265 Express List Discussion

[jay-bones]

Good afternoon, All!

Long time avid water sports guy but only a few year boat owner. I live in Wall, NJ and have our boat in the Glimmer Glass in Manasquan.

Fast forward, I stumbled across a listing for a 265 one day and kind of fell in love. Big enough to do the river with friends, small enough to run solo, and built for offshore fishing (which both my young son and daughter love after several offshore trips in the Caribbean and Costa Rican Pacific).

I ended up purchasing an originally-NJ 265 out of CT and had it down here early April. It has original ~800 hour OX225s that - after a few decarb sessions - appear to run great (fingers crossed). While we have a few electric gremlins which are eminently solvable (whether now or offseason), the main thing I am trying to solve is a starboard list that I can’t figure out.

I did have a survey done (boat was on the hard) with the primary purpose of making sure that the hull and transom integrity was good and dry, which came back positively. At the dock the boat has a starboard list, noticeable from rear view but not “problematic” per se. But more concerning is more noticeable at speed. My thinking is that the list is “real” (weight or otherwise) and that the sharp entry is exacerbating the “rollover.”

Marina pump out is currently not functional so haven’t been able to pump that out, and I believe fresh water tank is empty, but it seems to me that the black water tank shouldn’t be large enough with some antifreeze in it to make any marginal difference.

I’ve seen a handful of posts that talk about some listing, but i can’t recall having seen anything that mentions any causes or solutions.

Happy to play around with adding some port side ballast leads, but (i) would be thankful for best placement ideas, and (ii) would love to hear if there have been others who have experienced this simply so I know it’s not an idiosyncratic issue. We ran it back in this past Tuesday after trolling the Monster Ledge and Glory Hole and love the way the boat rides, but would feel much more comfortable knowing the listing issue isn’t in the back of my head.

I realize this is much more narrative, and while I fancy myself a halfway intelligent human, please school me on obvious details that I should have shared that may be helpful!

My thanks in advance! Gratefully -

Jay Bones

 

[kevgle]

try filling fresh water tank .its 20 gallons app.160 lbs. believe it or not that makes a difference

 

[jay-bones]

try filling fresh water tank .its 20 gallons app.160 lbs. believe it or not that makes a difference

Appreciate that, that was going to be one of my first go-to tries, it just seems like it’s more than a 160lb issue (call it a <2% overall allocation to a ~9k-ish pound total weight). Which adds to my curiosity/concern about what the culprit may be…

And thank you for the thought and quick reply!

 

[seasick]

I doubt that the 'sharp entry' is a contributor to the list ( when at rest at the dock). The list is a result of the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy not being in the same plane aft to forward.
Adding ballast can help but at a cost (although probably small on a hull your size.The listing could be 'built in' to the hull due to design errors or manufacturing errors. It could of course be a result od excess weight due to water in the bilge or wet foam.
One source that can make a big difference is the fuel tank. It may not be level to the hull resulting in fuel being unevenly distributed.

Changing battery location or count can be a factor as can the placement of gear and equipment.
One interesting experiment you can conduct is to see what effect moving weight has on the list.

If you can see where the water line sits on both sides and/or the hull is bottom painted and the paint line is uniform around the hull, you can measure the distance from the gunnels to the actual water. Measure at a point that is about 60% of the length over the water and off from the transom. note where you stood so that you can measure at the same spot on the other side of the boat
If all were up to snuff, your measurements at each side would be the same. In addition, it you eyeballed where the water line was with no one on the boat and compared that to the measurement you took on each side, the water line would be higher (hull deeper ) when you are on the boat.
I know this all sounds complicated but the theory is logical. Knowing the effect of a moving weight can help quantify how much weight is needed to counteract the list. Remember that when you go from side to side to see how much the boat is listing or 'un-listing' you are not just added weight to the side you are standing on but you also have removed the same weight (your body weight) from the opposite side.
You can also stand af far aft as possible in the center of the deck, note the list and then move forward to the end of the water line and again in the center of the hull to see if the list changes. That test can help determine if adding ballast of if the imbalance of load is more aft than forward.

You may be surprised how little the list changes moving from side to side. Id you weigh 170 pounds, in effect you are simulating adding 340 pounds of ballast. ( That is not 100% correct since the actual location of the COG and COB are factors in determining the effect of adding ballast

You can also keep a log of the list with different fuel volumes. If it turns out that an almost empty tank results in very little list but a 1/2 tank has more list, it is likely that the alignment of the tank may be an issue, The shape of the tank bottom can make a small misalignment a bigger issue with balance

 

[Fowl Hooked]

I have a similar list issue when in the slip, have never quite figured it out but I've found that my 265 is fairly sensitive to shifts in weight, just try having someone move from one side to the other while you're running and watch how she leans. If you've got the 2-strokes I'm assuming you've got a 2002 or earlier boat which is slightly different from the later 4-stroke hulls like mine but I think that in general all the 265s are susceptible.

Our fuel tanks are centerline fore and aft so I wouldn't have thought that would matter but I'd not considered that perhaps they're not completely level, which is a great point, I'm pretty lightly loaded right now and will try to make a point of comparing it to when I add more gear and another 100 gallons or so. My batteries are one per side and while I don't have oil tanks I'd assume they are also balanced so I don't think it'd be either of those unless as Seasick pointed out, something got moved. The hold tank and water tank aren't huge but they are all the way outboard so that weight will have more of an effect than something more centerline. As mentioned, gear and equipment could also be contributing.

I don't know if any of these things on their own would cause the list we're both experiencing but perhaps a combination of many small things is adding up to be enough? After all these years I've largely just come to accept the slight list as another little quirk of this particular Grady model.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I have run a 2000 265 since 2017. I had OX66s and now Zuke DF200APs.
If you search TAGS here for "265 Express" you will find all of my posts relevant to the 265.


2 degrees at the dock seems to be the norm.
I don't worry about it. I have so much gear, tackle, and lead sinkers onboard there is no point in trying to ballast it.
its a 22deg V. They don't want to sit up straight when they are not moving.

If you list when running, your motors are probably trimmed down too far.
Deep v hulls will always tilt toward the wind.
I suppose tabs can correct that but as soon as you turn you will get yanked over because your tabs are now wrong for the direction.
Or you will set them and then someone will walk to the other gunnel to look at dolphins and you'll get yanked over.
Make sure your tabs are up all the way and pull the fuse and never touch them.
(FYI, 265 has special short tab actuators so buying a simple indicator kit is out...)

If you list after that, tell someone to sit on the other side.

 

[drbatts]

My 265 would always lean to starboard at the dock. The house battery was on that side, so I somewhat attributed it to that. I played around a little with moving gear and tackle around a little, but it didn't make a huge difference. I think they all lean a little bit at the dock. My 305 now leans a little to port at the dock go figure.

 

[tilewave]

hello, does your 265 not have any lettering on it , with some original 225 motors on the back? if so i saw you coming in Saturday ... you were turning toward Glimmer Glass right before the train track bridge. any way welcome to the 265 club ! so yes it sits listing no big deal . so i know Skunk , great guy and great advice, but i DO use the tabs. NEVER dig in too hard with them or you you will get Yanked over" as Chuck described. i use them to balance my ride when underway or sometimes to veer into a quartering see.
START with the motors in down position and get up on plane and up to desired cruising speed LIFT them up until you find the sweet spot. sparingly touch the TABS to balance yourself out depending on conditions

 

[vocz]

My 2003 and it does look straight in the slip. I keep my engines straight up with the outboard Steering locks which may help with the listing.