Just wondering how many of you have used the foils that are available, did it help with the planing??

if you are talking about the stabilizers, they work wonders!

well i used one on another boat, an ob and it actually made the wake smaller (what they are designed to do) by forcing the stern out of the water and ride higher instead of sinking in and throwing a wake. Unless your able to trim the outdrive up far enough that the wing is actually digging in and pulling the stern down im pretty sure it will make the wake flatter. Now that being said if all you have is a 4 cyl engine and the boat doesnt want to get on plane as it is then it will help on your time to plane problem.

I have a V6 - 190 hp on an 18' Four Winns. No problem planning so I never considered one. <BR> <BR>I'd have to agree with Bob. I think they would lift your stern which reduces wake size.

It depends on what you get. The SE-Sport SE300 or whatever it's called mostly just helps on planing. The wider, more wing-like ones help both ways. <BR> <BR>I have a V-8 in my I/O so it's not like a can't get on plane but the planing time is cut in half with a stabilizer thingy on there. <BR> <BR>The reason I mention the SE300 is that I got one and it didn't help the wake like I had seen the Doel-Fin do on another boat. So I made my own with the holes of the SE300. <BR> <BR>I noticed that you don't need a real hydrofoil to help with planing because the outdrive is angled downward with the trim all the way down. So my new stabilizer plate thingy is just flat. <BR> <BR>Here's a link to a picture: <a href="http://www.bayareamotorsport.com/~jon/pics/boat/plate1.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.bayareamotorsport.com/~jon/pics/boat/plate1.jpg</a>

Funny, I was reading these posts and I started thinking, "how much can those things really help with the forces involved when they're usually made of plastic, cover a very small area, and are mounted with 4 small bolts?" <BR>I had one on my old Sea Ray outboard and I could have jumped on the edge and broken it. How could it possibly be strong enough to 'force the stern out of the water'? <BR>I do remember my boat planing really quickly, but I'm suspicious that it was more due to the outboard than the fin. <BR>Anybody have any ideas?

Mike, <BR> <BR>I don't think the fin actually "forces" the stern out of the water. It probably just helps to adjust the attitude of the boat just enough so that it doesn't get "bogged down" when trying to come up on plane. <BR> <BR>The prop is pushing from the bottom of the hull just like a RWD car's tires. So upon acceleration, the boat will want to pitch backward. The stabilizer fin/plate/thingy is like a wheelie bar on a dragster. On a car, it keeps the car's front tires from coming off the ground. On a boat, it keeps hull from pitching back too much and ploughing through the water while trying to get on plane. <BR> <BR>...that's my theory anyway.

It also keeps the water more compressed around the prop giving less caviation or more traction

Thanks for the info, I think I am going to give it a try and I will let you know if it made any difference!!