Hydrafoil, Dol-fin????

[Skools Out]

Originally Posted by tsubaki

They do improve imperfections due to weight imbalance, incorrect motor height and probably a couple other things I may overlook.
It is best to adjust the motor or boat ballast but they are an easy fix for minor problems.
We usually remove them on larger motors (over 40 hp) and correct the problem but if they are on smaller ones we'll just leave them on due to frequent changing circumstances.
To make it short, they do what they profess. Slightly better hole shots, slightly better load balance and slightly better stability.
If they were really needed why aren't the motor mfr's extending their plates?

exactly i take them off all mine too and fix the motor and weight issue so it doesn't need one. better off without one. Best to fix the boat, sometimes it's just a prop issue. if your boat gets a better hole shot with one then your motor is to high on the boat.

[THEFERMANATOR]

I had to run them on my smaller boats simply due to the weight in the transom, but don't need it on my other ones. My 13 1/2' skiff with a 25HP SUZUKI was pretty stern heavy, so the fin did the trick as there was no place to put my tanks in the bow. And the amount of negative trim made it impossible to control without one. Some boats they work pretty well on, and others they don't.

[charlie_the_tuna]

i used the doel fin my first season and took it off my second.
it going back on for my third.
it allows me to get on plane faster and seems like it improves economy.
also seems like i can back it down more and plane at slower speeds.

[bcmarinamanager]

It's helped out a lot with mine too. If you don't want to install a full set of trim tabs the Doel-fin is a good fill-in. It actually trims the ride angle quite a bit when running on plane, and it does help with hole shots. It gives a little more top end speed due to the fact that you can trim the bow out of the water better than without it.