What is the proper way use tilt and trim on a motorboat?

Question

i have a 17 ft carolina skiff with a 50hp johnson 2 stroke

Answer 1

Trim is used to adjust the angle at which the outdrive or propellor sits in relation to the boat - which also causes the angle of the boat to change in its plane.

So, when you take off from idle, trim it down, which pushes the nose down slightly. After the boat comes out of the water and is "up on plane", you will want to slightly bump the trim up, untill the boat is freely riding over the water instead of slicing and shooting spray away from the nose. If the trim is TOO high, the boat will "porpus" or bounce. When going through rough waters or cornering, youll want to lower the trim back down for a better bite and to reduce cavitation in corners.

Trim might also be helpful in very shallow water.

At top speeds, adjust your trim up untill the boat starts porpussing, then bump it down a tad so your still in control....and then look at your roostertailll!!

Answer 2

Well as for the proper way i guess i dont have the book on it but generally when the propellar is lowest in the water or all the way down the bow will sit lower in the water, when you trim it up a bit you will knotice the bow will raise and you may even increase your top speed if that is what you are looking for.

Answer 3

trim is what you do to adjust the engine performance... tilt is what you use to bring you motor out of the water.... start with your motor all the way down... "bump" the trim upwards till the boat is on plane and performing at its best... you should be running about 5800 rpms at full throttle... if you are not getting that or going over it, you may want to adjust the prop pitch...

Answer 4

The proper way most boat motors are set up, is the boat is equiped with a trim gauge, with a mark to show where to be for max and min trim.  My bass boats guage broke last year, but I've used so long I can tell by the way the boat response.  The one thing I've noticed, is when you trim to high, the steering gets harder when you turn right, and wants to turn left much faster than normal.  Always have the motor trimmed all the way down till you are up on plane.  As you trim it up, you will notice an increase in speed, as you will have less boat in the water.  Over trimming will be noticable, due to the steering thing.  Watch the RPM guage.  When your boat reaches max RPM's, and the ride feels good, leave it there.  You will have to play with it to get comfortable with it.  When on a windy lake, or around other boats making waves or rolls, you will want to trim it down in order to allow the bow to cut threw the waves, rather than getting beat to death.  Anytime the boat starts to slap, you need to trim down, slowly.  A little at a time.  When you get in clean waters, then trim it up a tad for increased speed, and a better ride.  Alot of people complain that thier boat rides hard, and it is only because they don't understand the trim factor.  Play with it, and you will do fine.  I love boating, and spend as much time on the water as allowed.  One more thing, is your trim will also depend on how much weight you are carrying.  More people equals less trim. Trimming to high can cause less water pickup.  That can cause an overheating problem.  Good boating to you.

Answer 5

Start with it trimmed all the way down, As your speed and planing gets faster gradually trim up a little at a time. You will reach a point that any higher will cause your boat to porpoise. When that happens trim down a touch. When you turn sharp trim down then trim back up as you straighten boat. Tilt is for when you beach the boat or trailer it.