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DOEL FINDO THEY WORK OR IS IT HYPE

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grantlamb

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"THEY LOOK RATHER BOGUS,BEFORE

"THEY LOOK RATHER BOGUS,BEFORE I DRILL ANY HOLES,WILL THEY MAKE ANY DIFFERANCE FITTED TO A 9.9 2 STROKE, ON A 12 FOOT ZODIAC RIB.DO I EVEN NEED THEM?ARE TRIM TABS A BETTER OPTION.SURELY JOHNSON WOULD JUST HAVE MADE THE ANTI CAVITATION PLATE BIGGER IF IT MADE ANY DIFFERANCE.I DON'T WANT TO WASTE TIME OR MONEY."
 
"We meet again. I have been r

"We meet again. I have been running Doelfin's on both my 9.9's and 15 horse.

Picked up half a dozen of them cheap a few years back so figured I would try them out.

This is what I have noted.

Yes, they do help get/keep the bow down particularly if you have a tiller model.

On a small engine such as this, no noticable difference in fuel consumption (but they don't burn a whole lot in the first place to really compare). Ditto with the speed, what's 1 mph either way...

It is noticably more difficult to steer into a turn (the boat wants to run straight). But the stern doesn't slide out as easy when turning at higher throttle.

I run alot of canals with 6 mph speed limits, so the combination of the hydrofoil, plus a 4 blade prop keeps my bow down nice at that speed - ditto if I'm trolling with my main motor (instead of my 2.5 horse kicker
)

I guess my recommendation would be - if you are looking to improve handling in certain conditions - they work well - but on the performance increase side - like you said, the mfg would build them that way if it made a significant difference...."
 
"Yes indeed,true words of wisd

"Yes indeed,true words of wisdom.Good shot.It's nice to get good advice,thanks.I sort of like the way the stern kicks out.Good fun on the Medway in the U.K. Think I'll leave them off for the moment.Any other brainstorms I have, I know where to get good advice,cheers mate."
 
"my $.02 worth. I don't re

"my $.02 worth. I don't recommend them. I don't sell them either. although I get a lot of calls for them and could make a good profit, I believe they place a lot of strain on engine mounts. I have seen more than a few outboards with broken mounts with fins bolted on. trim problems are better corrected with tabs. You have made a good decision to do without. S."
 
"i remeber seeing in i think &

"i remeber seeing in i think "motor boat" an article on the trim tabs that are spring loaded for the zodi ribs, there always trimed down and come up witht he pressure of forward movement. got a great review on keeping bow down. they were made for the zodiac line of boats, not a generic tab."
 
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