2001 268 Islander very unstable.

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oldmanriver97

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scary stuff rolling to one side or the other even at part throttle. trim tabs seem to be less than helpful. It appears to me the islander hull is deep vee while not as broad of a beam as other models. anyone else experience the same problem?
 
Let's get a baseline. Where are you boating? What kind of sea conditions? How fast are you trying to go?

I'm quite happy with my Islander. But I tend to slow things down to get the ride I want.
 
My neighbor has a 2005 GW 270 Islander that does something very similar in that you'll be going straight forward, then it's like it'll "bite" or "grab" and pull you a bit to one side or the other. I don't know enough about his boat or setup to know if the trim tabs were properly working to whatnot, but it was definitely a bit concerning, especially at speed. I'd say we were probably only going 20-25 mph and with minimal, if any chop, though anything about that speed seemed a bit more risky. I believe he's in the process of selling the boat and looking for something else, of which that was definitely a factor with him wanting to sell it. I don't believe he figured out what the problem is/was, as that was an issue for him all last summer, and I went out on the boat fishing with him several times experiencing the issue. If you were good about it and could tell when the boat would start to pull or grab and didn't overcorrect, it wasn't terrible, but if you overcorrected, you had to slow down considerably or get tossed around a bit. I believe I'll be seeing him in a couple weeks and can check to see if he ever figured out what the issue was.
 
Provide more info, number of motors, model of motor, any non standard additions to the motor area like brackets etc.
Try again but with trim tabs fully retracted. Trim the motor a small amount so that it is parallel to the transom and not at a negative trim ( angled towards the transom.
Se how that feels. In addition, is there slop in the steering, that is , do your turn the wheel more than a half turn but the motors don't move?

Finally, is this your first boat in its category?
 
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i have a chase which is the same hull (26'11" and 8'6") with twin 250s. i have not had any problems at all with the way it handles. it will roll a bit more than my last boat, but that had a flatter bottom. that being said, my 1.5 and 3 year old girls had no problems on the boat all summer whether off plane, cruising at 30-35 mph in calm up to 1.5-2" chop, or running 50+ mph in calm.

as others said, we need more info on your engines, load, speeds, engine trim, trim tab use, and weather conditions

that said, my best guess is maybe with more forward weight and incorrect trim, perhaps you suffered from a bit of bow steer. to correct that, use less tab and/or trim the engines up more to get the bow a bit higher
 
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also, are people moving around, or sitting still?
 
I run a 99 islander with the stepped up transom which is the old model. I run twin 150 four stroke. I did remove the rear fuel tank to center the weight in the boat. I run heavy with 125 gallons of gas, 10 of water , three guys and gear and a 40 gallon livewell and ice. Had sea or beam sea is tabs partially down 3500 rpm = 22-25 mph. Following sea is tabs up 4000 rpm = 30 mph. I run 3 bladed props and my engines are two bolt holes up. I rarely trim much as once the hull is out of the hole she levels out and runs with a full length of waterline. Also I have a lot of rope and chain up front in the locker. Play with the balance of weight and she will settle down. I do 50 mile runs each way and know the boat well. Get her right and she will cut through and throw spray 20’ to each side at 30 mph and 2.2 mpg. Good boats that are weight sensitive.
 
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Wondering if your bilge is empty or if there is anything wet holding water and affecting the ride if the tabs are indeed up. Have the fuel tanks been replaced at one time? If so, hopefully they are baffled properly.
 
You need more weight and learn how to fly the hull for the conditions.
Your issue has been mentioned by others before and experienced by me personally. Most people reporting problems with the 268/270 hulls are running f150's or lighter engines. I've yet to run into someone running v6 4 strokes that ever had a complaint. The hull is bow heavy, narrow, a big hardtop, and I suspect the variable dead rise contributes to the issue. I encountered similar issues running light on fuel with high crosswinds and f150s. A full fuel tank and another 100lbs out back from the new Zukes makes the issue go away.
Tabs will make it worse. One engine off kilter from the other will definitely cause an issue also. It doesn't take much when running light. I can't say any trim angle really helped much, but it's been a while since I experienced the issue. No question the hull is a bit fickle, but learn how to fly it and you will be rewarded.
 
I had a ‘95 with twin 200HPDIs and it did the same thing. I ran into an old GW transporter one day at Home Depot that asked me which model I had (was wearing a GW shirt). He told me that the hardtop plus cabin made the model notoriously list coming off of wakes or waves and that was the same thing I experienced. No amount of tab or weight distribution made a difference and I tried everything. Super fast boat(50+mph) but I’ll take my slow Sailfish over that Islander any day.
 
too much tabs or motors trimmed in all the way will cause the boat to want to sit on one side or the other. tabs up, trim up generously, then minimal tab to trim side to side if needed.
 
seasick said:
Provide more info, number of motors, model of motor, any non standard additions to the motor area like brackets etc.
Try again but with trim tabs fully retracted. Trim the motor a small amount so that it is parallel to the transom and not at a negative trim ( angled towards the transom.
Se how that feels. In addition, is there slop in the steering, that is , do your turn the wheel more than a half turn but the motors don't move?

Finally, is this your first boat in its category?
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thank you for the efforts sir. I'm running two yamaha 200 hpdi motors mounted directly to he transom no special hardware. I've tried tabs up, tabs down, motors trimmed up a bit too she gets up and goes no problems but it don't take much to start leaning. I've been out with just one passenger and no movement around the boat experimenting to see what works best. there is a small amount of slop in the wheel, another issue that fries my ass. we bled had system ensuring fluid levels good mechanical linkages seem to be tight. Ive had a center console for years decided id like a cuddy for several reasons. overall I'm pleased but this makes me a bit nervous so putting around the river is where I'm at thanks
 
Hookup1 said:
Let's get a baseline. Where are you boating? What kind of sea conditions? How fast are you trying to go?

I'm quite happy with my Islander. But I tend to slow things down to get the ride I want.
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Im in the shrewsbury river and usually get out to sandy hook bay. Ive been off the hook a few times. Back up river and in the bay usually conditions are quite calm last time out we had quite a breeze pushing swells 2-4 ft but nothing crazy. even on flat water at 2500 rpms she tends to lean. Im happy putting around the river but when i need to goose it ...
 
oldmanriver97 said:
Im in the shrewsbury river and usually get out to sandy hook bay. Ive been off the hook a few times. Back up river and in the bay usually conditions are quite calm last time out we had quite a breeze pushing swells 2-4 ft but nothing crazy. even on flat water at 2500 rpms she tends to lean. Im happy putting around the river but when i need to goose it ...
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a steady lean? i have noticed mine will lean a bit into the wind, nothing major though and just stays there
 
I've found mine is sensitive to people walking around while under way. I've had to tell a few people to sit down and stay (bad dog), so I don't have to keep chasing their weight with trim tabs. just the nature of the beast with a narrow beam and 18degree dead rise
 
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Fixit said:
if found my sensitive to people walking around while under way. I've had to tell a few people to sit down and stay (bad dog), so I don't have to keep chasing their weight with trim tabs. just the nature of the beast with a narrow beam and 18degree dead rise
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Maybe that's the difference. I don't have many people on the boat.

I previously had a Luhrs 290 with twin diesels. Wide beam big bow. The boat had a serious chine walk problem. You could be running along at 20 knots in flat calm seas and the boat would lean over hard to one side and stay there. Adjust course or trim and the boat would come back up on balance for a while then lean over again. Could be either side. I would run the boat and constantly adjust course to balance the boat. My boating friends had never seen a boat perform like that.

I know what chine walking looks like! I don't seem to have a problem with my 268 Islander. The narrow beam and fine entry make the boat sensitive to weight and wind changes. So much so that I installed a bow thruster a few years ago. My 4-blade prop made a game changing difference in mid range performance and sloppy sea handling. I can't honestly say I have any chine walking.
 
hookup1, what you describe isnt chine walking. it sounds like you are describing persistent listing. chine walking is a rapid side to side, almost skipping action, at high speed. it is almost bouncing from the chine on one side to the other, giving a walking effect.
 
Ekea said:
hookup1, what you describe isnt chine walking. it sounds like you are describing persistent listing. chine walking is a rapid side to side, almost skipping action, at high speed. it is almost bouncing from the chine on one side to the other, giving a walking effect.
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Whatever. I don’t have any problem with my 268. Not sure what is going on with their boats.
 
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