22 foot bass boat handling

[aweigh again]

i have a 1983 sisu bass boat ,powered with a 2005 4 stroke yamaha outboard.i have owned it for a year.i really like the boat,for in most conditions it handles great.traveling in a following sea that is following me from the rear port ,or rear starboard side,can cause the boat to twist,or yaw which will scare the hell out of me.i have learned to trim the engine up under these conditions,which raises the bow, where it seems much more stable . is there any body out there with a similar boat handling issue that can relay how they handle their craft under the above conditions. any other 22 foot sisu owners response would also be great. thanks- aweigh again.

 

[jojobee]

I had a 21' repco downeast that did all the same. I would power through the down slopes to help these conditions. It is kind of inherent in some of these boats.

 

[aweigh again]

hi jojobee, did you consider the way it handled a problem,or something to simply adjust to.i am wondering ,because you wrote ; i had a 21 ft. repco. why dont you have it anymore? thanks for the reply aweigh again.

 

[MouseTrap]

This is a good read on the subject: http://www.docksidereports.com/rough_wa ... ship_1.htm

 

[jojobee]

I loved the repco. No problem handling the boat either. I sold the boat because I was trailering all the time and wanted something very easy to kick around the back bay with. I ended up with a Holland 14' lobster skiff. This boat is just too fun.

 

[jrg]

My Eastern 24 does the same thing. I think it's just one of those tradeoffs in running a DE hull, but is a small sacrifice in my opinion . If you're not expecting it, the action can definitely be scary! You're right to trim up in those conditions, and if anyone is in my cuddy (ie-kids), I'll usually ask them to come topside.

jrg

 

[aweigh again]

hey jrg , you have to pay attention when driving in those conditions,thats for sure.it seems like my old sportcraft was more forgiving in following seas,but it would bang like no tommorrow in a head sea. the sisu steamrolls in a head sea.

 

[Downeaster]

i have a 1983 sisu bass boat ,powered with a 2005 4 stroke yamaha outboard.i have owned it for a year.i really like the boat,for in most conditions it handles great.traveling in a following sea that is following me from the rear port ,or rear starboard side,can cause the boat to twist,or yaw which will scare the hell out of me.i have learned to trim the engine up under these conditions,which raises the bow, where it seems much more stable . is there any body out there with a similar boat handling issue that can relay how they handle their craft under the above conditions. any other 22 foot sisu owners response would also be great. thanks- aweigh again.

Its odd really because bass boats were created to work rips - really a following sea situation. If you look at these designs (the MacKenzie and the Brownell come quickly to mind - both wood-built in [respectively] Hyannis and Mattapoisett) you find that they don't share your soft chines. This makes them even more tenuous in a following sea situation. Unless you're driving a Bartender design, your safety depends upon your good seamanship. This comes from someone who managed to get caught up at Nantucket's Rose & Crown one early winter night and set a 33' Brownell bass boat on her side. Fortunately for me she came back with everyone still on board, with a work deck knee-deep in water and a refrigerator launched into the starboard ceiling. One really has to wonder if a couple hundred pounds of striper are worth this level of risk.