Engine height - The Hull Truth

markt111 · 08-09-2005, 05:32 PM

boat is a 30" Scarab center console, chine walks at 60MPH , i think my motors are way to deep (9 1/2" from the hull to the nose) boat runs at about 6000-6500 lbs,

Another weird thing is no bracket on my boat, most of these boats had a bracket, maybe the V8s were so heavy they mounted them direct to the stern back then (wellcraft couldn't tell me why) any insight ??

also think my speed would go up with the motors higher!!! which wouldn't bother me at all

what height are all of you running in your boats? more concerned with the performance hulls!

iron banks · 08-09-2005, 08:38 PM

What engines you running on that hull. Generally the higher you go the more rpm's you can turn. Then you hit the point where you start losing bite and performance suffers. Also water pressure is a factor as you go higher. Chine walk means you are getting excellent lift already and going high may make the problem worse. There is a technique for driving with chine walk but I never got good at it and ran just below those speeds.

ken2 · 08-09-2005, 09:47 PM

Where is the cavitation plate in regards to the transom currently.

markt111 · 08-10-2005, 07:55 AM

cav plate is about 1 1/2" below the hull, running johnson 250 HP V8s, I heard that running to deep can cause the chine walk issue as it raises the stern and puts the nose in making the stern loose, I have water pressure gauges and all is well there since the motors are extremely deep, if i raise them i will keep an eye on it

ken2 · 08-10-2005, 09:12 AM

Well I think the rule of thumb, is the cavitation plate can be 1 inch higher then the transom, for every 12 inches back.
You said your 9 inches back, so I would say you can lift that motor up 2 inches from where it is. That would put you 1/2 inch above the transom.

2 inches is a lot,
I imagine that would change your performance quite a bit.

Just make sure to watch that water pressure.