20hp club

Blueone

Blueone

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Jan 24, 2007
13,855
Lake Erie, Ohio
Boat Info
2004 420 Sundancer
Engines
Cummins 6CTA 450's
Not to be confused with the 2 head club @Great Lakes

Now that I have all this horsepower do any of you find the fin still helps ?

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Christmas just keeps on giving, found this on the back of the dinghy when I visited the boat today

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Nothing like sitting at the helm with a beer

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Pirate Lady said:
Nice. Why you pick Tohatsu?
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Well the dealer where I store the boat for the winter is one of the biggest outboard dealer in the area. I had a new 9.9hp Merc and an older 4hp tohatsu to trade. He was getting good incentives from Tohatsu at the time. So that was the best deal.
I am not sure where the cut off is between Tohatsu/Mercury…. I know on smaller outboards Tohatsu makes both Mercury and their own
I wanted EFI and I was not a fan with shifting gears inside the tiller that merc is all proud of. End of day it was money
 
Dealer access means a lot. I favor Suzuki because shop at my marina is a certified Suzuki dealer and there’s another close to me.
I see few Tohatsu around here, which is why i asked. Mostly Yamaha, but Suzuki are catching up fast.
 
It's probably not something (will the fin help) you'll know until you try it out. Reason being, is that while the fin will always provide lift -- physics works :) -- sometimes the fins cause issues like ventilation depending on the dynamics between a particular hull and how the engine is placed/oriented. On some boats/hulls it will help... others it won't.

Obviously you've now got twice the HP so it's less of an issue than with the 10HP. But I agree that it sure would be nice to see if it would help before drilling holes in the anti-vent plate. Believe it or not, though, I've run plenty of boats with holes in the anti-vent plate and it actually doesn't seem to hinder performance! However, if it were me, I'd try it out by using some really good duct tape first!
 
Lazy Daze said:
It's probably not something (will the fin help) you'll know until you try it out. Reason being, is that while the fin will always provide lift -- physics works :) -- sometimes the fins cause issues like ventilation depending on the dynamics between a particular hull and how the engine is placed/oriented. On some boats/hulls it will help... others it won't.

Obviously you've now got twice the HP so it's less of an issue than with the 10HP. But I agree that it sure would be nice to see if it would help before drilling holes in the anti-vent plate. Believe it or not, though, I've run plenty of boats with holes in the anti-vent plate and it actually doesn't seem to hinder performance! However, if it were me, I'd try it out by using some really good duct tape first!
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My fin I bought the squeeze clamp attachment so no holes are necessary…. I was hoping someone had experience. I will keep the fin until I try it for sure
 
Blueone said:
My fin I bought the squeeze clamp attachment so no holes are necessary…. I was hoping someone had experience. I will keep the fin until I try it for sure
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Ah, gotcha. Hopefully someone with the same boat as you will chime in.

In the meantime... yeah, even on land, sitting behind the wheel with a beer is still an awful nice place to be!
 
Blueone said:
... Now that I have all this horsepower do any of you find the fin still helps ?
Click to expand...

Not only do I find it useful, but a necessity. My Merc 320 (10'6") with Yamaha 15, planes so quickly with it and I can also run slower as a result if need be.
 
I've got the same fin on my 25hp. It was on the boat when I bought it so I fear I can't comment on before/after. But she runs like a champ. Planes with 4 adults. I can also pull tubes with kids...

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I have a fin on my 20hp Tohatsu, and it made no difference in planing. I would still have to lean up to the bow to get on plane with anything other than just myself on board. What I found made a huge difference was the automatic trim tabs. Easy install and the dinghy jumps on plane now, even with 2-3 people on board.

I do think the fins help with cavitation once you are on plane and when turning the dinghy at speed. Also it is supposed to help with fuel economy, though I have no data on that personally.

My dinghy is an AB 10VSX (10+ footer) and it weighs around 500 pounds with the outboard.
 
At 95 lbs, that's damn good for a 20hp outboard. I think the 9.9 Merc is 85 lbs.

Funny you say that you don't like the integrated shift in the tiller. That's my favorite part of the 9.9

I guess it depends where you sit. In my skiff I'm sitting in the middle with a tiller extension, so it's a PITA to get up to shift.
 
GnrlPatton said:
I have a fin on my 20hp Tohatsu, and it made no difference in planing. I would still have to lean up to the bow to get on plane with anything other than just myself on board. What I found made a huge difference was the automatic trim tabs. Easy install and the dinghy jumps on plane now, even with 2-3 people on board.

I do think the fins help with cavitation once you are on plane and when turning the dinghy at speed. Also it is supposed to help with fuel economy, though I have no data on that personally.

My dinghy is an AB 10VSX (10+ footer) and it weighs around 500 pounds with the outboard.
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Sorry for the quick hijack.
@GnrlPatton
Which automatic trim tabs do you have on the AB?
 
@GnrlPatton

Actually what are the pounds are they set at? Some are a fixed pound rating and some are adjustable, curious which you have?
 
Fill Ess said:
At 95 lbs, that's damn good for a 20hp outboard. I think the 9.9 Merc is 85 lbs.

Funny you say that you don't like the integrated shift in the tiller. That's my favorite part of the 9.9

I guess it depends where you sit. In my skiff I'm sitting in the middle with a tiller extension, so it's a PITA to get up to shift.
Click to expand...
I had the shift tiller on a Merc 8hp. I loved it.
 
Fill Ess said:
At 95 lbs, that's damn good for a 20hp outboard. I think the 9.9 Merc is 85 lbs.

Funny you say that you don't like the integrated shift in the tiller. That's my favorite part of the 9.9
Click to expand...
Both the 9.9 merc and 20 tohatsu are 95 lbs

The tiller shift is a joke. It’s sloppy going into drive and back to neutral and the rotation for throttle is not sensitive enough that’s if you picked the right direction to twist it

And the tilt on the 9.9 is disgraceful…. Talk about making something so simple so complex is ridiculous…. I hated the 9.9
 
I have the 9.9 Merc and agree the tilt is horrible. Also horrible trying to get the tilt lock to work properly - I carry a small metal pipe that I have to slide in sometimes to keep the motor up because the stupid lock decided not to work.
 
White Shadow said:
I have the 9.9 Merc and agree the tilt is horrible. Also horrible trying to get the tilt lock to work properly - I carry a small metal pipe that I have to slide in sometimes to keep the motor up because the stupid lock decided not to work.
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100%…. It’s like what the Phuck were you thinking
 
If you have a Highfield dinghy, Hurley makes some nice trim tabs that work great. They also fold up and out of the way when not in use or trailering. I have the 310 Classic with a 20 HP Suzuki and if will jump right up on plane. WOT is a little scary so I knee down and hang on.

hurleymarine.com

Highfield Trim Tabs

Highfield Trim Tabs are easily installed and very functional. Clever design tabs to UP to allow the tender to be tied down tabs.
hurleymarine.com hurleymarine.com
 
I see you have a Zodiac. They may work on it as well. Maybe give them a call and see?
 
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