Weight distribution advice

Well, here’s the deal. I have an 88 Bayliner 15′ fish-n-ski boat, which works very well for the most part. The biggest problem that I seem to have with it is getting the weight distribution correct. When I have the trolling motor and battery on the boat (about 95% of the time), it’s front-heavy. It’s amazing how 100 lbs worth of stuff can change the properties of a small boat, but it definitely makes a huge difference.

Not only do I get the occasional wave coming over the bow, but I can actually increase top speed when a third guy is in the boat and sits on the rear deck. That tells me that the hull would give me the lift that I need to increase speed and reduce loading on the motor if I could get the weight distribution right.

Now, the main problem is – there’s nothing that I can move (at least that’s obvious). I already moved the two portable tanks all the way to the rear of the boat as far as I can get them. With a fair amount of effort, I could get the TM battery moved to the back, but there’s no good place to put it, even if I wanted “old sparky” in with the gas tanks.

I drew a cheesified layout, take a look and shoot some ideas my way:

Gianni, you didn’t say what size motor you’re running? You may have already tried it but there may be some improvement in bow lift if you are able to adjust the tilt of the motor. There should be a removable pin that can be changed to change the tilt angle of the motor. Experiment to see if it helps. The other thing is the pitch of the propeller you’re using You may be able to go down in pitch and get better (higher)RPM’s. Just need to know where you are versus manufacturer recommended maximums. You don’t want to exceed that! A little may be gained by raising the motor. I would say you are on a quest that drives most of us crazy, trying to squeeze all we can out of what we got. All of what I mentioned and of course the weight distribution things will make a difference. Go for the low cost/ no cost items first. I am also messing with my rig looking for that extra 2 or 3 miles per hour. Same stuff applies whether your going 20 or 70 MPH. It may take a big effort to get 4 MPH! Let us know what you end up with. (Nice layout work.)

Sorry about that: I’m running a Mariner 50 with tilt/trim. With the TM and battery off, I can trim up and hit the recommended RPM range even with two kids riding in front of the consoles – that tells me it’s more a weight distribution problem than total carrying capacity.

I’m not overly concerned with the few mph. My biggest problem is that when I’m out by myself in a good chop (2′ or so), I frequently take some waves over the bow and get soaked. Of course, by myself, sitting in front running the TM, probably 90% of the weight in the boat is in front of the consoles.

Maybe I’ve just hit the impenetrable force/immovable object paradox.

Simple fix and you already have the answer….. Just pick me up everytime you go fishing and ad my 250# to the back. Works for me!!

Hi Gianni,

I had a boat that was similar in size and setup to yours, but that had both batteries in the back.

Having the livewell full in the front used to make a substantial difference in the balance on my boat, as did full / low gas tanks. Not filling the livewell on heavy chop or heavy boat traffic days, and keeping your gas tanks topped off would probably help a bit.

While running the trolling motor, taking cruiser wakes from the side instead of straight at the bow can help keep the waves from coming over the bow (depending on the boat.)

One last idea, and I know that this a sensitive subject. How much do the tackle boxes weigh that you have up front with you? LOL

Good luck.

Dan