Have a 20hp suzuki 4stroke on an alweld MV1548. The boat's transom has a bit of rake to it. Th get the boat to not plow or ride high and porpose, I have the trim pin in the next to last position toward the motor. The boat rides well at proper trim angle but know the tiller is at an awkward angle (too high). Anyone have this problem? No pictures right now. I don't see where the tiller can be unbolted and indexed lower. Is there another casting that can replace that allows for a lower position? I'm not really keen on a $1200 adjustable jackplate like some of the gheenoeaholics use..........
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Suzuki 20HP tiller steer
- Thread starter callison
- Start date
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Various companies make/sell 'transom wedges'. See photo. If it were mine, I'd see if a machine shop could make one out of 1" thick Delrin or other super plastic even cheaper.
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I'd also consider a hydrofoil to prevent bow rise and porpising, but try the wedges first. Last thing you want is an excessive bow down condition, as 'bow steer' can be deadly! IMHO fins/foils work awesome on a small boat and I won't run a small/fasttin skiff without one. If setup correctly, i.e., the motor height, or a good brand/model, they don't rob you of any WOT speed, if much at all. They allow faster planing, ability to stay on plane at lower RPMs, and eliminate bow rise on take-off and porpising, plus adds stability/tracking in turns.
I now prefer the 'gull-wing shaped' fins of the foil by Attwood, $25, as much of the 'lifting' tabs are pretty much out of the water whilst up on plane. RichG here runs 'smart tabs' and likes them too.
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I'd also consider a hydrofoil to prevent bow rise and porpising, but try the wedges first. Last thing you want is an excessive bow down condition, as 'bow steer' can be deadly! IMHO fins/foils work awesome on a small boat and I won't run a small/fasttin skiff without one. If setup correctly, i.e., the motor height, or a good brand/model, they don't rob you of any WOT speed, if much at all. They allow faster planing, ability to stay on plane at lower RPMs, and eliminate bow rise on take-off and porpising, plus adds stability/tracking in turns.
I now prefer the 'gull-wing shaped' fins of the foil by Attwood, $25, as much of the 'lifting' tabs are pretty much out of the water whilst up on plane. RichG here runs 'smart tabs' and likes them too.
this is EXACTLY why I didn't buy a suzuki. I love the quiet/smooth operation. It is a little on the over-rated side, little weak getting on plane but i could have lived with it. That tiller, though. I could not get past it, period.
You don't have a lot of options. Transom wedges really don't help much in your situation. They'll move the clamp bracket a little, but won't change the attitude of the motor itself because you generally will have to readjust your trim pin position to compensate for the wedges, which puts the tiller right back where it is now. A foil will lift the stern a little which makes it plow even more, so then you have to move the trim pin "out" another hole to compensate. The problem with foils is that if the motor is not set up properly, the foil is in the water while on plane, meaning you will lose significant top speed due to drag. So the way around that is to lift the motor on the transom so that the foil is up out of the water, but then there comes a tendency to lift the bow and/or prop "blow out" in a turn.
There is never a free lunch, one change results in something else almost always. So you have to play around with it until you get it where you can live with it and at that point leave it. I know guys who fiddle with them constantly and to each their own. They can fiddle while I'm filling the livewell. I may not win a race back to the ramp though. Fine with me.
You don't have a lot of options. Transom wedges really don't help much in your situation. They'll move the clamp bracket a little, but won't change the attitude of the motor itself because you generally will have to readjust your trim pin position to compensate for the wedges, which puts the tiller right back where it is now. A foil will lift the stern a little which makes it plow even more, so then you have to move the trim pin "out" another hole to compensate. The problem with foils is that if the motor is not set up properly, the foil is in the water while on plane, meaning you will lose significant top speed due to drag. So the way around that is to lift the motor on the transom so that the foil is up out of the water, but then there comes a tendency to lift the bow and/or prop "blow out" in a turn.
There is never a free lunch, one change results in something else almost always. So you have to play around with it until you get it where you can live with it and at that point leave it. I know guys who fiddle with them constantly and to each their own. They can fiddle while I'm filling the livewell. I may not win a race back to the ramp though. Fine with me.
Turbo Todd, thanks for reading my post and responding appropriately to what my exact problem is. Yes, I've done all the math and ad this move that and one thing improves and the other has to be compensated for. I may try a cushion and see if elevating me helps any. I've had Yamahas, Johnson/Evinrude 2 strokes before on Lowe and MonArk boats with no issue with tiller position. I was hoping that the tiller could be unbolted and re-indexed lower, but alas, it hits a hard positive stop underneath. Grinding the flat would work, but now you compromise the structural integrity if the casting.turbotodd said:
RaisedByWolves
Well-known member
No seats?callison said:
Get a seat.
RaisedByWolves
Well-known member
callison said:
Seats are high heels for your butt.
Either that or mount a second engine and you can hang onto the tiller handles like their ape hangers on a chopper. :lol:
What does your Dealer advise ... ?????????
