FORUM CHAT
Spin doctor?kieronriley says I have an 18ft
Shetland, and it has a Johnson
3-cylinder 70hp VRO engine with
a 13 3/4 x 15 propeller. If I’m on my
own it will get on the plane, but two
up or more and it won’t get up, however
hard I try. The propeller is very, very
close to the cavitation plate. Does
anyone have a similar boat who can give
me some advice? I’m thinking maybe
I should go for a smaller diameter prop?
Bouba says On a small planing boat, it’s
essential to get the weight up front, but
Shetland boats don’t allow anyone to
sit on the bow so you’ll need to weigh
it down with something else. You can
do this by ballasting the bow with bags
of sand or bottles of water and by
putting a Doel-Fin foil on the outboard.
BruceK says Trim tabs work a treat for
getting out of the hole quickly and being
able to plane at lower speeds. Try these
basic Smart Tabs from http://www.nauticusinc.
com. However, the first thing I’d do is
take your boat and trailer to a weigh
bridge and make sure it’s the correct
weight. If it’s not, check any foam-filled
chambers for water retention.
QBhoy says Check it’s not saturated
with water. Also check the engine
compression. Something is definitely
not right. That boat/engine/prop combo
should have no bother planing and
achieving close to 30mph. A friend had
a Shetland Family 4 with a Mercury 60hp
and 15in prop. It would plane no bother
with three adults without any additional
weight forward. Although I should add,
that perhaps 13in diameter is a bit much.
I’m pretty sure the above mentioned had
an 11 x 15in or thereabouts.SUBSCRIBE TO MBY SAVE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TODAY: PAY JUST £3.25 PER ISSUE See page 88
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motorboatandyachtingONM B Y. C O M
rather hoped the invitation would be the
other way, but it never came. What would
other readers have done? Here’s a photo
[below left] to illustrate our dilemma. Google
tells us the boat, Rising Sun, is 424ft long
and belongs to David Geffen. Brian Frith
I’d raise him on the VHF and suggest
a supper safari with the first course on
your boat and the next seven on his! HugoFast and furious
I don’t know if I am missing the point so
perhaps you could enlighten me. I am
reading the report on the Technohull
seaDNA 999 [New Boats, July issue] and
cannot for the life of me understand why
a boat with virtually no practical use other
than a fast way of getting from A to B can
possibly be worth €148,000, WITHOUT
engines! A pair of 400hp Mercury outboards
adds at least another £70,000 to the price
tag. You would struggle to stay overnight
on it, make a cup of tea, or keep out of the
rain if the weather was to turn.
When I look through the ads at the
back of MBY, there are so many boats for
£200,000 or so that would beat a RIB in
every department, except for speed. My
boat, a Formula 727ls with twin 350hp
Chevrolet motors, can exceed 70 knots,
but I have never opened it flat out because
it’s pointless. Incidentally, I can sleep two
overnight comfortably, sit in the small
lounge, and make a cup of tea. I fail to
see any justification for the price tags
attached to partially inflatable boats. Am
I being unfair? Please help! Mick CarterShiver me timbers! Charles Walker and his motley crew
of renegades set sail from Torbay to Brixham for last month’s
Pirate Festival on the most feared of buccaneer ships, a Falcon 27.ON SALE: AUGUST 3
The 30ft challenge We test three very different
30-35ft boats to see what your money can buy
Brittany charter Peter Cumberlidge charters a
Bénéteau Barracuda 9 in the idyllic Gulf of Morbihan
Cannes show preview Get a sneak peak at the
very latest new models being unveiled in September
How to handle your boat Brand new series using
overhead drone cameras to illustrate every manoeuvreNEXT ISSUE...
YOUR
PHOTO OF
THE MONTH
Wins a hand-held Icom
IC-M23 Buoyant VHF Marine
Transceiver worth £165!
Send your best photo to us
at [email protected]Three different 30-
35ft craft on testEDITORIAL COMPLAINTS
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We will endeavour to acknowledge your
complaint within five working days and we aim
to correct substantial errors as soon as possible.LETTERSI know where you’re coming
from but I think you’ve also
answered your own question. Getting
quickly from A to B is exactly why people
buy them. To be fair, they are also a great
deal of fun and very capable in lumpy
conditions as well as a practical platform
for watersports. Horses for courses. HugoTHE MONTH