stuff Kto keep the bow up. Porpoising is a major issue under 4500 rpm's.. Trim tabs retard the height of the porpoise but seem to have reverse affects of whats. Needed. I don't think trimmed all the way down and trim tabs holding the bow of your boat deep in the water is the way a boat was designed to travel.. I've owned other boats and never had this much difficulty finding a sweet spot. It's not relaxing cause I have to "drive" that mother @ all times.. Another issue I have is a very scary hooking when turning.. Like water comes of the top of the tabs or the swip platform and totally throws this boat on its side at slower turning speeds.. And I don't mean it's turning any sharper, but it's just a violent (almost flipping) feeling.. Anyway, as much as I love the look and mid cabin option, this boat has recently been placed on CL and will remain there until sold or something is figured out..
I always wanted a big bad ass powerboat and figured they would have a smooth carefree ride vs a 23' or less speed boat.. Naive?

2tonchevy

hey man!

id def say something is up. that boat shouldnt ride like that. checkmate has been doin this along time and im pretty sure its not a design flaw. but then again i have no experience with your hull. your drive might not be trimmin all the way down/up. your hull may have a hook? your gimble ring could be worn brok??? who knows??

i assume your boat is 27 feetlong? bravo drive? standard trim tabs?

i would check for initial setup and equipment malfunctions. then i would try to add weight/people in the from of the boat and see if thise changes anything.

then i would consider a set of K planes. i think your boat could def use em anyway..they make trimming the boat very easy.

fireguy

Yup, what he said. I would say something is definitely up. I have a 253 which is pretty much the exact same hull as your 270 and it handles very well.

I know a lot of people complain about porpoising, but I finally figured out how to do away with that. I never use my tabs anymore and I get a pretty good relaxing ride most all the time.

I think you need to check all of the things 2tonchevy reccomended and make sure you dont have a serious issue, especially the boat being "thrown" on it's side when turning.

One thing that seems universally true though is most people prefer 4 blades over 3 blades and the Bravo 1 is one of the more popular. With a 496 Mag HO. you might try a 24p B1.

j_stud13

Yeah, bravo 1! I've moved coolers, people, etc and can't get it right.. I was wondering if there is any drive angles, heights, to check... Boat doesn't always hook but at lower speeds trim anywhere it will freak u out when banking! W/tabs up! And yeah I only use a right side tab to keep my boat from torquing when trim is down when I run the 25p mirage 3blade. Everybody's always commenting on how bad my boat bounces from watching me go by. If I'm running wide open say 51-5200 rpm's, it's awsome and runs 65 on gps, drop below 4500, and it will slowly start to porpoise w/trim anywhere.. Up, down, in between and there's no stopping it.. Just open it up and hold on til it calms down.
And I would agree that checkmate hasn't produced boat after boat with the issues I'm having, just searching for any input, hope, I can get. Btw, hi speed turns the boat handles great but the slower speeds when the stern is down is when I get the issue. I actually have a 4 blade 28p that I'm trying right now that I borrowed. It's been worked on and the diameter has been grinded down so I really don't know what it compares too. Still bounced a lot but I loved the take off

j_stud13

Btw, 2ton Chevy, I guess I'll b down your way in a couple of weeks for my 1st poker run party!

2tonchevy

oh yeah? you gnna be on cumberland? well feel free to hit me up! 606 575 0208

we will be in full force im sure. prolly make it into hjarmon creek and stay there till the evening fun begins.

always good to meet cool people! i be in a all red 2800sx twin outboard with gray and red interior. shouldnt be hard to spot! lol

text or call me if ya need any info or advice...or just wanna shoot the ****.

2tonchevy

and by the way:

have you tried leaving the boat trimmed all the way down (drive tucked) from take off? i cant imagine a boat ever porpoising with the drive tucked in>>.....

you may be over trimming at lower speeds. and check to see that your trim gauge/trim system is actually working when under load.

a 28 bravo will be a bit much for you i think...

a 24 bravo would be more up to par i think...and its a stern lifter.

wiseguy

When is this poker run and is it for checkmate only????

82predictor

j stud. i had a 98 253 with a 502 mag that would porpoise anything less than 3400 rpm, more so with more people or gear and only if there was not chop. If there was 1' of chop no problem. I ran a 25p mirage. If i started with the drive tucked all the way in and tabs up i would get up on plane and lower the tabs just a little below level then bump the drive a hair until it was just level or slightly trimmed (you could feel the boat just barely loosen up) and that would take care of the hop.

With more people or more load I would need more tab or more speed. this boat was very finicky about extra people/ weight in the boat and where it was positioned. Boat always ran best with just me or me and the wife in the boat and the porpoise was much less with no weight. if you have 4 or more adults it will ride crappy at slow speed and the more weight you have the worse it will be and the more you need to work the tabs, drive and throttle to keep it riding smooth. running it at 45 mph or more took care of all those problems and the boat handled awesome.

what are you running for tabs? mine had those cheap boat leveler ones that look like they belonged on a grady white not a performance boat. always wondered if a good set of tabs would've helped.

any how, once i figured out how to run it (only took me 3 seasons) it was an awesome boat, wish i still had it!

2tonchevy

hi!

its sept 8th.

and its for anybody. its a really good run.