Back to the main site

trim setting on a pontoon boat?

Y

youghpirate

Member
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Location
southwest pa.
hello everyone. i baught my first pontoon last summer, a 2011 benny 20 sli. it has a 50 hp evinrude with power trim.

since this is my first pontoon i have a question for the trim setting. last summer i took a portable GPS unit out with me one weekend to see what speed vs. throttle position vs. trim setting seemed to work the best for me. i found that around 3/4 throttle i was going around 17-18 mph. adjusting the trim did not seem to make much of a difference in speed or the sound of the motor (more or less of a load on the motor). now if i opened it up completley to full throttle it could reach 19 mph. im not really concerned with speed, thats why i sold my ski boat in favor of a pontoon. my SLI does not have lifting strakes. so this is where im seeking some advice/guidance. where should the trim be set at? is it as critical on a pontoon as a ski boat? i have read the correct setting is wherever the motor sits at a 90 degree angle to the water (straight up and down)when the boat is running. the only thing i did have happen a couple of times was cavitation of the prop, obviously from having the trim set too high. so any insight would really help.

thank you in advance.
 
I have the 20 sfi with yamaha 70 on it.Running with the engine trimmed straight up and down seems to work the best for me.
 
I think you have answered your own question. Testing with a gps is your best bet to find out how your boat runs the best.

And, Welcome to the forum......Both of ya.. :)
 
I run my engine parallel with the bottom of the boat. My pontoon is old style U shaped hulls.

It's doubtful that trim is that important on a pontoon without strakes, as pontoons essentially are plowing through the water.

If you have a large enough engine to run strakes, pontoons much more efficient and speedy. To get the nose up out of the water, you'd need to trim it up some.
 
Don't forget that your trim is also dependant upon how your boat is loaded. Passengers up front will have an impact vs. just you in the boat.
 
If you trim up to the point where the prop comes out of the water; that's too much trim. ;)
 
thanks for the replies. kinda reassures me im on the right track. i should have mentioned when the prop came out of the water it was while crossing over wakes, my bad.

i had the passengers sit in the back, then the front, then some in the back and some in the front..... basically the same results (on the gps) within a few hundred rpm and trim setting. i kinda settled with the motor at about 3/8 on the trim gage and about 75% open on throttle for a happy spot for "high" speed cruising. lol.

i was just curious as too how much if any i should expect it to lift the nose. but after my trial and error testing i figured it just rode at pretty much a level stance no matter what. as i stated i never had a pontoon and was always used to gettin up on plane then trimming it out on the ski boat. i know pontoons have different characteristics.

again thanks to everyone for their input, it is greatly appreciated for this "rookie" pontoon owner. finally after years of wanting a Cadillac on the water i have one....and wouldnt go back to the ski boat scene again. lol.

thanks again!!!
 
Kinda related but we have a 22ssx w/150 Yamaha and it seems like we are getting tons of prop wash. Like the motor does not trim down far enough. The kids are getting sprayed with water when they ride the tube our motor down all the way is running at about 10 degrees off plumb any thoughts?
 
Calamus said:
Kinda related but we have a 22ssx w/150 Yamaha and it seems like we are getting tons of prop wash. Like the motor does not trim down far enough. The kids are getting sprayed with water when they ride the tube our motor down all the way is running at about 10 degrees off plumb any thoughts?
Click to expand...
My 24SSLX with 150 Yammie is sitting 3/4" off the transom, and I'm too seeing 40 mph @ 6000 rpms with 15 pitch Reliance stainless prop. It seems to be the optimum height for my use. When I trim it to 3/4 on the gauge, it will slightly ventilate coming out of the hole and in a very tight turn. I drop the trim slightly before going into a turn. When looking at the anticavitation plate at medium speeds, I'm getting a bunch of splashing. Putting out spray may be the inherent nature of the boat with no whale tail on the engine.
 
we purchased a different tow rope its 10' longer that helps with the splashing but seems to be blow out still but it may be that we switched from a bass/ski boat and thats just the way pontoons are?
 
Calamus - Ours was like that with our 115 HP. It would spray the tube pretty good (it would almost knock the kids off the tube). Solution was to "S" curve when driving the boat.

When we got the 150, the motor didn't work nearly as hard (lower rpms) to go roughly the same speed (okay, a little faster) but the whale tail is much smaller/shorter and no longer hits the kids on the tube. But, for a few days after I got the 150, I had a temporary aluminum Black Max on the 150, and I swear the "whale tail" was the same as the 115. After a few days, I put on the Enertia I got from Todd and I know the whale tail is not a problem anymore. I can't remember for sure though if it was just the change in prop that changed the whale tail. Actually, I hadn't even thought about this until I read your post and it reminded me of the wife complaining about the new motor spraying the kids the same as the old motor. But that is not a problem anymore, and the only thing I changed was the prop...

The Enertia holds the water much better than the Black Max did. A LOT. The Black Max ventilated on me with even the slightest trim out from the transom. The Enertia is totally different. Not sure if that has anything to do with the whale tail, but I'm guessing it does.

Change the prop if you have a spare and see what happens.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top