Mercruiser Alpha one at the limit GoPro

Q

QBhoy

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Mar 2016
Messages
2,620
Visit site
Hi
After feeling brave enough to attach my GoPro to the back of the boat, I managed to get some footage of my alpha one at its very horse power capacity....great to see the propeller surface piercing too. Quality seems poorer on YouTube, but you get the idea.
Was running in the low 60's here from memory.
Slowed down you can Actaully see the prop surfacing. At real speed you will notice the pulses from the screw of the prop.
Just for those boat geeks like me !

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MF-v2LYlogw
 
Yeah...can totally understand it on the racing boats running like that constantly.
I don't run like that normally or even for long when I occasionally do.
Mainly because it isn't very clever on fuel at that speed and it takes all your concentration at speeds well into the 60's. The odd unseen wake or kayaker come up fast at those speeds...haha. I do change the oil twice a year to help it deal with the power running through it. How much it helps I do t know...it's always very clean.
 
Hi flower power.
It depends on the conditions, but normally it's around 3/4 up the gauge.
The boat is at its quickest with a small chop on...gets some air under the hull and reduces the suction. Extreme trim is not needed here and the projected force direction is spot on.
When it's flat calm the trim angle is just around what the clip displays. It is called for to lift the hull and obtain max speed.
When it's calm the boat runs with about a foot of the hull in the water and up on the hull pad that quick boats sometimes have. When there is a little chop, it's barely more than the drive in the water.
The prop is always surfacing a little at top speeds though. The slow motion clips are incredible. You can clearly see the cleaver like prop surfacing. And each pulse of the screw.
 
Last edited:
I'll experiment a bit more with trim angles, but I suspect that trying anything like that on an 11m boat weighing 7900kg will just result in a lot of frothy water being generated. And the speeds involved are probably way too low.

With your boat, the outdrive is large enough to have a substantial effect on the boat trim, which isn't the case with FP.
 
Definitely worth doing FP...I'd imagine there would be a knot or two gained from proper trimming and substantial fuel savings long term...all adds up, haha.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top