Boat settling in the stern

Jul 30, 2013
56
Hughes 25 Burlington
I have a Hughes 26, which I bought and put a 9 hp 4 stroke in, which weighs about 70lbs. I don't have any history to go by but the stern sits low and when I use the motor, the water level covers the shaft completely to the top. Last year, I tried those fins on the motor to keep the bow from rising and also put about 100lbs of weight in bow storage lockers. No help.
Any suggestions?
 
Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
trim-fla.gif


It sounds like you have a trim issue to me. Try adjusting the angle of the outboard down a little.
 
May 24, 2004
7,164
CC 30 South Florida
Do you mean it squats down when you power up or it just generally sit lower at all times? Check the trim on the engine, in most outboards the leg can be tilted up or down and held at various angles adjusting the effect on boat balance. You may also have a situation where you add your weight to the weight of the engine at the stern of the boat and it will generally sit lower. Today's outboard engines are heavier than those in existence when some boats were designed. You may consider replacing the motor mount with an adjustable one where you can control the height at which you want to run the engine. Make sure it is one rated for the weight of your engine. Bear in mind that the higher you adjust the engine up the more the propeller may come out of the water but you do not want it so low that the powerhead may get dunked under in some waves.
 
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
Most sail boats will squat when powered up. The faster you try to go the more it squats. As the bow rises the stern goes down the same amount. There's nothing you can do about it except slowing down. Adjusting the motor trim won't help much, that's really for planing hulls. If the motors in danger of drowning then raising the mount will help.
 
Jul 30, 2013
56
Hughes 25 Burlington
It's a sailboat and I have the trim adjusted as much as I can. And this is an old boat - perhaps the shape has changed over the years.. I could raise the mount but only about 2 inches since it sits in a well and has a cover that comes down.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
Squatting in displacement hulls: The speed of a wave through the water is dependent on its wavelength. Longer wavelength, faster speed. So a displacement hull will push through the water, creating a bow wave, a midships trough, and a stern wave. As one might expect, the waterline length of the boat is the determinant of the wavelength of the wave it creates. And that won't change unless you rebuild the boat longer, of course. This is the basis of the "theoretical hull speed" of displacement craft. Planing hulls don't have this limitation, as they are able to climb over their bow wave, and leave the rest of the wake behind, skimming across the water.

So, adding power to a displacement hull will eventually cause it to hit that theoretical hull speed, again determined by its waterline length. If you add more power beyond this speed, the waves the boat is causing really can't go any faster. The boat may increase speed just a small bit. But that propulsive energy must go somewhere, so as you try to exceed the hull speed, the energy is transmitted into higher amplitude of the waves. Essentially, the bow and stern waves get higher, and the midships trough lower. This can seem as if the stern is squatting. I once saw a diagram illustrating this effect, and I swear it was in my Grandfather's old Chapman's, but I thumbed through the book and couldn't find it. Essentially, the diagram showed a ship with large bow and stern waves, and an unsupported midsection, and stated it could lead to hull damage.

As for a planing hull, the tilt of the motor is generally set such that it pushes the bow up, presenting less wetted surface area and drag, maximizing speed from a given horsepower. However, with too much trim, pushing the bow up, gravity can pull the bow back down, causing "porposing," especially evident in very calm water.
 
Jul 30, 2013
56
Hughes 25 Burlington
I have no porpoising issue but if if I can't fix the issue, then do I look for electric propulsion or just trade up?
 
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
On a lot of boats of this vintage, the aux power was an after thought and often not well designed. It's a SAILBOAT and designed to sail. The motor is just to get you out of the marina. Or that's what the designer thought at the time. We tend to use our boats a little differently now days. As Brian S said above, it's trying to push the boat to max speed that causes it to squat. Slow down and it will be less of a problem. Repowering with electric won't change anything except you won't have the outboard to drown.
Shifting weight forward will help, but it sounds like you already tried that.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
I have no porpoising issue but if if I can't fix the issue, then do I look for electric propulsion or just trade up?
No, your boat will never porpoise. Note I said that's what planing hulls do, because you try to trim the bow up as high as possible to reduce wetted area skimming on top of the water for less drag and more speed, but then the bow falls back down again. Porpoising. I know because I used to try and overtrim our Boston Whaler 13 20hp when I was a teenager. Gotta go faster! :D

Our sailboats are displacement hulls. Based on your original post, you said you have a Hughes 26. According to sailboatdata.com, your waterline length is 20.25'. Therefore, your theoretical hull speed is 6.03 knots per hull speed calculator. Trying to go any faster than that will just increase the bow and stern waves. I also see that your boat looks VERY beamy, pretty typically IOR influenced. So, I think this may cause an even higher stern wave as the water is pushed aside by the beam, and then sucks back in through the aft sections. (But I'm not a naval architect, so don't quote me on that.)
 
Jul 30, 2013
56
Hughes 25 Burlington
I've only managed 5.5 knots so speed not really an issue as I have the high water effect even at half throttle.
 
May 24, 2004
7,164
CC 30 South Florida
Have you tried operating the boat with an engine around 50 lbs to see if does any better. There are still some 10HP 2 stroke used engines around in good shape that weigh around that.
 
Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
I have a Meridian 25, and an 8 HP outboard. I get hull speed (5.6 Kts) at half throttle - the "start' setting on the engine. WOT gives me SIX, and squats the stern, sucking water in the cockpit drains

Fact of life on displacement hulls. Throttle back to a comfortable speed, and enjoy- You are THERE- on a boat right ? :) Frankly, we both have more HP than needed. I'd do just fine with a 4 HP, IF they made one in a 2 cylinder :)
 

Apex

.
Jun 19, 2013
1,210
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
do you get the same effect at only half throttle? Perhaps around 4 kts? if no, then you are pushing a bow wake. If you get the same squat at rest, perhaps it is an engine weight issue. Can you shift weight inside the boat forward to counteract the engine heft?
 

Fred

.
Sep 27, 2008
517
Catalina 28 mkii 745 Ottawa, Ontario, CA
My PO told me that it was recommended to place two sand bags in the bow locker to counterbalance the weight of the outboard. With nobody in the boat it does seem to float parallel to the waterline with that configuration. I've left the sand bags in this far. I sail a Hunter 26.