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Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:38 pm
by billyman
I love reading these forums, they're so informative and entertaining. Thanks to all the contributors...

Anyway, on to my question: I keep seeing over and over about people getting their 'toons up on plane. I have a 20' w/ a 70 hp Suzuki (DF70) w/ a 13p prop. My toon does about 22mph, but I don't think it ever planes out. Based on everyone's experience, should my rig be planing out? Or do I not have enough power to do so?

Oh, one more bit of info... I replaced an old 70hp Force 2-stroke w/ this Suzuki & the Suz weighs a lot more than the force which puts the back-end deeper in the water. When I'm cruising @ WOT, is it better to have most people in the back? Or should they be equally placed between the front & rear?

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:09 pm
by margaritaman
You will not plane out unless you have lifting strakes attached to the pontoons.

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:38 pm
by lakerunner
Or BMR fins

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 3:57 pm
by hotairgypsy
i found these on CL. Are they the same thing as lifting strakes

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/boa/1841782924.html

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:53 pm
by OlJim
I would say yes.

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:01 pm
by tkrein
didnt i read some wear that to benifit from strakes you need at least a 90 or above. o and if you have warrenty on your toons welding anything to them with out the manufacture you will void warrenty

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:54 pm
by margaritaman
The 90 rule was sort of stated because to make the boat plane on strakes you must be hitting 20mph and over and a lot of toons with less horse power cannot go over 20 mph.

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:39 am
by BassFrequency
margaritaman wrote:The 90 rule was sort of stated because to make the boat plane on strakes you must be hitting 20mph and over and a lot of toons with less horse power cannot go over 20 mph.
my 60hp must be rare then :biggrin2
hotairgypsy wrote:i found these on CL. Are they the same thing as lifting strakes

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/boa/1841782924.html
wow that sounds a bit steep :shock:

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:54 am
by Bamby
By on plain the prevalent thought or measurement is the boat having enough oomph, to get somewhat up on top of the water like the boat pictured below.
Jim's Pontoon Boat.jpg
Jim's Pontoon Boat.jpg (179.1 KiB) Viewed 7122 times
This boat is equipped with strakes, and powered by a 225 HP Honda. A person has to remember that a pontoon hull is a displacement hull by design. But given technology such as strakes, and enough horsepower, results very similar to plaining are achievable so much so that folks call it as such. Technology is still advancing in pontoon design, it's going to be interesting to see how much more performance can be squeezed out of them.

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:00 am
by billyman
Thank you all for your input. I have a small "V" that is mounted to the bottom of each log & runs it's length. Are these strakes? Or are they only there to provide rigidity?

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:46 am
by lakerunner
That is a keel strip. Helps with steering control and gives some support

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:28 pm
by mike
I dont have lifting strakes but I do feel my boat getting to a certain speed and then flattening out, which to me seems like its getting up on plane or step. It really takes off when this happens! :nana

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 10:56 am
by billyman
Lakerunner, that's what I figured, thanks for confirming.

Mike, you got that big 115 (well, big compared to my 70-haha).
I'd love to be able to drop a 115 on the back of mine.

Re: Getting up on plane...

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 5:16 pm
by rancherlee
Having the same engine as you and a older 20' pontoon, also I can tell you 22mph is all i could hit with a light load. Around 20mph it started to level out/plane and the motor pod would really struggle to plow through the wake between the toons. I've now added center log with a built in transom and it now levels out/ planes at 14mph with a light load and picks up speed rapidly after that point and runs out at 26-27mph carring the front 1/3 of toons out of the water. About 6-7 people seem to be the breaking point for my 70hp, at that point it doesn't have enough power to level out with my current setup. I plan on building some strakes this winter and weld them onto the center tube only and hope it adds enough lift to level out with 6-7 person load. If not, I think a new Suzuki df90a would give me enough to do it.