When someone says a boat rides wet too far forward, it doesn't mean that the people inside the boat are getting wet. It just means the point where the hull parts the water is a little too far forward. To someone who knows the feel of how a boat should be behaving, this makes a big difference in the feel of the boat through the water. Sort of like a racecar having its center of gravity too far forward. I'm sure people will make fun of it, but it's the best analogy I can come up with. It's one of those things you're either in tune with or you're not. Most people are not and thus not having trim would not be a big deal to them. Not trying to be rude or anything, just the best explanation I have at the moment.
No, I get that the wetted surface too far forward is an issue, likewise not enough is an issue (like a bass boat at 100mph). The handling, speed, and efficiency are all effected by this. I intended the same when I said drier ride, not that my passengers were getting wet.
On my 182, I added "smart tabs" that would purposefully nose the boat down at low speeds, then automatically retract at higher speeds. This eliminated all the porpoising the occurs at high trim/low speed operation, or with odd loading of passengers/gear. Gave me 1mph on the top end as well. Don't feel like those are even a little bit needed on my Yamaha. I've never felt it even begin to porpoise, even with some really odd front and rear loading scenarios. Likewise it's never really "beat us up" and needed to have the bow stuffed into the water to reduce shocks.
Perhaps I'm just not in tune enough to really care about those small handling changes. I also have no predisposition to how a boat "should be behaving". If I did, then it would only be from past experience on another boat, and clearly this is a different boat. It would lead to the same kind of comment of "Jets don't dock well, and are a pain to steer at low speeds", no they're not, they're just different and require a different approach to docking. This analogy is probably splitting hairs, however so it wetted length of the hull when under power. The results of trimming a boat have never resulted in a significant enough change in handling in my experience to warrant the complexity of the system. To clear shallower water, to reduce porpoising, reduce wetted surface area to increase speed, or to correct for odd loading are simply not warranted in a jet application, but do have a need in an I/O application.
Another neat thing about my jet.....I haven't once forgotten to put the outdrive up when retrieving. No skeg to drag up the ramp as onlookers are yelling at you to stop before you tear something up
