Outboard Stabilizers

I just got a Bass Pro Shops sale catalog and saw the stabilizers. They say they will improve fuel economy and stability as well as give a better hole shot and increase speed. Will they do what they say and are they worth investing in? I have a 17 1/2′ Lund W/ a 150 EFI.

To answer in a word ~ YES!!!
I think James or someone in the past had a real good report about just this question you raised. I have put one every outboard I’ve owned, wouldn’t be with one.

Tough to get bow lift with stabilizer on. More boat in water = more drag. That means less speed and lower mpg. The boat will feel easier to control and less squirrly with the stabilizer on though and, then there is that drilling holes in your cavitation plate thing.

There are some applications where people will see a little increase in top end but not many. Most your companies say that top end will remain the same a decrease a little. The only way I recommend them is if you feel your boat has too much bow lift in rough water w/ the motor all the way down or when at slower speeds on plain the boat likes to cavitate. The best performing one I have seen is the SE Sport.

I had the SE Sport on an underpowered Lund boat and I lost very little top end but gained in a number of areas. The boat came up on plane much faster especially when fully loaded, I could stay on plane at lower speeds for tubing, it eliminated blowouts in tight turns as well as making them smoother, it allowed me to nose the boat into waves much better and it amplified the effects motor trim had on the boat.
You don’t indicate the reasons why you are considering using stabilizers. Did I hit upon one of them? They have their place if you are trying to solve a particular problem.

X2

I had a Lund 1775 Pro V with a 150 and had no need for a stabilizer as long as I had weight distributed properly. I now have a Ranger 617 with a 150 and went to a stabilizer to try to plane out at slower speed and reduce porpoising which was a problem on that boat. It has helped in those areas for me. The only way I think one will ever increase fuel economy is if you drive slower because you can plane out at a slower speed and run there comfortably. Since it has to add some water resistance it can’t add to top end in many cases. There could be cases where it might cut down on cavitation or slip but those cases might be better resolved with another prop or engine height.