Adaptive Speed Control and Inboard or Outboard boat motor?

I was reading a magazine called Boating Industry. In an article called "Launch" about new engines a portion of it focused on Mercury's new purpose-built marine engine a 4.5L V-6 250 horsepower sterndrive. The article also included the Evinrude G2 and new Suzuki outboard motors.

The two parts I found very interesting was the statement made by David Foulkes vice president of product development at Mercury.  He says about automobile engines in boats "it has made it difficult to fit an auto engine to the needs of boaters. The way auto engines are designed bear virtually no relation to the way a marine engine is operated". A thought I have shared for many years.

So it seems that outboard engines were the only engines designed for use in boats up until Mercury's new purpose-built marine engine the 4.5L V-6 250 horsepower sterndrive.   

The second and more interesting perhaps statement was that the motor has what they call "Adaptive Speed Control (ASC) which automatically maintains the set RPM point regardless of load or condition changes, such as tight turns, tow sports and lower speeds on plane. This is a big step in the right direction for water skiing.  Now if only Evinrude would apply it to their line of engines and Mercury would expand it to include their OptiMax engines as it is only an option on the Verado line.

Fine Tuning a water ski boat

I have logged a lot of hours in outboard powered Hydrodyne and Dyna-Ski Boats since the mid 1970's. Most of the time pulling water skiers doing all sorts of things including kites and parasails. Pulling a lot of skiers or a flying skier/person requires thinking ahead.

I take for granted that people know that they can fine tune a boat.  Most any boat can be fine tuned to some degree. To what extent you want to go is only limited by time and dollars you are willing to spend.

One of the easiest ways to fine tune a boat is using weight.  I like using vinyl coated weights that are used for weight lifting.  The weights can be purchased fairly cheap and some folks have them lying around the house already.  Lots of ski clubs use 50 - 70 lbs sand bags and I have seen lead shot used and even V-8 engine cylinder heads.  If you use weights just make sure they cannot shift easily.  Placing them on the floor under seats is a good place to put them.  Ski teams put them under the closed bow boats around and in front of the gas tank to help balance the boats multiple engines. Ski teams also use people in the boat often times while pulling bigger acts to help keep the high side of the boat down when making turns.  The longer new style Dyna-Ski boats don't seem to need this as much as the older shorter Hydrodyne style boats. The nice thing about using people is the additional weight is not always in the boat and it can be moved around somewhat.

In an open bow Dyna-Ski I like to add some weight to the nose of the boat under the front bow seat. In a closed bow it can be placed in the front of the boat also. It is harder to do in the closed bow as someone has the crawl under the bow.  I suggest you start with 50 - 70 lbs and adjust as you like.  I run about 100 lbs in the nose of my single motored boats.  Ski team's will use upwards of 850 lbs in some boats. Keep in mind that three 250 HO motors weigh 1600 lbs plus batteries & oil tanks to pull lots of skiers so weight is needed. I know more than one ski team driver that uses weight to balance the boat from side to side as he outweighs his passenger and likes the feel of a balanced boat.  It is not an exact science and subject to the taste of the primary driver in most cases.  Dyna-Ski boats has also put permanent weight under the floor of the boat below the gas tank when building a boat for customers that ask.

The easiest and cheapest thing to do is remove the pin that limits the travel of the motor down assuming the motor will not hit the hull of the boat.  The motor won't hit the hull on Dyna-Ski Boats.  Removing the pin allows the motor to be trimmed down more which helps keep the bow of the boat down. Top picture below is with the pin in and the lower is with the pin out and transom wedges.  More on transom wedges later.

The two methods of tuning above cost little to nothing.  The next steps require money.  Dyna-Ski boats are designed to accelerate with the bow down and run level with very little motor trimming required. At higher speeds trimming the motor up a little reduces bow steer and makes the boat easier to drive. When you slow down and turn to pick up a skier with a Dyna-Ski Boat the bow comes up a little which helps keep everyone dry in the boat.

Having the best prop on any boat for the engine and use makes a huge difference. I am assuming the outboard motor height is correct on the transom. Correct motor height is an article for another day perhaps? I like four blade props for Dyna-Ski Boats.  The best one for the V-6 on a 17.6 is a 15" pitch four blade.  The lower the pitch the more power that is available.  The higher pitch props give more speed but less acceleration.  A bow lifter prop on a water ski boat will make the boat hard to hold steady at slower speeds towing skiers.  Most of the twin and triple motored boats we build for ski teams have 4 blade 15 pitch props.  There are some older 3 blade props that work pretty well but most are not readily available new.  The four blade 17 pitch is also a very good prop on a 200 or bigger engine on a 20' Open Bow.  The 17 pitch gives a little more speed than a 15 pitch.  It comes down to driver preference in many cases on a 20' Open Bow with a single motor.

Next up on fine tuning is what we call transom wedges or shims.  We now install them on every 17.6 Open Bow as them seem to have more affect on a 17.6 Open Bow and not much affect on a 20' Open Bow.  There are several reasons we feel for this difference with weight and length being the main ones. In the picture below you can clearly see where the wedges go.  They are not very expensive but it does require longer motor bolts (usually) and would best be done by an experienced outboard mechanic.

An item that is often overlooked is shift and throttle cables.  Older mechanical cables tend to wear and the friction or resistance to movement increase. This makes it harder to make small speed changes with mechanical controls.  The mechanical controls also wear and get sloppy but not nearly as fast as the cables do. Of course with electronic controls there is no cable friction or wear allowing fine speed control adjustment very easily. There are buttons on the dash (pictured below) to start the engine, put the boat in gear and bump the throttle up and down 1%.  Sadly cruise control or "Perfect Pass" speed control is not offered yet. Electronic controls are pricey. They are available on some makes and models of engines.

You now have several ways to fine tune your outboard water ski boat. If you or I come up with some more ideas I will add them to this article or write another one.

Hylons or Extended Pylons

Over the years skiers have asked for taller pylons which we call extended pylons or hylons. It did not take long until the towers came onto the boating scene.  There are even towers with hylons on top of them.  We have sold Dyna-Ski boats with towers although I do not suggest them for several reasons and I prefer a Hylon for many reasons. The list is long including: cost, noise (towers rattle eventually), wind drag, wind noise, boat lift/canopy fit, garage fit, cover issues, etc. However we will sell you whatever you prefer!

With an extended pylon or hylon you can put it on the boat and take it off fairly easily depending upon which one you choose. If you quit using a tower in the future years you won't still have to contend with it if you go with an extended pylon. If you decide you want a tower it can be added at any time.  The brand I like and sell is Barefoot International.  We also use or sell their towers.  They are located in Milwaukee. Owners Mike and John have high quality products that are reasonably priced.

Link to their pylons and extended pylons:

http://www.barefootinternational.com/PYLONS.bifh

 There are several lengths of pylons in Dyna-Ski boats. The standard Dyna-Ski pylon diameter is 2 7/8" and the length varies according to the application and motor size.  The longest standard Dyna-Ski pylon is 48".  We also have a 83" pylon to replace the existing pylon made for us by KW Show Ski Equipment. KW also makes our rope guards and tow line releases. The 83" pylon has a limited load capacity as it does not require a strap to use. All Dyna-Ski pylons are pinned into a base bracket that is fastened to the floor. On some Dyna-Ski boats the base bracket has two mounting positions or heights for the pylon.

42" and 83" pylons

 Dyna-Ski offers a machined adapter to mount a Barefoot International/Fly High pylon extension to the Dyna-Ski Pylon. Below is the adapter on a pylon.

This is the adapter.

The options and things skiers do change all the time. The nice thing about Dyna-Ski is we custom build every boat to the specific customer's needs.  We don't try to sell you a boat we have in stock or left over from last year or the year before. Dyna-Ski won't hurry a Dyna-Ski Boat completion or take any short cuts. You get what you pay for in the end. Maybe that is why you never see any used ones . . . . . ..

Tracking Fins

As Hydrodyne boats are aging (remember outboard "Hydrodyne" versions were last produced in 1991 or 1992) I'm getting more and more requests for parts and pieces.  Tracking fins seem to be in the most demand.  Without a tracking fin the older single motored boats don't work so well I have been told.  I have experienced a 17.6 without a tracking fin and the boat does not turn at speed. The tracking fin is about 19" long and 6" tall.  The older aluminum fins were slightly longer and the holes are in a different locations than our composite fins holes. So replacing an old tracking fin with a new one is much easier.

The older boats had a cast aluminum tracking fin.  They are no longer available.  We switched to a composite tracking fin a long time ago for several reasons. The main one being a composite fin will break off and do less damage to the hull than a metal one will.  Easier and cheaper to replace a tracking fin than to fix a hole and replace a fin.

If your boat has lost its tracking fin the biggest concern should be the surface the tracking fin is mounted on. If water has gotten into the balsa coring it could damage the area quickly.  If the mounting area is bad the places the tracking fin are attached may not hold for very long. Fixing the hull can get very expensive very quickly.

 

If you choose to install a new tracking fin using a good marine caulk just like is used for mounting outboard engines is a good idea.  Use a lot and put it on both the boat and tracking fin. Being neat is not important but getting enough caulk around the holes is important. The excess caulk can be wiped off and no one looks at the bottom of your boat besides.  We use stainless steel screws and you should predrill the holes so the screws don't break off while installing them.

Evinrude G2 Outboard Engines

Evinrude has announced a new outboard engine line called the G2.  These V-6 engines are 200 - 300 Horsepower with 210 cubic inch displacement.  The motors are reported to have a 20% more torque and improved fuel economy (15%) along with built in hydraulic steering and in many cases power hydraulic steering.  The G2 also has a new trim system, digital integration with gauges, a sleek SLX gear case. This means the G2 motors will all be controlled and monitored with electronics so no more mechanical controls and cables. Different colored side panels can be ordered for the motors. There is no scheduled maintenance for 5-years or 500 hours. 

I am told that Teleflex/SeaStar Hydraulic helms and hoses work with the Evinrude G2 engines.

The new G2 motors cost more money. As an example the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of a 20" shaft length 200 HO is $2,311.00 more for the new G2 motor with "Integrated Hydraulic" steering than a mechanical controlled 200 HO. The G2 has 10 more cubic inches of displacement.  If you want what they call "Integrated Power Steering" add $650 MSRP on to the G2's MSRP on the 200 HO model.

I don't have a cost on the parts and pieces needed for rigging the new G2 engines. The older style mechanical and ICON controls are not compatible.

The new G2 motors are slightly heavier and longer so the center of gravity is going to be further back and higher which will translate into the bow of your boat coming up more.  The motors weigh around 30 lbs more plus the oil tank is now built in to them so the weight of the oil will also add to the total weight on the transom.  How much the center of gravity changes is yet to be determined.

For twin and triple motored installations the motor spacing will need to be wider according to my inside sources at Evinrude and my "in the loop" ski team contacts. It looks like it will need to be about 1.5" wider.  The built in hydraulic steering system should make it easier to space the motors further apart.  With twins and triples on our 20' Closed Bow Models a different rope guard will be needed for the new engines. I am still trying to find out exactly how the steering will have to be physically connected for triple installations.

If you do a online search there are interesting articles and I expect more every day.  Here are a couple links you may be interested in checking out.

http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2014/06/outboard-expert-new-evinrude-e-tec-g2-outboards-debut-milwaukee/

http://www.evinrude.com/en-us/engines/etec_20/etec_200_ho_g2

I am anxious to try some of the G2 motors, I think!

The good, bad and ugly of Boat Trailers

We have sold boat trailers for many years.  We have tried several different styles and manufacturers.  Boat trailers have had the least increase in prices over the years it seems. Dyna-Ski pretty much settled in on a custom welded trailer and up until last year we sold the same brand of trailer with rare exception. The customer paid a little more and got a trailer that should last a long time with minimal maintenance we felt. My how times have changed.

Dyna-Ski 20' Closed Bow with 3 Mercury 150 Pro XS Motors.  

Now living in Canada.

Phoenix Dyna-Ski 20' Tandem Trailer for a triple.

Keep in mind that our hull shape has not changed at all as we use the same pair of molds.  The difference between the 20' and 17.6 model is 2' 6" of length and nothing else.

Notice how far back the two rear axles are located. 

We do this do to the weight of the motors all hanging on the back of the boat.

Last year I started selling tandem Phoenix trailers under the ski team models.  They trailer like a dream even with a heavy ski team triple.  The tandem Phoenix trailers we sell have four bunks including full length bunks. The full length bunks do an excellent job of supporting the gas in the large front mounted tank as well as the counter weight added by all ski teams. Sometimes it is lots of weight like 850 lbs. There are some other nice features which add to the cost of a Phoenix but seem to be well worth it.

Vertical Side Guides
Front loader style bow stop
LED Light Package
Swing Tongue
Aluminum on Fender Tops
Keel Roller on nose cross member
HD Fulton Jack
F2 Fulton Winch

One of the secrets to good trailer towing performance is towing with the boat nose high.  I tow with the tongue almost as high as the trailer jack can raise it.  The higher trailer coupler means less bouncing and better, smoother hydraulic brake performance. This also seems to make it easier to back the trailer without the brakes locking in most instances.

If you look at the brake actuator in the tongue when the hitch ball is lower you should be able to see that bouncing might cause the brakes to go on. When the tongue is high this does not happen unless you step on the brakes.  It is hard to explain but the difference can be felt when you drive down a rough road much quicker than on a smooth interstate highway.  The higher tongue while towing means improved MPG as the boat has less wind resistance and seems to stay cleaner.  The higher tongue even seems to help when towing an empty trailer.

The boat trailer brand we settled on in the past couple years have decreased in quality levels a great deal.  Most notable is the quality of the carpet on the bunks and bow stops.  The bunk & bow stop carpet has a very short life if it gets much use at all.  To help out our custoners I will sell you at cost a higher grade of carpet to recarpet your trailer bunks if you contact me. You can just put the new carpet over the old stuff if you want a quick fix.  Use lots of staples on the side and bottom.

Digital Engine Control & Monitoring

In the past year or so I'm starting to see more and more buyers both recreational and ski teams spend the money for digital engine control and monitoring. What I am referring to is ICON for Evinrude and SmartCraft for Mercury.  The ICON System is available on any V-6 Evinrude while the SmartCraft is only available on Mercury Verado engines.

Evinrude V-6 motors are all two stroke motors while the Verado is a four stroke motor with super charger.

DO NOT CONFUSE engine monitoring with engine control as both engine monitoring systems can be used with conventional cable controls and have just digital engine monitoring.  Digital control means a computer cable with data signals are used to operate the shift and throttle of the engine or engines and not traditional mechanical cables for shift and throttle control.  Digital controls are super smooth and give the ability to control motor speed more precisely than mechanical cables seem to be able to. Once you experience them it will be hard to go back to mechanical controls. Mechanical cables and controls do wear out and should be replaced over the years depending on use.  Digital controls and cables should never need replacing.

The flush mount recessed digital controls look very similar to mechanical controls but feel a whole lot different and take some getting used to.  They cannot be interchanged between systems. Can you tell the difference in the two pictures below?

The mechanical control is the top left one.  Digital on the lower right.

We have been using digital ICON technology for many years wired as a stand alone GPS Speedometer mainly in Evinrude powered Dyna-Ski Boats.  The dial readout is good for a quick glance and the digital speed readout is in hundredths of a mile per hour on the bottom of the display.  The 40 mph range (setting) works well and the digital goes way past 40 mph for those occasional runs at wide open across the lake! The speed reading in hundredths of a mile per hour on the bottom of the display can cause problems.  More on this later.*

I can hardly remember a single Dyna-Ski that does not have a GPS Speedometer since we started offering it.  Livorsi was the first company to offer GPS Water Ski Speedometers and we put a fair number of their product on Dyna-Ski Boats over the years. 

GPS systems on boats have a puck for speed pickup.  Keep in mind that GPS read out is speed over ground and not water.  The speed reading system is very similar to the ones is use on navigation systems in vehicles. Pictured below is a puck and horn on a Dyna-Ski Open Bow along with a snap for the bow cover.

 

Dyna-Ski built a triple Verado powered and SmartCraft digital controlled Dyna-Ski for the Hartwick Huskies way back in 2008.  It had power assist hydraulic steering so the boat could be driven with one finger and speed changes on all three engines made with a thumb and two fingers. As far as I know this boat is still in use and they have reported zero problems to Dyna-Ski.

 The Dyna-Ski boat below uses two levers to control three engines which is how Mercury and Evinrude systems currently work. Notice the boat batteries are behind the passenger seat to help reduce the weight in the back of the triple motored boat and also help balance out the boat.  Most ski team twins and all triples have ballast in the front of their Dyna-Ski boats. Some have a lot of ballast.

Dyna-Ski put one of the first ICON systems on a 20' Open Bow demo several years ago.  It is an excellent system and people that tried it loved it.  I'm thinking I will put ICON on my 1987 Hydrodyne which will spoil my son and wife forever I am afraid. I have redone and updated most everything on the boat over the years and there is information on this blog about the updates.  With the Evinrude ICON system the motor end mechanical control parts are replaced with two electrical assemblies one for shifting and one for throttle.  Each motor needs its own kit. This motor has hydraulic steering also.

There have been a few updates over the years and Evinrude has added dedicated gauges to their product line. The dedicated gauges are nice however there are a few limitations with using some of them. The first gauges were 3" and 2" now they also offer much more expensive 5" gauges.  Pictured below are the 3" and 2" dedicated gauges.

The original 3" and 2" ICON gauges can be programmed to display many different engine signals 

the new ones cannot as they are single function generally.  The original ones are still available and we have mixed and matched them for different customer needs when requested.

If you have read this blog you have figured out my background is mainly Evinrude and I'm a two stroke or two cycle fan. Twin Lakes Marine is doing a Mercury Verado with digital controls for a customer so I am hoping to get more information and pictures of this Dyna-Ski in the near future.  We are not Verado Certified as the demand for this product has been enough to spend the time and money to do it yet and we have the experienced folks at Twin Lakes Marine to handle our Mercury needs and now they are an Evinrude dealer as well. Dyna-Ski, Evinrude & Mercury so WIN WIN WIN!

Below is the setup used last summer for a triple with 250 HO Evinrude motors.  Mixture of one 3" multifunction gauge used as a speedometer primarily and three dedicated 3" tachometers 

along with three 2" trim and one 2" fuel level gauge. This Dyna-Ski 20' Closed Bow boat has it all including electric power assist hydraulic steering and a counter rotation unit on one of the three engines so the boat sits flatter and has a more even steering (less potential pulling to one side or boat twist).  This all makes the Dyna-Ski boat super easy to drive and remember it has almost 800 HP!

It makes for a neat and clean motor well also.  Notice the outside motors have the hydraulic cylinders and the center motor is connected with tie bars.

Digital controls available allow the driver to make very easy and very fine adjustments of motor speed!  The digital controls don't allow the driver to slam the motor(s) into gear so gear cases cannot be abused.  The mechanical cables associated with outboards will eventually be a thing of the past in many applications however the wide use of the mechanical systems in the past, coupled with the higher costs may keep cables and mechanical controls around for quite some time.  More and more people are seeing the upsides and paying the extra money to have the benefits long term in certain applications.  Digital controls are everywhere. Your vehicles have had them for many years so why not your boats . . . . . . .

*Please note that I mentioned about that one downside of the GPS digital readout speedometers is the digital speed reading in the hundredths of a mile per hour on the bottom of the display.  I was teaching my son to drive this past summer.  John was focused on maintaining the speed for his Swivel Skiing mother at a rock steady speed of 14 mph.  He was constantly increasing and decreasing the throttle slightly causing the boat to speed up and slow down.  I call it see-sawing the throttle. She was not happy.  Once I convinced him that the speedometer was a guide and not to make changes unless he felt the boat speed change or saw the angle of her ski change he did much better.  The old famous "standard" Air Guide Pitot tube Speedometers that every manufacturer used for many years on ski boats were slow to show speed changes so it made the boat seem easy to drive or hold steady at various speeds.  The boats still are pretty steady!  I could write a book trying to explain that the boat is not actually changing speeds and that the system that gives the readout is using a finer of measurement of speed than is needed.   Not to mention that it is speed over ground and not water that is being shown on them.  I hope this makes some sense as it is not the focus of this article. In the old family ski boat I have a pitot tube Air Guide and a GPS Speedometer on a lake that has lots of weeds in some places.