# Boat will not atay on plane. Some times leans to the left.



## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

Hello all. I have a 17'6" smoker craft pro angler deep v with a 50 hp force. I can not keep the boat on plane. Takes off sets up runs good cut threw a few wakes and falls back down an does not seem to want to come back up. I do not have power trim just the trim lock. I don't know if that previous owner have the bar in the wrong slot or what.

Other issue I'm having is from time to run at wot the boat will want to lean to the left first time it happened thought it was just the lake that day. Last few times its occurred lakes been dead flat. Have checked for water, made sure the motor was centered, moved things around to see if was a weight issue I have no idea.

Any info would be grate thank you


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

Sounds like maybe motor slightly off center on transom??..and yes also sounds like you might wanna try a slot so that motor sits a hair higher...just guesses.


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

Thanks I'm off all week going give that a try. Goin to have to measure out that motor again. When I measured it out I just checked it to the motor mount bolts.


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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

50 HP on a 17.5 maybe underpowered. Are you sure it ever planed? I have a 90 on my 17 ft crestliner would not want under a 75 fit sure.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

nicklesman said:


> 50 HP on a 17.5 maybe underpowered. Are you sure it ever planed? I have a 90 on my 17 ft crestliner would not want under a 75 fit sure.


That could very well be the culprit...I would say that boat needs at least a 75hp.


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## Bluntman55 (Apr 23, 2016)

The first step is check WOT with a tach, if your over propped you will experience the problems your having, if you not getting the correct RPM @ WOT ,


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

Looking thru Smokercrafts website it looks like your boat is around 1100 lbs and rated up to 125 hp. Your 50 hp Force might not be enough motor to keep it up on plane in any kind of chop. Do you know what size your prop is and what rpms you're getting at wot?


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

When you come off the lake and pull the plug do you get any water out of the boat. Sounds to me like more of a weight issue for the smaller motor. The weight and shift may be from water in the hull under the floor.


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

check your zinc trim tab on the bott , it can fine tune your left and right trim when at speed. and a 50 hp is under powered for that size. my buddy had a similar boat with same motor and it would get up but being on plane in his boat was just getting the nose up good. move your gear around to adjust the weight , and play around with the trim , just one hole either way can make a difference...


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

Thanks all for all the info fellas. Ill make some of the suggested adj this week hopefully if the rain holds off.its the oe prop from 87 ill get the prop off an see what size it is I think its a 10 in I do not the the pitch is. But if it is a under power issue just have to run it the way it is then.


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## fishtales (May 8, 2012)

All the things mentioned are worth checking. It does sound like you are underpowered. There is a tiller plate just above the prop. It is the exhaust and can be adjusted right or left with loosening of 2 bolts and turning it to port or starboard. I think out boards pull to the left because of prop turning.Many guys add on planing plate to the motor like dole-fin to help in getting on plane.If your steering is hard you need to lift the motor. Weight distribution may be a big factor. Putting more weight in the bow may help. We had to do that with a 18 ft walk around with a 90. 2 sandbags in the cuddy on the floor made the difference


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

do you have a tach you can use to check your rpm's? you really need to know the max rpm's for that motor and what rpm's your turning. if your low on rpm's you can go to a 2 degree lower pitch. or if your turning real low rpm's you might go down 4 degrees. you usually gain about 200 to 400 rpm's for each 2 degrees in pitch. this will give you more low end power and might help get you on plane and keep it on plane. the 50 hp motor is a little small on that boat, but with the right prop it should still get on plane. just don't expect a lot of top end speed. keep us posted.
sherman


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

I forgot to say its a 1987 model pro angler rated to 60 hp. The prop is a 10 3/8× 12 1/2. The pic below the locking bar is where it was when I bought the boat with two holes forward and 2 behind.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

Try trimming it out one setting. A boat with motor trimmed in too far will pull left & plough through the water making it hard to stay on plane. You may have some other issue but trying it with the trim adjusted is easy & cheap.


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

Yes from what I can see in the picture , I would move it out one hole.


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## humpty dumpty (Nov 30, 2013)

I agree with Sherman to get a tach reading at WOT on your boat.. Running a boat that does not come into your recommended rpm range is like pulling an oversized trailer with a 4 cyl motor.. you will lug the engine causing overheating which in the long run will ruin your engine. Even though you are in water and there is what is called slippage applied into the equation you can still lug the motor. My 19ft starcraft will want to pull to one side if I do not power trim up once coming up on plane. I trim up and she levels out right away.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Reading the info on the specs you have given, if I understand them correctly, is its a 1987, 17'6" Smoker Craft Pro Angler rated max for a 60hp mtr.

Looking on IBOATS.com boat specs at the 1987 Smoker Craft models, I don't see a 17'6" Pro Angler model listed.
The only Pro Angler model I see listed for 1987 is the model 6PA Pro Angler that is 16.42' in length. It has a max mtr rating of 60hp and weighs 620 dry.
If this is the boat you have, then certainly the 50hp setup, and running correctly should perform great on your boat.
If your boat is in fact a 17'6" boat, are you sure of the Max HP rating?
Doesn't make sense that both a 16.42' and a 17'6" boat of the same model would be rated for the same max HP.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

you really need to know your max rpm's and what rpm's your turning with the 12.5 pitch prop. if your rpm's are low it will cause your problems. if you are turning real low on rpm's you could go down to a 10 pitch or maybe even a 9 pitch if there available in those pitches. the lower pitch will allow the motor to turn more rpm's and get you up on plane and keep you there. if its still leaning when on plane your going to have to move or add weight to the high side. also adjusting the little trim tab/anode may help the leaning problem.
sherman


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Have you or the previous owner added anything to the transom, like a tranducer for a fish finder on the right side? I installed a second transducer on my boat for an fl18 vexilar for boat use and it was enough to raise the starterboard side of the boat very noticeably. I wound up removing it, didn't like the way it was reading on soft water anyways and everything returned to normal!


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Wondering if this performance problem was ever solved? My thought was marginal power and over propped.


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## Earthworms (Dec 15, 2014)

Is the anchor out?


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Shortdrift said:


> Wondering if this performance problem was ever solved? My thought was marginal power and over propped.


Yea...it always bugs me when guys are having issues, take the time to create a thread asking for possible solutions and then never take the time to get back with any updates. Or if the problem was solved or not. And if so how it was solved so others can learn as well.

I'd still be interested to find out the answer to this...



fastwater said:


> Reading the info on the specs you have given, if I understand them correctly, is its a 1987, 17'6" Smoker Craft Pro Angler rated max for a 60hp mtr.
> 
> Looking on IBOATS.com boat specs at the 1987 Smoker Craft models, I don't see a 17'6" Pro Angler model listed.
> The only Pro Angler model I see listed for 1987 is the model 6PA Pro Angler that is 16.42' in length. It has a max mtr rating of 60hp and weighs 620 dry.
> ...


Knowing exactly the rig the OP has is the only way to know what the boat is rated for HP wise. It's the only way to best advise him on his issues.


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## Brian87 (Apr 30, 2014)

Ended up moving the locking bar down a notch helped out a ton. Gotta save up for power trim now. The lean is better goin to spend the winter balancing it out some maybe adding some storage space to it while in at it. Thanks you all for the help


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

I still think you should invest in a 2 degree lower pitch prop. I had a 115 hp merc on a little lite 15' boat with a 21p prop. and switched to a heavy 17' boat and it just barely got on plane. I went to a 17p and it did much better but not great, and my rpm's was still way to low. so I went to a 15p and its still a little low on rpm's but gets on plane good and runs as fast as I need to go.
sherman


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Check to see if your outboard has a over rev limiter before you start lowering propeller pitch unless you have a tach. Older outboards will easily run over their max recommended RPM's and sound fine in the process until they come apart.


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## Bluntman55 (Apr 23, 2016)

Shortdrift said:


> Wondering if this performance problem was ever solved? My thought was marginal power and over propped.


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

Just an add-on - since you likely have her out of the water... Go weigh it (cost 10 bucks)... Check against the specs (motor/boat/trailer)... I've bought used boats that had hundreds and occasionally thousands of pounds in their gut (waterlogged ISO). Low dead weight will hugely influence performance - and since the "insulation" is always in the lowest points... As to the pull (dip on one side) - if the boat was stored at a 10 degree angle in or out of water - it could easily saturate to one side. 

One of the first things I do when I buy a used boat is have it weighed, and if the owner isn't willing, then I pass. I once weighed a 16 smokercraft with a 50 on a decent trailer... 2880 lbs. About 1200 too much (boat at 1100, motor/gas at 300, trailer 200). Owner came way down on price, and I bought it, but there is NOTHING so lovely as tearing out the flooring and then removing the water-logged ISO foam... For the record - when you build it back - use XPS (extruded polystyrene) and in the HIGHEST density you can afford (25-40 psi) not EPS or ISO. I personally swear by the XPS boards vs. two part.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Where is your battery, and gas tank located? You may have to much weight on the left side of your boat. Also check your trim tab right above the prop. It may need adjusted. It won't cause your boat to lean, but it will cause it to turn. But it could be part of the problem.


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