Trim trials and tribulations

S

sebagoman007

New Member
Oct 6, 2006
352
Ipswich, MA & Sebago Lake, ME
Had a great weekend on the lake, but I've got one thing bugging me. So, I seek advice from all you seasoned CSR-ers.

When up on plane with any headwind at all, (other than dead ahead) I CANNOT get the boat to run level. No combination of trim and tabs seems to do it. It's almost as if I have to correct the steering in the direction of the wind, therefore heeling the boat significantly. Am I doing something wrong, or is this the consequence of a relatively tall boat with a lot of area for the wind to push against and a corresponding (relatively) narrow 8'6" beam?

Any advice would be welcome. It's very frustrating to not be able to figure this out :smt013

Thanks,

Bill
 
?????

I think it would help to understand the issue better.

Example: Running on a plane, beam winds over the port bow, your bow blows off to leeward and the boat heels to leeward, then you set the trim tabs with left tab up and right tab down and this makes the boat over heel to port windward too much?

How accentuated is this heeling 5, 10, 15,30 degrees?

What speed are you running and is this condition experienced at say 20 knts and at WOT?

What speeds are the winds that cause this condition?

What is the typical weight balance of the boat when this happens ... is more heavy gear and people on one side vs. evenly distributed Port/Stb, Bow/Stern?

When the boat is stopped does the boat sit on her lines evenly? Are you heavy to one side or the toher from internal tank levels being significantly different.

Fuill in some more blanks for us if you would.
 
With the wind over the port bow at 20-25 knots boat speed, the boat alters course to sarboard. I have to correct by slightly steering to port, which causes a pronounced list (about 15 or more degrees) to port. I apply the right trim tab button (which controls the left tab) to try and push the sarboard bow down, but it doesn't seem to work. Drive trim doesn't seem to matter either. I haven't tried it at higher speeds.

It seems to happen with any windspeed over 10-12 knots.

She floats on her lines pretty much, with a very sligh list to port from the weight of the batteries. With just me at the helm, she's just about even.

Unfortunately, the seating arrangement is such that all the seating for passengers is on the port side. However, the listing at speed happens regarless of whether I have passengers or not.

Bill
 
I know how touchy a 260 can be since I have one. And I actually think the 2005 and up is even worse because it has a deeper bow rise than your model has. But given all these negatives and under all kinds of situations I have always been able to get mine to straighten up with the tabs.

So my first question is are you sure your tabs are working properly? If you are not sure, that's the first thing I would check. Make sure they are deploying fully as well as retracting fully. My second question is do you notice any change in attitude at all when using the tabs?
 
Dave;

I'm quite sure they are functioning properly, as I have no trouble trimming her our in a no-wind situation. It's only the wind broad on the bow scenario where I can't seem to get her level. As I said in my original post, it feels as though I have to steer towards the windward side to maintain a straight course. Which, causes her to heel towards that side, etc., etc.,.......

I reall am a better boat jockey than I sound right now.........really! :huh:

Bill
 
Unfortunately the 260 is very sensitive and easily lists or heels over. So you're going to have to deal with these issues as well as the slow planing issue since she is heavy and anything less than a 496 MAG is somewhat short on power. Can you imagine they used to sell this boat with a 5.0!!!
 
Don't know how this would translate to a 260 but, on my 240 I no longer run with the bimini deployed. Even 5-10 mph winds cause it to list badly and trying to correct it with the tabs was a pain unless the wind was consistant (not gusting) So I just take the bimini down now when underway at cruise speeds with hardly any listing issues at all or at least when winds are below 15 mph or so.
 
I ran into the same type of winds last year at Lake Powell. When we would turn corners we would be hit with 25mph sustained with gust to 40mph. This would hit just right of the bow and try to push the boat over a little. I was able to quickly adjust my tabs each time to compensate for this problem. We were moving along at about 30mph most of the time except during the adjustments as the boat would lean allot until I would get it adjusted. MY wife slept right through it. :thumbsup:
 
Bill, Our 260 heels over in a cross-wind, too, but I haven't had any trouble correcting using the tabs. Since the heeling requires more tab input, perhaps your tabs are only partially deploying? On another thread someone (sorry, don't remember who) noted that it takes their tabs 12 seconds to fully deploy -- which was a surprise to me, so another possibility is that you're not deploying the tabs as much as you can (I certainly wasn't).

Jeff
 
In 25 knots of wind I imagine you are not going that fast. Tabs are much less effective when the boat is going slow. Like around 10-12 knots they are not going to do much.
 
JeffM said:
Bill, Our 260 heels over in a cross-wind, too, but I haven't had any trouble correcting using the tabs. Since the heeling requires more tab input, perhaps your tabs are only partially deploying? On another thread someone (sorry, don't remember who) noted that it takes their tabs 12 seconds to fully deploy -- which was a surprise to me, so another possibility is that you're not deploying the tabs as much as you can (I certainly wasn't).

Jeff
Click to expand...
It was me ... I did that on all my boats ... easiest way to gage how far your tabs are deployed since the motion is linear.
 
Thanks, everyone for your input. I truly appreciate the advice.

I just finished reading a 7 page thread (whew!) under the Sport Cruiser heading on the topic of planing troubles with 260's. There was a lot of very good information there about trim tab use, drive positioning and the general handling quirks of the 260 family hull. I'm off to the lake tomorrow morning for 5 days, and plan to try out some of the stuff I learned there. I'll let you know how I make out.

Again, thanks to all for taking the time to respond. Enjoy your holiday, everyone!

Cheers,

Bill
 
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