Tilt Drive

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September 15th, 2009 admin

How do you drive a boat?

I recently bought a used v6 inboard outboard skit/pleasure boat in pretty good condition... I was wondering what does everything do as far as trim and tilt... what exactly is all that for and how should I use it?... HELP ME DRIVE MY BOAT! when Im cruising at slow speeds what should I do? How about pulling a tube or skier.. is it different???

What I would like to see is you take some training either formally or informally, such as grabbing a buddy who knows what he is doing and take you out in your boat. I will try and describe trim/tilt, but it is something you really need to see and feel. Oh, I am channeling Roger Daltrey.

Tilt and trim controls the angle of your outdrive. That is the part which is hanging off the back of the boat.

Tilt is used to bring the engine up and out of the water, think coming into a beach, shallow dock, or putting the boat on the trailer. Tilt makes large adjustments to the angle of the outdrive.

Trim makes small adjustments to the angle of the outdrive, hence trimming the boat for most efficient ride. When the boat is down flat in the water and you are at trolling speeds keep the trim all the way down. As you begin to increase your speed and climb onto plane, slowly bring the trim up to bring up the bow.

Now here is the feel part, you have to feel the right trim for your boat. If the bow is slapping you have over trimmed and bring it back down. If you look back and your wake has lots of white and making a small rooster tail you are over trimmed, trim down. If you wake is rough and you feel like you are plowing through the water, trim up. You should feel that plowing sensation disappear, the boat should speed up and the ride with smooth up. It is a feel, I can't write it here.

Try an experiment: get the boat on plane and leave the trim all the way down. Trim up, feel the change? Over trim, feel the slapping and see the rooster? Now trim correctly, smooth ride? Nice flat wake? Good.

Skiing and tubing same thing, get that flat wake. However, if you are making hard turns, trim down and allow the prop to bite. Skier falls, trim down as you turn and come back.

It will become second nature as you get some hours under your belt.

Best of luck