need a trim/tilt lesson

Chris S.

Chris S.

Well-known member
I am putting the sneakbox back in the water tomorrow and wand to get the motor in the best position. I have a 14degree motor board so the motor is straight up and down. It sits a bit low so I will be putting a 1.5 inch block to shim. What about tilt. What am I looking for the boat to do to know its in a good spot. Thanks this is kinda new to me
 
Chris with a BBSB most of the time you want the motor angled in as far as possible to help keep the bow down. Also put anything heavy in the bow for the same reason. You will most likely reach hull speed pretty easily, then it's a matter of finding most efficient throttle position.


Best bet is to experiment with different loads, motor positions, etc
 
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I keep my motors tilt as close to the stern as possible and I put my gas tank in the bow, both help the boat plane easier and get the bow down. If it still wont go down, you may want to consider adding a dol-fin on your motors cavitation plate.
 
thanks guys I plan on tucking the tank under the front deck I have a 3gal tank so that's like 25lbs and putting the weight foward to keep the bow down. I was also thinkng about strapping my decoy bags on the front deck when running.
 
Put one of those wing things on the lower unit, I had one on my Sam Hunt sneakbox and 3 buddies have it on theirs. You wil see a big different in how the boat handles. Its like a trimtab.
 
Put one of those wing things on the lower unit, I had one on my Sam Hunt sneakbox and 3 buddies have it on theirs. You wil see a big different in how the boat handles. Its like a trimtab.

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I think I read somewhere that those fins aren't safe to go on a displacement hull. Not sure but I think that's what I read. I have seen poeple with them on a displacement hull BBSB.
 
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They act as an "underwater wing", which gives lift to the stern of the boat, thus bringing the bow down...
 
Chris,

Here is a photo of the hydrofoil I use on my BBSB and how it is positioned. It has worked great. Keeps the bow down and gets me a bit more speed. Never have had any issues with it.
2manBBSBmotormountlookingatstern.jpg

2manBBSBmotormountwithcavitationplate.jpg

Here is a link to Overton's :
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=36483&pdesc=SE_Sport_200_Hydrofoil_fits_8_hp_40_hp_engines
 
I have a general question about the idea behind adding that to your lower unit. Isn't the whole idea of the bbsb to keep the bow really high so you don't spear waves? It's a small boat that goes slowly and bobs up over the waves right? Again, I don't hunt where one is necessary, but I am curious about that. Sorry if I've stuck my nose in where I shouldn't! (It happens a lot)

Scott
 
Scott,

That's a good point. With the added horse power and rocker on some of the BBSB's the bow tends to ride very high. The hydro foil helps to gain better control but still keeps the bow up. It's just something you have to play with to get the boat dialed in.
 
Forgive another uninformed nose . . . .

I've never seen a BBSB, much less ridden in one. But it seems to me that the traditional (displacement) designs were intended to be rowed or sailed, and that designs changed as low powered outboards began to be introduced, and are continuing to change as folks put more horsepower on the stern and tweak the hulls to plane.

Is that about right?
 
Yeah you are right the first BBSB were sailed or rowed. Then people put motor boards on them (displacement hulls) that is what I have. I won't be winning any races with my sneakbox but the bow does ride up high to pop over the chop when need be to get me home safe. I power mt BBSB with a 9.8 merc and it seems to work well not to heavy and when i put the tank under the front deck and rin standing up a foward as I can i think she will ride the was she needs to. Every Boat is different and by moving motor up/down or tilted and weight foward you can get it dialed as good as it's gonna get. My motor sits lower then i would like about 3in. and i can only shim so high so before next season i will redo my motor board and move it up. For this season i will shim up about 1.5 inches and put most of the weight foward and call it good. Thanks for the input fellas.
 
I have a general question about the idea behind adding that to your lower unit. Isn't the whole idea of the bbsb to keep the bow really high so you don't spear waves? It's a small boat that goes slowly and bobs up over the waves right? Again, I don't hunt where one is necessary, but I am curious about that. Sorry if I've stuck my nose in where I shouldn't! (It happens a lot)

Scott
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if you need the bow up than just slow down. The only reason guys take a beating or have a wet ride is because they are going to fast. Where I hunt in the gsb we have to cross 2 plus miles to get to the start of the marsh (My usual run from dock to spot is about 6 to 8 miles) when it gets nasty from the west blowing 25 to 40 you really won't be dry in any boat especialy running north to south which we have to do. Your not being nosey, you learn something new everyday.
 
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if you need the bow up than just slow down. The only reason guys take a beating or have a wet ride is because they are going to fast. Where I hunt in the gsb we have to cross 2 plus miles to get to the start of the marsh (My usual run from dock to spot is about 6 to 8 miles) when it gets nasty from the west blowing 25 to 40 you really won't be dry in any boat especialy running north to south which we have to do. Your not being nosey, you learn something new everyday.
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This is exactly right. The beauty of a good sneakbox is to ride out the weather, you aren't going to set any speed records, but I've hunted on days when the only guys that launched were in sneakboxes and bigger jon boats didn't go.

I'd just be a little careful with the hydrofoils or dolefins as depending on the boat you could catch an edge easier and get thrown out of the boat.


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The only reason a displacement BBSB's bow rides high under power is...it's under power.
When rowed or sailed the bow does not come way out of the water, and it is plenty seaworthy like that, only when it's " over powered" does it sit back on the rocker in the bottom. The natural hull speed of these short displacement vessels is only about 6 mph, trying to force it to plane off, with the bow rising so high is NOT seaworthy and potentially dangerous, they are NOT a planing vessel, and tricks like putting weight forward, or adding planing fins on the motor does not make them a planing vessel. It may help, a lot, but it is not a fix for the inherent design limitations. For that you need a true planing hull which is fast, efficient and just as seaworthy.

I know this is heresy on this board, but it is what it is.
 
I have a general question about the idea behind adding that to your lower unit. Isn't the whole idea of the bbsb to keep the bow really high so you don't spear waves? It's a small boat that goes slowly and bobs up over the waves right? Again, I don't hunt where one is necessary, but I am curious about that. Sorry if I've stuck my nose in where I shouldn't! (It happens a lot)

Scott
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if you need the bow up than just slow down. The only reason guys take a beating or have a wet ride is because they are going to fast. Where I hunt in the gsb we have to cross 2 plus miles to get to the start of the marsh (My usual run from dock to spot is about 6 to 8 miles) when it gets nasty from the west blowing 25 to 40 you really won't be dry in any boat especialy running north to south which we have to do. Your not being nosey, you learn something new everyday. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Scott, You bring up a good point and that is the purpose of how the BBSB rides, bow high to get up and over sloppy seas. However, when seas are flat and you want to go a bit faster it helps to be able to get the bow down. I love the way my boat rides at slow speeds and in heavy seas. I feel very safe being out in conditions that most guys would not think of going out in. I hunt the same waters as Tim R and it can get down right nasty making the crossing to the barrier islands. Thats where the BBSB style of boat is great. However, on those days when it is calm and you need to cover more ground quickly it is nice to be able to get a bit more speed out of the boat with the hydrofoil. I don't worry about catching an edge because I'm not running at break neck speeds. These boats will only go so fast by design. More horse power does not always equal more speed. All in all, you still have to know the boats limits and your limits as the operator. Safety should always be number one on the list.
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The only reason a displacement BBSB's bow rides high under power is...it's under power.
When rowed or sailed the bow does not come way out of the water, and it is plenty seaworthy like that, only when it's " over powered" does it sit back on the rocker in the bottom. The natural hull speed of these short displacement vessels is only about 6 mph, trying to force it to plane off, with the bow rising so high is NOT seaworthy and potentially dangerous, they are NOT a planing vessel, and tricks like putting weight forward, or adding planing fins on the motor does not make them a planing vessel. It may help, a lot, but it is not a fix for the inherent design limitations. For that you need a true planing hull which is fast, efficient and just as seaworthy.

I know this is heresy on this board, but it is what it is.
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Well said George. Truth be told, as you know my boat is a modified semi displacement hull with a lot of rocker but still not a planing hull. You have seen the way my boat rides. I think I have found a good compromise between the two.
 
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