Trim Gauge?

[ProfitOfDoom]

First off,Thanks for the help getting on plane followed the directions you guys gave me and worked great. I still have a few questions on that but we'll get to that later.
I was out for the 2nd time in my boat just getting the hang of it and learning how to make it plane and was looking at my trim gauge and noticed its not real responsive. I know my trim is working as I tested in the driveway,and by the actions on the boat but the trim gauge doesnt seem to move when I move the button. Its hard to explain dont get me wrong it does work but its kinda like it lags. I put it down when im starting off and it moves down then I start tapping it back up but when I hit the button and look at my gauge nothing moves instantly,Its seems to work better when I move it in large portions as far as seeing movement on the gauge. Is this how it should be,or should it move as soon as I touch the trim switch?
Now if anyone has a few suggestions on how to drive while its choppy. Like I said I was out testing how to plane and was getting the hang of it, but the water was a bit choppy for my liking and didnt feel the safest going at planing speed. It seemed my plane speed was anywhere from 18-22mph in that water condition but had a hard time holding on to it as I wanted to back down in speed. So what should you do in a situation like that,just keep the drive down at all times and just drive slower? Is there any harm just keeping the drive down when driving?

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

Trim gauges are not known to be particularly accurate after a few years. The measuring unit is one of those black plastic discs on the side of your outdrive. They get water in them, then corrosion and start having "dead spots" throughout the range of movement. Often, the unit is replaced, but instead of taking the old wires out (a fairly involved job) the old ones are cut on the outside of the boat and the new unit is spliced to the old wires heading into the boat. These connections are under water, get wet, corroded, etc... You can replace the sender and have the same issue a few short seasons later. The good news is that you really get used to the feel of the boat and the time it takes to raise the drive to the best angle and won't really need the gauge anyway!

Regarding piloting in choppy conditions, you may want to go as slow as possible to avoid "slamming" into the troughs as well as utilizing the sharpness of the bow to slice into the waves, but still stay on plane for stability. To achieve this, apply full tabs and tuck the drive in to the hull - you won't hurt anything by doing this, but you may experience some vibration through the hull which is normal. Reduce your speed until you begin to come off plane, then increase power to regain plane. You will soon discover your minimum plane speed. Keep in mind, this speed will vary based on the weight load (fuel and water levels, passengers, gear, etc.) and the size of the waves. The bigger the waves, the more you slow down.

There are articles written about piloting in harsh conditions. Although I don't really like much of David Pascoe's writings, his notes on boat handling are helpful. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boat_handling_safety.htm

I may have already said this, but I did own a 268 with a 454/Bravo I and found that the tabs were too small to work effectively. Got another pair that were wider and deeper, which didn't require any change to the ram location, just a new plate on the transom - took about an hour to switch them, but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!:thumbsup: