How do you keep a 28 in the water

[backman]

at over 25 knots in any sort of head sea or swell?

I find that even the gentlest 3' swell will launch me every few minutes to the point I have to back down to 24-25 to stay in the water and not come off the back of the swell.

[Hey Doc]

She likes to fly!

Backman,
I have the same problem. I think the only thing you can do is give her full tabs and drop it back a few knots.

[RUNKELDC]

Same with my 25. Tab and outdrive all the way down and drop the speed to 22-23 knots.

[Bullish]

I also like to put weight in the cabin....anything that will fit down there. Especially when you have full fuel, ice, and crew in the cockpit.

[Bluefin 32]

Do you guys feel the trim tabs on the 28 are large enough for heavily loaded running in big head seas? I am thinking of ordering a new boat and I was wondering about that. The problems you are describing sound like something associated with a bow up running attitude. On my old 25, I felt the tabs were too small in those sort of conditions. I had to trim the drive in and use too much tab deflection to keep the boat in the water. That meant a lot of load (I had an EGT sensor and could see the temperature shoot up) and poorer fuel economy. On a straight inboard 28 you would not have the option of using the drive to help the tabs get the bow down so you couldn't really fix the problem efficiently.

Usually wider tabs that get the bow down (technically I suppose they are lifting the stern) with less deflection are the answer. Is this even possible given that there is a pocket for the trim planes as I recall?

Thoughts?

[Hey Doc]

Bigger tabs

I don't know if bigger tabs would fit on the 28, but it sure would help to have them.

[Bluefin 32]

By the way, the issue of coming out of the water is one that can be experienced on much bigger boats. Even the 45 Viking open I run regularly for a friend can do a variation on this, though it takes bigger seas of course. Launching a 50,000 lb displacement boat makes quite a splash.

This may seem obvious, but apart from putting the bow down, sometimes it makes a lot of sense to adjust course a few degrees and "tack" to your destination. Taking the waves at an angle has the effect of lengthening the wave period. Often one side of the course will be favored if wind shifts or current are playing a role in sea state. That means the legs on that side of the course can be longer than the other. It adds a bit of distance to the trip, but often the gain in speed and comfort will make it well worthwhile -- and even shorten the time running.

Most GPS plotters have a "Velocity Made Good" (VMG) data display that will quickly show you how much a given course deviation to a waypoint is costing you versus the straight shot so you can gauge the tradeoff between comfort, speed, time, and fuel burn.

[backman]

tacking is standard fare

In a NE blow this weekend I came out the east side of the Vineyard, ran S and fished to the SW; trolled N a bit to lessen the distance; then tacked NW to take the seas more on my beam on the way home. It works to a fashion, but slowing down still is the only real answer.

I find that in the typical nasty 3-5's; the 28 has no problem at 22-4 knots with the 3's; no problems at 20-22 knots with the honest 4's; but needs to slow to 18 to stay in the water when coming off the back mof a 5 or greater no matter how you tab down.

I used to accept the occasional launch as a cost of doing business offshore; now I slow to 18 in those conditions and ride sitting as opposed to hanging on

[DBV]

Would you guys still buy the 28 again if you can't keep it in the water in higher waves?

[backman]

yes

The Hydrasport 32 couldn't make it out as it could not run 25 without going "straight up in the air" and was incapable of running at anything less than 22 knots.


The Luhr's 32 bailed due to cavitation and vibration problems on the way out.

The Bertram 38 made it out but broke down on the way home and had to be assisted back to the dock. Fuel filter issues so we'll give him a pass.

The Pursuit 30 made it half way out; said "no mas" and had to troll back at 13 knots for an hour.

2 big boys; 40-50 somethings slugged by me while I was trolling north, running the same 18 knots I made later on. A friend on an Ocean 40-something came back at 16 knots.

A friend aboard w/ me; brother of Canyon Runner crew, looked at the situation, watched us slug through and called it "the little boat that could".

The funny part was that if i wished to launch every minute or so; the boat was perfectly happy to make 22 knots.

[Valhalla]

launch away

Larry...put the autopilot on and run your 18-20k - what are you in a hurry to get back to? I run a 50 viking sometimes and we can make over 30 knots on the way in. There has been many an occassion where we back it down to twenty, sit on the bridge and toss back a few "diet pepsis" all while taking in the waterfront view, the flying fish launching through the air and the banter on the VHF. The speed is nice sometimes but the humm of those diesels and the hanging with your boys shootin the bull on the way in is one of the best parts of the trip in my opinion. In my 28 Classic when it gets nasty we all like to look out the stern and watch that zig zagged wake meet those nasty seas...all the while feeling secure and wondering how the boys in the go fasts are liking the briny bath ass pounding they are no doubt receiving!

[backman]

Simple - the rush is on the way out, not the way back!

My run out is more or less due south against a prevailing SW wind and S-something sea. The rush is to get to the fishing grounds 70-100 miles out.

When its snotty and evil I slow down to 18-20 and stay comfortable; but we often get almost calm days with a prevailing SW sea and a periodic longer SE swell which turns the steady 2-3 into an occasional 3+ which launches me at 25. Its not often enough to want to slow down; its frequent enough to be a pain in the butt.

i then have the choice of setting the throttle to 22 knots; sitting back and letting Otto run the boat or trying to keep on top of the throttle and every minute or so back off when a larger wave traon occurs.

50' would solve my problem just fine

[Valhalla]

50' is nice...but 60 gallons per hr..and 50k rebuilds not so nice

Yeah I would like to get there a bit faster as well but 28' is 28'. My Classic is happiest at around 24knts with a bit of tab down. My buddies Viking will cruise 28.5 on the way out and 30 on the way home with the V10 MANS. On the flip side I burn 180 gallons of diesel on a 70 mile each way and 10 hrs trolling and the Viking burns 475 on the same trip. Ouch.