Well after being connected to the project only by emails and sending checks for 8 months I finally am in CT with the boat and we are beginning our experimenting .
First day was just with the boat au natural, no trim appendages just to basic hull. The lake was calm , 90% full tank of fuel in the bow tank.
The boat got on a plane easily but did NOT like to go slow . It was porpoising quite badly in the slow to mid range stages . As we got into the higher RPM range about 4,000 the boat started to smooth off. All of this was with the motor in the fully trimmed in position . As we began to trim it out the boat freed up but it was a fine line and began to both bounce a bit and on the up move we could actually feel the rear start to come free of the water a bit so that was our limit, Speed was about 34 MPH with a max of 5100 RPM. This was with out 12 1/4 - 17 Michigan Wheel aluminum prop. To be honest i was a bit concerned because I am actually planning on spending more time cruising than actual top speed runs . The steering was much improved over the previous motor , the Nissan 40 . I knew we had a long way to go but was happy with the apparent reliability of our refurbished motor. There is a slight chance that we are not getting full throttle out of it and will be having that looked into in the near future. So the end result of day one was we feel very good about the hull strength wise and the modified transom was doubling as a nice water break as surprisingly enough we had NO water in the boat after a couple hrs on the water .
Day Two
Lake was calm, just under a half tank and Nauta smart tabs installed .
We took off with the tabs disengaged to get our selves re acquainted with the boat for one lap. I had purchased the optional bracket that allows me to just throw a lever and it lifts the tabs clear of the water which I wanted to be able to do with our testing and its a nice option if you are pulling up on a beach etc.
We engaged the tabs to their mid position and all I can say is that it is a different boat. Instead of taking a boat length and a half perhaps to get in plane, which is good obviously , its on plane in just about 10 ft which is of course better . The really big difference and one which gave me a good bit of relief as mid range speed was smooth and controllable down to 14 MPH . The steering was also improved a good deal . This boat really likes to lean into a turn and take a set as we say in the car world. I feel pretty good about the safety of a tight turn as the shape of the chines are at a angle which will be less apt to trip . When you press too hard peed the back end broke loose a little bit but it was quite controllable with good warning and feedback. Top speed was about 36 at 5100 RPM.
Now for the confusing part . With the trim tabs the boat did not like any lift at all . The hop would begin almost as soon as you started to trim it out . The boat would of course begin to speed up but it would hop as well. I was not able to get anywhere like i did the first day when you could actually feel the back end break free just a bit. I've only seen two other Minimost XL's like mine and they both are run in a very negative trim position , is it possible that with the design of these hulls its just the way it is ? Of course with the hull making so much contact with the water its also a wet ride as well as slower than I think it could be .
One other difference between the days was that now we were down to a quarter tank of fuel so factor in perhaps 70 lbs less in the bow. SO in one way I am going in the correct direction for getting the boat to cruise a bit but the fact I cant even begin to trim it out is a bit disappointing , I know the game is new but its still confusing.
Now our plan is to fill the tank and go back out again and see what we can get out of the trim tabs , Then we have another item to try, the hydrafoil . I know that the trimming elements create drag but our hope was that we had enough power with the 50 to over come that and still get some speed out of it .
Anyway it has been a good week , when i got here the carbs were out for a rebuild and neither the boat nor trailer was registered and all that is done and we have a running boat . We plan on getting back out in a day or so and I will update accordingly . Ive included a few pics . It is odd but if you youtube search MinimostXL they all have the same bow down attitude so it might just be what I will live with but i'm not giving up yet