Strator boat trim solution

[Kermit]

I bought a 96 Stratos 278 w/ 150 Evinrude w/ Raker prop. My wife & I worked on it all summer to get rejuvenated. I've not a a boat with motor trim before, and notice that all the weight seems to be in the rear. I think bow rise is too high at slower speeds-plowing, and am wondering where approximately to set for slow speeds. Not had much time in the water yet so they may all just take getting used to... thanks for any help! 

[BassBUFF]

Morning Kermit and welcome to the board! Congrats on the boat, I really love my Stratos.

You confused me a little when you said the bow rise is to high and referenced plowing, did you mean porpoising (the bow rises and falls on a steady rythym)? Plowing is just the opposite of bow rise being too high, in other words, the bow is low and pushing through the water like a plow would through dirt.

When you start from a dead stop the motor should be trimmied all the way in, trim gauge needle should be at the bottom of the gauge. Throttle up and the bow will start to rise. When the bow starts to break over (fall back down) you need to start trimming the motor up slowly. This will start to make the bow rise again and put the boat on plane. Keep trimming the motor up a little bit at a time until you're running on the pad (last third of the bottom of the boat). If the bow starts porpoising again, you've went too far up on the trim, you need to bring it back in. Every boat handles a little differently so you'll have to get used to what yours likes.

Hope this helps. Remember, keep your PFD on while the big motor is running!

[nlareau]

When you are going slow you need to trim it all the way in (down).  You might like what a hydrofoil does for the boat at low speeds. I put on an SE 300 and it really lowers the bow at slow speeds and keeps it from porpoising at  mid speeds.