226 owners help

[Bdsp1234]

Wet, as in...gets you wet while running in waves? weird. mine seems to be great. Matter of fact the first day I owned mine I took it out in a 40 knot blow and played in some really steep six footers here on Georgian Bay.

Got back to the marina and someone was watching me apparently. The guy watching from shore called the marina before I got back and told our sales manager to order him whatever I was driving, because he said it looked magnificent in the big waves... he now owns a 2018 seafarer. I recall a bit of water being blown over me, but in 40 knots I expect that.

As for height from water, I just re measured. Fuel is between 1/4 and 1/3 tank now, I have an anchor on a roller on the front, and 20 feet of chain in the locker, along with a spare anchor.

37 1/2" from the water, and I measured from the dock, not in the bow of the boat so my 230 lbs was not a factor.

Yep. In tight chop in 2-3 footers, I always have water on the windshield . I’ve owned 5 boats so trimming is not the issue. I’ve tried bow down and plowing and tabs all the way up with the motor trimmed. Neither gets me satisfactory results. Strangest damn thing

 

[Bdsp1234]

Is it wet as in spray? Or wet as in taking on water into the bilge?

The SeaV2 hull (which you have) is a very dry riding hull - but it has to be trimmed properly.

Parthery, wet as in spray over the bow. As I’ve said, ive tried both bow down and plowing, and also have tried tabs up all the way with motor trimmed.

 

[Blaugrana]

Yep. In tight chop in 2-3 footers, I always have water on the windshield . I’ve owned 5 boats so trimming is not the issue. I’ve tried bow down and plowing and tabs all the way up with the motor trimmed. Neither gets me satisfactory results. Strangest damn thing

If I remember correctly, I believe you boat in the Barnegat Bay like me. I know the 228 and 226 are different but there must be some similarities...

My 228 is basically dry for the most part except when I misjudge the placement of the trim tabs and motor. My sweet spot on the motor is slightly above 3 or the midpoint. Once my motor is there, I then engage the trim tabs and start bringing the bow down further...

Here is what I noticed...The direction of the wind, current and waves play a part in how dry you are. The Barnegat chop is pretty tight and if going against you the lower the bow the better to minimize bouncing but not as far down as when flat. Going with the waves are a different story and I learned to raise the bow up, otherwise every other wave will get you wet.

When waves are almost perpendicular to your direction, which seems the norm, I learned to keep that side up higher than the other side.

I am still learning the speed but I feel like 27-29 is a little better than 23-25. The lower range makes me feel like I porpoise a bit and/ or bounce more

You probably know all of this already but figured I would share. I am continuously experimenting and not sure if my approach is the best or not...

 

[Summertop511]

You have been going on about this for awhile.

Like the famous Bertram 31. Nice ride but very wet.
You have trade offs. Displacing the water for a smooth ride makes the wind catch it and throw it on the windshield. With my 226 27-29 seems very very dry. It’s been blowing very hard the past couple days and very rough atleast down here in tuckerton/great bay. Today was very nice tho

 

[Doc Stressor]

I'm surprised that nobody has suggested this, but you could have a hook in your hull. It shouldn't affect how the boat sits at rest unless it is very severe. But it can make a dry riding hull like the 226 ride wet. My old 204C had a hook in the hull that I never got corrected. It came that way from the factory. It was the wettest V hull boat I've ever been in.

 

[Bdsp1234]

If I remember correctly, I believe you boat in the Barnegat Bay like me. I know the 228 and 226 are different but there must be some similarities...

My 228 is basically dry for the most part except when I misjudge the placement of the trim tabs and motor. My sweet spot on the motor is slightly above 3 or the midpoint. Once my motor is there, I then engage the trim tabs and start bringing the bow down further...

Here is what I noticed...The direction of the wind, current and waves play a part in how dry you are. The Barnegat chop is pretty tight and if going against you the lower the bow the better to minimize bouncing but not as far down as when flat. Going with the waves are a different story and I learned to raise the bow up, otherwise every other wave will get you wet.

When waves are almost perpendicular to your direction, which seems the norm, I learned to keep that side up higher than the other side.

I am still learning the speed but I feel like 27-29 is a little better than 23-25. The lower range makes me feel like I porpoise a bit and/ or bounce more

You probably know all of this already but figured I would share. I am continuously experimenting and not sure if my approach is the best or not...

Thank you for your reply. I learned something from your post. I will certainly give your examples a try. This is the first good explaination I’ve gotten. Thank you.

 

[Bdsp1234]

I'm surprised that nobody has suggested this, but you could have a hook in your hull. It shouldn't affect how the boat sits at rest unless it is very severe. But it can make a dry riding hull like the 226 ride wet. My old 204C had a hook in the hull that I never got corrected. It came that way from the factory. It was the wettest V hull boat I've ever been in.

Doc Stressor, can you explain “ a hook in the hull “. I’ve never heard that terminology before.

 

[Doc Stressor]

Instead of the keel following a straight line from stern to stem, the middle part of the hull bends slightly upward. This can happen during the molding process or form over time if the hull is stored out of the water without proper support. A little bit of a bend can cause the bow to dig in no matter how you trim the motor. A hook makes the boat behave as if you had the trim tabs down all the time. The bend can actually be anywhere on the hull, not just along the keel line. You look for it with a straight edge when the boat is out of the water.

 

[Bdsp1234]

Instead of the keel following a straight line from stern to stem, the middle part of the hull bends slightly upward. This can happen during the molding process or form over time if the hull is stored out of the water without proper support. A little bit of a bend can cause the bow to dig in no matter how you trim the motor. A hook makes the boat behave as if you had the trim tabs down all the time. The bend can actually be anywhere on the hull, not just along the keel line. You look for it with a straight edge when the boat is out of the water.

Thanks for that. The boat gets a power wash next week. I’ll check it out

 

[Bdsp1234]

If I remember correctly, I believe you boat in the Barnegat Bay like me. I know the 228 and 226 are different but there must be some similarities...

My 228 is basically dry for the most part except when I misjudge the placement of the trim tabs and motor. My sweet spot on the motor is slightly above 3 or the midpoint. Once my motor is there, I then engage the trim tabs and start bringing the bow down further...

Here is what I noticed...The direction of the wind, current and waves play a part in how dry you are. The Barnegat chop is pretty tight and if going against you the lower the bow the better to minimize bouncing but not as far down as when flat. Going with the waves are a different story and I learned to raise the bow up, otherwise every other wave will get you wet.

When waves are almost perpendicular to your direction, which seems the norm, I learned to keep that side up higher than the other side.

I am still learning the speed but I feel like 27-29 is a little better than 23-25. The lower range makes me feel like I porpoise a bit and/ or bounce more

You probably know all of this already but figured I would share. I am continuously experimenting and not sure if my approach is the best or not...

Amamola,

Thank you for you input on trimming. Another lesson learned. I ran how you suggested trimming the motor first, then dropping the bow. I ran at 27 mph from the GPS. Wow, completely different tide. I’m going to try again on the next south wind @ 15-20.

Thanks again.

 

[Blaugrana]

Thank you for your reply. I learned something from your post. I will certainly give your examples a try. This is the first good explaination I’ve gotten. Thank you.

No problem.

Just be aware that too much trim tab impacts the steering when turning. When at speed, I always take a quick glimpse over my shoulder to see if I changed the shape of the water too much right behind my boat. I’ve noticed if it still looks like a “V” it’s ok but if there are 3 displacements (engine and 2 tabs), then I may have too much tab.

The steering seems to get super sensitive and feels like it gets a little out of control if the tabs are engaged too much. Others can explain the reason or if there is a need to ever have them all the way down, I just avoid it as

Amamola,

Thank you for you input on trimming. Another lesson learned. I ran how you suggested trimming the motor first, then dropping the bow. I ran at 27 mph from the GPS. Wow, completely different tide. I’m going to try again on the next south wind @ 15-20.

Thanks again.

Glad to hear...Went out this morning and thought it would be a good test for you. Waves were going from north to south with the north wind and outgoing tide.

I was completely dry even with the chop. These boats are amazing...

 

[Bdsp1234]

If I remember correctly, I believe you boat in the Barnegat Bay like me. I know the 228 and 226 are different but there must be some similarities...

My 228 is basically dry for the most part except when I misjudge the placement of the trim tabs and motor. My sweet spot on the motor is slightly above 3 or the midpoint. Once my motor is there, I then engage the trim tabs and start bringing the bow down further...

Here is what I noticed...The direction of the wind, current and waves play a part in how dry you are. The Barnegat chop is pretty tight and if going against you the lower the bow the better to minimize bouncing but not as far down as when flat. Going with the waves are a different story and I learned to raise the bow up, otherwise every other wave will get you wet.

When waves are almost perpendicular to your direction, which seems the norm, I learned to keep that side up higher than the other side.

I am still learning the speed but I feel like 27-29 is a little better than 23-25. The lower range makes me feel like I porpoise a bit and/ or bounce more

You probably know all of this already but figured I would share. I am continuously experimenting and not sure if my approach is the best or not...

Amamola, nearly three weeks of running the boat with your suggestions. Wow, what a difference. The boat definitely likes to run at 27-29. Trimming the motor to mid point and then bowing down makes such a dramatic difference. It’s amazing the difference. Thank you so much.

 

[Summertop511]

Amamola, nearly three weeks of running the boat with your suggestions. Wow, what a difference. The boat definitely likes to run at 27-29. Trimming the motor to mid point and then bowing down makes such a dramatic difference. It’s amazing the difference. Thank you so much.

Is it your boat I see for sale in our local Craigslist for 23,500?

 

[Blaugrana]

Amamola, nearly three weeks of running the boat with your suggestions. Wow, what a difference. The boat definitely likes to run at 27-29. Trimming the motor to mid point and then bowing down makes such a dramatic difference. It’s amazing the difference. Thank you so much.

Thanks, just passing on what I learned from everyone else here.

Let me know if you learn anything more. I am still figuring out how the boat wants to handle some larger wakes/ swells I have encountered in the bay. Decent sized waves where my midpoint is off the front of one wave and has not yet hit the other.

I’ve pounded the following wave and got sprayed other times, can’t figure out the happy medium there....