Adventure 208 Trim/Tilt settings with Yamaha F-225 4 stroke

[David Olson]

Hi everyone.
My question is how far down to set my tilt and trim. The boat is a 1995 Adventure 208 with hardtop and F-225 Yamaha 4 stroke. If I bring the trim all the way down and up against the transom my prop is not parallel to the surface when on plane. Should I set the tilt all the way down and not get into any trimming and then bring bow down with the trim tabs? Sometimes I can get the boat to 29 mph at 4200 rpm. Other time's I'm only doing 20 mph at 4200 rpm. With the prop trimmed in as tight to the transom as I can get it I've had the boat to 47.5 mph at 6000 rpm. But then the prop is not parallel to the surface as most people recommend. Thanks for any input anyone can give me concerning this setup.

 

[DB]

When you first start off tuck the motor all the way in...when you get on plane click the trim button twice...click it two more times you should be fine...if you stop and come off plane...tuck it back in and start again.

 

[seasick]

There is no exact answer. Many factors affect trim settings; load, seas, weather etc.
In general though, I find that given a specific engine speed and on plane, I look at the GPS mph speed and as I trim up or down, note if the speed changes. If it changes to a higher number, I continue to trim in that direction (up or down) in small increments waiting about 10 to 20 seconds between trim changes. Vessel speed will increase at a given RPM as the trim reached optimal settings. Once you past optimal, the speed will decrease. Now all that said, this is in calm seas, light winds etc. Weather and sea conditions will often dictate different trim than what was the optimal.
You need to experiment but remember to adjust in small increment until you get the feel for the appropriate settings

 

[jellyfish]

When you first start off tuck the motor all the way in...when you get on plane click the trim button twice...click it two more times you should be fine...if you stop and come off plane...tuck it back in and start again.

I have a 1997 with no hard top and a F200- 4 STROKE, And this is what I do as well. It works great and you should be able to get her on a plane, it will take a few seconds, but after you get her on a plane do just as DB says and it will work great. I get 6000 rpm and 48 mph Top speed.

 

[David Olson]

Thanks Everyone. I'll give the 2 clicks, then two more clicks trick a try the next time on out.

 

[David Olson]

I tried it yesterday and it worked great. I could hold 28 mph as low as 4000 rpm and stayed right at 30 mph at 4300 rpm. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Doc Stressor]

Every hull and load is different. Using a set number of clicks or indicator bars is not the best practice.

Start out with the engine trimmed in and the trim tabs all the way up.

Begin to trim out as the boat starts to get up on plane. There is no reason to plow the bow until the boat is all the way up on plane.

Once on plane, bring the rpm to about 4000. Then gradually increase you trim angle and watch the rpm increase. If you go too far, the rpm will suddenly increase as the prop breaks loose. Your most efficient running angle will be the point where the prop no longer breaks loose given the sea conditions. Once you have established the proper trim, you can run at any rpm or speed that you choose. The most fuel efficient cruising speed is almost always at the minimum rpm that will keep the hull solidly on plane.

You should also notice a decrease in steering torque as the engine reaches the proper on plane trim angle. With most hulls and loads, that point is the same as or very close to the ideal running angle determined by rpm. Once you learn to feel this "sweet spot", you'll probably use the steering torque method to rapidly set the trim angle.

Use your trim tabs to adjust for sea conditions or load distribution after you have trimmed the engine correctly. Remember that any decrease in rpm that you see when you deploy the trim tabs will reduce your fuel efficiency.