Cavitation Remidies Please??

[Dave W]

Hi Guy's (and Gal )

My boat 'BREAM ON' tends to cavitate in medium to hard turns.

I know that cavitation is caused by the prop hitting aerated water, I just can't work out why it is

So, can anyone suggest solutions they've heard or used - any help appreciated

Cheers,

[Richo]

DaveW,

Stick a 100Hp on it and a set of wings mate, it won`t be a problem then as Bream on would be BREAM TAKING OFF..

Honestly though Dave - I have no Idea

Cheers

Richo

[Ozy]

Get a Permatrim, they are good for stopping cavitation and excellent for popping up on the plane.
I will get the number for you if you are interested or do a search of the net because I am sure they have a website.

[Dave W]

That's the funny thing Ozy - I've got one

I'm starting to think the outboard is too high??

Guess I'll have to experiment.

[madsurfe]

Hi Dave

the problem with cavitation is all about trim angle. You must be turning pretty hard to get it as the prop is getting up into the bubble trail so I would think that it has got to do with the weight distribution in your boat. eg: you have quite a bit of weight on the outside edges. In a dinghy everthing is a compromise as the trim angle is basicly fixed as you don't have the luxury of a motorised trim adjustment as you find on a high horsepower outboard on a skiboat or cruiser. When I waterskied we would always adjust the trim angle to suit between towing kneeboards, slalom skiers or bare footers. Your best bet is to talk to a marine dealer about possible causes and play with the mounting plate angle. I hope this makes sense.

[Dave W]

Thanks John-Paul, I'll go to a dealer and get them to suss it out.

Cheers,

[madaff]

Dave, I don't beleive that you will be able to get rid of the cavitation. All of my boats have suffered from this and changing engine hight, load ,trim and anything else made no difference. My current Hornet also suffers but not as bad as previous boats. It seems to be worse with flat bottom boats.

Mind you if you do happen to find a remedy let me know.


Rob M

[Dave W]

No worries Rob

My prop is a bit old and mangled, I was told a new one would help anyone heard this??

A new prop would go a long way to helping the problem. It's amazing how a few nicks on a prop can effect performance. My prop was brand new when I was at Forster a few weeks back but as I was scooting along I hit some mud & weed and it put a few decent nicks in the prop and I noticed the difference straight away. Top speed was down and it was actually caviting slightly at top speed. I did a bit of work on it with a file, but it is still not what it was when new

[Dave W]

Thanks Mick - I've done the 'file' thing, it still looks pretty shot though , looks like it's time for a newbie

Cheers,