Ride\trim plate adjustment on '97 Sugar Sand Tango

[Stomp10]

I have been reading quite a bit on this subject since I bought this great little boat and have been watching YouTube videos with SugarSands.
In this video, the boat cuts through the water beautifully:

In other videos, not so much. This one it's hard to tell but, to me I'm seeing some porpoising as its cruising along:

So I'm thinking I should adjust the trim plate down about a half inch.
Has anyone ever done this?
I'm aware there are other options out there but this seems like the cheapest fix to me.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

I’d be interested in hearing everyone’s input on the trim plate and how to adjust it.

 

[kaylix]

I'm having the same problem, any updates would be great!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Well, I did adjust it. Way down. There was one thread left before it came unthreaded. I can tell you that if you do this, when you let off the throttle it’ll take a SHARP left turn. So I adjusted it back up to almost straight out from the jet housing and ordered Benett 9x12 bolt trim tabs. I’ll let you know how that goes.

 

[kaylix]

I Am going to start a new thread on this as it relates to my problem but thanks for this info.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart Thanks for posting that info!

Not sure why it would take a sharp left after letting up on the throttle but good to know.
I may be looking at the Place product. A local dealer still sells and installs them but it may have to wait until next year....
Too many expenses on this project for this year, went a lil bit over budget....
Heck, I blew the budet right outta the water

 

[Blkrvrbart]

I’m talking to the folks at Bennett right now. I’ll let you know what I decide to do.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart
This is for the Tim Place solution...

Mercury Trim System Archives - Place Diverter & Controls

Mercury Trim System

www.placediverter.com

 

[spatty99]

I had the Place Diverter, worked really really well. Just be careful installing it in a place to keep the power/hydraulics dry. Mine was submerged a few to many times when submarining the boat and failed.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

The trim tabs didn’t work out. Looking into the Place Diverter system. Does anybody know if it self adjusts? Does it have a trim gauge? Can you get a trim gauge even.

 

[Bilmon]

I looked into it for my Mirage but cheaped out. It doesn't self adjust, you control it like a outboard or i/o. Doesn't come with a gauge but I would think you could add one. Search the Sugar Sand group on facebook, I know a couple of guys have them, I just can't remember who.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Thanks @Bilmon I’m still searching my options and can work on it over the winter.

 

[biffdotorg]

@Blkrvrbart Thanks for posting that info!

Not sure why it would take a sharp left after letting up on the throttle but good to know.
I may be looking at the Place product. A local dealer still sells and installs them but it may have to wait until next year....
Too many expenses on this project for this year, went a lil bit over budget....
Heck, I blew the budet right outta the water

This is very true, that ride plate was out of adjustment. And it takes very little to cause this.

I put an extended and lowered ride plate on our boat with a SportJet 240efi. It took a few runs on smooth water to get the exact thread count on each side level and allowing the boat to track straight.

Also keep in mind, that once you do put an extended or lowered ride plate, the hull will react to loads out of balance much more. So an even load of people is much more critical, depending on the size of the boat. We had a 20' boat, so it was not as critical, you just had to understand what was going on if it pulled to one side or the other.

All things considered, even the slight drop in top end, losing the porpoising in larger waves was money. And your ability to go faster in those waves was far greater. Most importantly, upgrade the hardware used to mount the ride plate. As we sheared a bolt annually until all were upgraded.

Good luck

(I responded to the other post about extended ride plates recently elsewhere as well)

 

[Stomp10]

@biffdotorg
Thank you for that explanation!
It really helps to put this issue in perspective. I am still trying to understand the causes and remedies. Your post helped a lot with that. I still don't have a lot of running time on the water yet with this boat yet. Still on the learning curve.
It seems a lot of people were shearing off the bolts whenever this was attempted so, again, thank you for sharing that.
Much appreciated!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Yes @biffdotorg thanks for the insight. I’ll get her dialed in.