Removal of the kicker improved boat trim and performance in

C

C-Nile

New member
Recently I reported we had permanently removed our 9.9 HP auxiliary motor. I now believe that the combination of the heavier Honda 115 HP main and auxiliary motors makes the Marinaut 215 stern heavy, preventing our boat from keeping her bow down in heavy seas. What a positive difference it made! We recently we got into 3’ to 4’ head seas, and had no issue keeping the bow down. She cut right through the waves with mostly full engine trim. Our friend’s boat did not have our problem, because they have a Permatrim hydrofoil. However, they get 25%-30% less mileage. The reason for the mileage difference, I think (any other explanations are welcomed), is that the more one’s boat is stern-heavy, the more energy is required to create the lift needed to bring the boat to level trim. This brings to mind several things stated by others in the past. Dr. Bob could not understand why we had so much problem in heavy seas in LI Sound. He was right in that his boat would not have had similar issues. Fellow C-Brats were right about Permatrim, but Les Lampman was right, too, in saying that the boat did not need it — provided of course that it is not stern heavy. If I were to do this all over again, I would use a 100 pound lighter engine (like a Suzuki) rather than that big 150 HP block Honda 115, if I wanted an auxiliary motor. Otherwise, I would go with the Honda 115, which is a low-rpm, high-torque and more fuel efficient motor that gets in excess of 4.5 mpg. Anyway, that’s my take after using our boat for 9 seasons.
 
When I bought my 16' C-Dory, it had a 50hp Evinrude as a main motor and a 6hp Evenrude kicker. The kicker is mounted on the helm side, making the boat trim to starboard when I use it alone. :sad
I have often thought about either moving the 6hp to the port side, or eliminating it altogether. My solution was just to use the 80qt. ice chest I use for a, "Catch-all, extra seat, fish box as a movable ballast and trim the boat with it, when I'm out by myself. :thup
 
It's great to hear about your positive experience with removing the 9.9 HP auxiliary motor and finding improved performance in heavy seas with the Honda 115 HP main motor. It sounds like you've found the right balance for your Marinaut 215. Thanks for sharing your insights after using the boat for 9 seasons!
 
Too much weight hanging off the back of the transom will do that. It is probably fine if you can travel quickly because you'll have stern lift, but otherwise you're just wallowing when you have to slow down and have lost that lift. By removing the weight, you created lift and added stability.

I'm very surprised to hear that the permatrim is dramatically lowering fuel efficiency at slow speeds as one of their selling points is to provide lift so the boat can plane at a slower speed and increase efficiency. But lots and lots of variables are at play here. I am not saying your theory is wrong at all, but correlation does not always lead to causation. There are so many other things that could be the root of it. I'll stick with beats me....
 
My 22'cruiser has both a Honda 90 and a Honda 9.9 kicker (Gretzky). A few years ago I removed the foam and cut hatches under the help and moved a bunch of stuff from the cockpit to the new v-berth lockers. This made the bow heavier and thus more balanced. I noted better performance on plane. I would not go without my kicker as it is my get me home motor, but moving more weight forward certainly did improve performance
 
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