Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

My 1994 Z212 w-350 MAG seems to be lacking a little acceleration, I have tried several different props, and found one that get's my RPM's right however I would still like more acceleration. Any input would be helpful.

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

I would suggest the nauticus smart tabs. You probably wont hear any positives regarding the hydrofoils. I installed smart tabs on my boat and it made my great riding/handling boat an excellent riding/handling boat. I've also noticed a significant gain in gas mileage.... I could be wrong, but it looks as if I've almost gained a 40% increase in mileage. I'm also going to step back up to a 19p prop from my 17p, as I dont need the 17p to get up on plane now. The tabs bring it out of the water instantly. I even went out with my two kids, wife, and three other adults today.... and I didn't have to shuffle people front to back to plane (smart tabs however will not fix list side to side, you'll still need to move people to equal your left/right weights to correct balance) hydraulic tabs will control this though. Smart tabs cannot, but can be manually adjusted for some list, but not while on the move. I did have to shorten two of the bunks on my trailer to accommodate the tabs, but all in all they are an easy install... and put 0 strain on your lower unit since they attach to your Hull.


Whatever you choose, keep us posted, and put up some pictures. I love to see other peoples Mariahs! I actually got to see two on the water today! They are rare here so I love catching up with local boaters on the Ohio river that own them.

Good luck!

Nick

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Nobody in their right mind installs a hydrofoil on a Mariah..... :shakehead: but to answer your question, a hydrofoil will not help your acceleration. Nor will Smart Tabs but they do help you get onto plane faster and maintain your planing at lower speeds in addition to what Nick noted below.

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Please explain the negative impact from a hydrofoil, does it put strain on the outdrive?

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

I've read that they do, and believe most of them require you to drill holes in your lower unit. I wouldn't want to drill and place strain on any of it. My boat, prior to my purchasing it had a complete outdrive installed due to an accident the prior owner had involving a sunken log or rocks. I spoke to the mechanic that did all the work, which totalled around $4500.00... and in no way would I want to have to replace any of it like the previous owner (who luckily had insurance to cover the accident). He also advised me not to install a hydrofoil either.

Nick

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Yes. You are already attempting to lift the rear end of a 2500lbs+ boat with something attached to your cavitation plate then you drill 4 holes in your cavitation plate which weakens it further. Too much strain and then a failure of the cavitation plate can result. I've now seen this happen on 3 occasions. Mercruiser also does not recommend their use on their outdrives.

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

The Hydro Foil I looked at did not install by drilling holes it was a clamp design, I know it sounds like you would loose the thing but that was installed on another boat. I do agree I don't really want to install one on my boat however I would like to get more power out of it and without doing major motor work, so anyone have any other ideas?:yes_grin:

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Neither a hydrofoil nor Smart Tabs will give you "more power". They are simply designed to get you on plane faster and hold you there longer at lower speeds. The Smart Tabs come with a few added benefits of low speed wander control & stability at high speed. The hydrofoil does neither of those and puts significant added stress on your cavitation plate as well as looking butt ugly. But....its your boat & your call.

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

I know all you guys like those smart tabs, but I love my FX Ultra hydro fin system. I put one on my brand new Maxum way back in 1995, I ran it for 15 years no problems ever, it made that boat come out of the water like you couldn't belive. Never had to replace the outdrive, and it saw tons of use over 15 years, I suspect that boat had well over 1500 hours when I sold it.

I bought my 1996 200 Shabah last fall, took it to the lake and it was a dog out of the hole, I was sick thinking what the hell did I just buy. Came home and ordered the same FX Ultra fin system, put them on and it was an instant grin from ear to ear when I floored it at the lake.

One other side note, I would rather drill 4 holes in my cavitation plate, then 12 holes in my fiberglass below the waterline for smart tabs. I'm sure I'll get lots of negative coments from this post, but the way I see it, It's my boat and I plan to keep her for many years, I don't want any more holes drilled in the transom, the holes for the fishfinder were enough.

So in my 16 years with the FX Ultra fins, and never having a problem with the outdrive I'll stick with it.

By the way it is a very nice step to get into the boat if you don't feel like pulling the ladder down. My wife and I use it all the time to climb into the boat from the lake.

People talk about the stress that the cavitation plate see's when adding a hydrofoil. Give me a break it's plastic. Think about how much stress is already on the outdrive when you floor it, and 300 horses are spinning a prop and propelling the boat out of the hole.

I'm heading to Flaming Gorge tomorrow for the next 11 days, so I'll respond to any comments when I get back.

Nothing but smiles from my Hydrofoil. :):):):):):):):):):):wink_thumbup::wink_thumbup:

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Thats very intresting to hear that's the entire reason why I posted this I wanted feedback, MikeyT if you have any other suggestions please let me know, but this is what I was told from a friend of mine that has a hydrofoil on his brand bew searay. I love my boat once it get's plained out but I want help getting it up out of the hole when pulling or crusing. THANKS FOR THE INPUT

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

I've personally seen 3 cavitation plates fractured and all were attributable to the hydrofoils that were installed. Scuby has obviously had a different personal experience. As i said...its your boat, your money and your call.

Re: Hydrofoil?? Do They HELP?
 

Holeshot I would go with dart 2 sportman alum heads with a a victor jr alum high rise and demon carb 750 should do it might want an 800 though with alum exhaust aswell the saved weight and the extra hp should launch np. If its still sluggish a 250 shot nitro shot should do it. Rough guess off the top I would say you shold be pushing low 400hp easily with out the nos....ooops j/k forgot its not a race car disreguard ;)