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2003 25 Open Contender twin 200 HPDIs. Stock 21 Yamaha Props. Lenco Trim Tabs. Motors mounted in 2nd highest position. All Freshwater use (95+% Lake Erie).
I've had the boat new since July 2003. Overall I'm extremely pleased with the boat, but based on my archive searches and a few conversations / emails with other 25 Contender owners, I believe the reverse transom wedges will cure the only "problem" with my boat. In anything above 3 foot waves I can hardly trim the motors up at all - and even with the motors trimmed all the way down I get significant cavitation. Worst is running in any kind of following sea - motors trimmed all the way down I can barely keep props in the water if I try to run the boat with much speed. I've tried lots of different trim tab / motor trim combinations. My dealer is currently checking out my options but I wanted to get some feedback from those that have "been there and done it." Mostly interested in differences from someone that has ran a 25 with and without the wedges.
Couple basic questions - are there different options in terms of the amount of degrees of the wedges?
What should I expect to pay for the wedges themselves and the labor to remount the engines?
Anything I'm forgetting to ask? The most detailed info I found in the archives was a post by forum member grin - you also have an email from me.
i had a 23 contender with same problem--the fix is simply lower your engines. contender are set up for speed. i tried a 4 blade prop and it was worst. i lowered engine and gained 5 mph at same rpm and it stayed locked up in some rough water- cost no money just time getting the 5200 to turn lose so i could do the drop. richard
I fish with a friend on his 25 contender every week. There is no doubt that the wedges are the answer. The boat rides and performs 100% better that without the wedges, especially in a 3-4 ft sea. Go get them, you will be pleased.
Call Fred Herman at 305.667.0135. Fred is the "originator" of the transom wedges. He has placed them on countless boats. I am certain that he will talk with you about them.
He is super busy right now but he might be able to ship a pair up to you. Tell him Jim Perry said to call you.
I find it strange that you have problems with cavitation in the 2nd position. My buddy has a 25 and thats where his motors sat with no cavitation problems what so ever. He added the trim wedges just to get the bounce out of the bow as most all Contender's do. We have a 27 and moved the motors in the top position and have had no problems with cavitation either. We also added the wedges to control the bounce. The difference in both boats was night and day. Contender should make trim wedges standard from the factory. The boat performs 100% better in all conditions. I'm sure if you leave your motor's in the 2nd position and add the wedges, it will solve your cavitation problems as well.
I know you can order an aluminium pair from Land & Sea and I belive they are around $100 to $200. We had a custom one piece fiberglass one made with more angle in it than most. I believe it cost around $300. Whatever it costs it is definitely worth it!
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Sounds like the wedges are definitely in my future.
JB03 - I'll try sending you a message in your tackle box, but where did you get the custom ones made and how much of an angle do yours have?
I am also going to look into moving some of my heavier "stuff" into the forward 400Qt fishbox / storage area. I know the saltwater guys load this up with a lot of weight in ice and big fish. I've got light stuff like lifejackets, tackle, etc stored here.
I had the wedges on my 27 and at one time took them off. After a short ride I immediately had them put back on. They make a big difference. I believe they cost around $300???
Transom wedges only really allow for more trim in. Under normal running trim should allow you to run the ventilation plate even with the surface of the water or a little above. This seems to me to be a band aid approach. I would call Contender see what they have to say.. Running with more trim in will reduce your fuel economy and most probably your performance. I bet a little more cup would help! When you say stock props do you mean the Yamaha black SS or the Saltwater Series polished prop?
Actually Kevin they improve performance, there are a bunch of Contenders out there running these things. They allow you to bring the bow down further by providing more negative trim. That allow you to run less tab in rough water which is good. They also allow you to trim the motors up higher when running in calm water which translates into better performance as there is less drag in the water from the motors.
One of the first things I noticed about my 25 contender was the tendency for the bow to always be bouncing in any kind of chop at all. The tabs do little to make it better and if I forget to pull them back up before I take off I really get a suprise! I will definately be getting the wedges soon.
__________________ At least when Texans retire to Florida we don't wear black socks with our sandals!
Have you considered trying Permatrims to stop your cavitation problems and better trim control so your don't have to tuck your motors under so much, They will hold more water around your props so they won't suck in so much air. Also check the height of your cav plates to your hull.
I have 4 blades props (19" Revolution 4s) on my 25 Contender. It definitely ventilates less than it did with the 3 blades I had before (Yamaha Saltwater Series 21"). It had the added advantage of allowing me to plane at lower speeds which helps in a steep chop. I still do get some porpoising though, so I am considering getting the wedges too.
I am not understanding something here. If a boat has a tendancy to bow bounce and needs tabs just to keep the bow down the motor is not mounted right (my guess it is too high). Using tabs or wedges can't be the manufacturers answer is it? If you have to use tabs for normal running conditions you are dragging down speed and increasing fuel burn. Although I hear the wedges seem to work they only allow negative trim putting the cavitation plate at a down angle to pick up the stern and push down the bow. Has anyone tried mounting one hole down? The boat either has a design problem or everyone is taking the bass boat mentality and trying to mount the engine too high thinking it will be faster. Something is wrong here IMO.
Sleeper I'm with you, don't see how the wedges allow calm water performance increase. Can see it in rough or choppy water since you are tucking in the prop more to keep it from ventilating. I wonder if it really is a direct result of Contenders light weight. One would think that these wedges in calm water as long as you can trim to the same angle prior to the wedge install would lend itself to any more calm water performance increase.
Actually Kevin they improve performance, there are a bunch of Contenders out there running these things. They allow you to bring the bow down further by providing more negative trim. That allow you to run less tab in rough water which is good. They also allow you to trim the motors up higher when running in calm water which translates into better performance as there is less drag in the water from the motors.
Kirk
Kirk, have you done anything to fine tune the engine position on your 31? I had an interesting coversation at the W-S SWF Club meeting last night about fine tuning engine postion with wedges and camber to get more speed. Just curious if you had tried anything yet?....Course, with those 300's you may have all you need....
Quote:
The Boat Guy
One of the first things I noticed about my 25 contender was the tendency for the bow to always be bouncing in any kind of chop at all. The tabs do little to make it better and if I forget to pull them back up before I take off I really get a suprise! I will definately be getting the wedges soon.
----- nomoreviruses@theboatbuyer.com
Boat Guy, what happened to the 29 Sea Vee? Weren't you going to buy one of them? Did you change your mind and decide to go Contender? Just curious. It's been a few days since I've had a chance to follow the board.
I have mounted my 225 Yams on my 2000 25 Contender in every hole without wedeges and once I found out about wedges I installed them with the engines as high as the holes would allow and the boat works excellent now. Without wedges and in the factory mounted second hole closest to as high as they can be mounted the boat runs very good in calm conditions and may porpoise a hair. Lowering the engines cretes more porpoising , but makes the boat run superior in normal semi rough seas. To fix both problems the wedges allow mounting the engines high enough to eliminate porpoising in calm conditions and enough negative trim to eliminate cavitaion problems in semi rough seas. I have the Land and Sea aluminum wedges I bought for $69 a pair. Contender sells wedges, but I'm not sure what kind. Fred Herman wanted $300 a motor for fiberglass wedges. If the ones Fred sells have a hair more angle they would be better and worth the extra, but the Land and Sea ones do the job. I though they were the same angle but a few extra degrees would help even a hair more. Any which way they don't help calm condition performance at all, or actually high speeds in rough water doesn't benefit either. But for normal 2-4 ft seas and trying to get a decent ride at around 15-25 knots they make a huge difference, and that is where my boat spends more than half it time running. I also know of a few Hydrasports boats that had to install these. Get them they work.
Not yet. The only negative I have seen so far with the 31 with the 300's has been that I am consuming more fuel than I expected. Not a big deal as it is 1.2 overall versus 1.3 on my 27. I thought the dif technology would compensate for the larger motors/boat more than it has. Part of the reason may relate to motor setup as I am running more tab than I would have expected. The other part is the 250's seemed to have a wider rpm band that fuel economy remained good. I could run the 250's up to 4700 and still get 1.4 to 1.5 mpg. That is not the case with the 31/300 combo. Pretty much everything over 4300 all the way up to just short of wide open will get me 1.2 mpg (these numbers are fully loaded). I did not put the wedges on the 31 but am wondering if that might help. I also am going to look at what hole I running (I believe it is #2), that might be something to consider. It might take me a few months to get it all figured out.
I have a 2000 25' Contender, twin 200 EFI's. I have had the bounce or porposeing problem from the begining. My dealer has ran it in Lake Monroe, and said it's fine, but I have been complaining that I bounce even in 1' seas and worse in 2' seas. Sometimes between the tabs and the trim, I get it going fine but after a short distance, it will bounce and then go into mild porposing. Sometimes I feel like I bounce over every wave on the way in. Like everyone else, I like the boat, but this bounce gets to be embarassing in 1-2' seas. I mentioned this problem to a Contender rep at the Jacksonville boat show, early this year. He asked me what year my 25 was and said I should get the dealer to try wedges. I asked him why Contender hasn't done something about this and he said the newer model 25's have more angle to the transom. So you might want to check on this if you have a newer Contender model.
My question is, who can I take my boat to and have the wedges installed properly? I considered calling Contender and asking them is they would install the wedges for me. (I would expect to pay, but I won't be happy doing so.) My initial investment, including accessories and insurance was over $90K. I have had two or three conversations with the Factory about the problem in the past, and they have sent me back to the dealer, but they did call him. My last trip there for checking the bounce problem also included some routine service and I thought the bill was out of line. I did complain and got an adjustment, but I have lost confidence in the dealer service and they probably don't care to see me again either.
I live in North Florida, but I would pull the boat to South Fla, if I had someone that would do the job right. Any reccomendations? Any input appreciated. Thanks.
Skipjack
Transom Wedges on 25 Contender 
