At the end of my rope!

[Bobalouie]

Best advice I read on this forum was Slomofo's dont look at the bow, use your inner ear. When I bought my boat and took the test ride/drive, Bill easily ran it up into the mid upper 80s, with a lot more to go. But when I took the wheel, 58 was all I could muster. Got the boat home, and, using Slomo's advice was running 79mph within the first hour, and at the end of 3 hours had it running 90.

Just let your inner ear tell you what she wants, and dont wait on the boat to move and then try to correct. Correct before it moves. I use short quick little flicks of the wheel, usually to the left, with an occasional to the right.

The challenge for me was landing, as you slow down, the boat wants to lean to the right, so be ready for left pressure on the wheel to keep it from happening.

 

[SLOmofo]

See..., the family at it's best. My brother from another mother!

A little tip, DON'T CHOP THE THROTTLE at higher speeds! Bump the trim down then... back out of the throttle. Otherwise you might have the experience of what is known as a, Bat Turn, Hook, swapping ends....... I've done this a few times. First time the engine was WAY to high. Most of the others were from the bow suddenly dropping at 95 and me reacting by chopping the throttle. Thats why I suggest you don't have anyone else in the boat when your trying new things. That is unless you don't want them to ever go in the boat again.

 

[white03]

Agree with Bobalouie, gotta drive it by instinct and the way it feels. if you are trying to react to what the boat is doing you are always going to be too late and out of sync with your corrections. You gotta feel like you are making your small wheel corrections in advance of what the boat is going to do, which means you have to feel what is happening and react to what is going to happen before it happens. By trying to do this you really will not be ahead of what the boat is doing, but rather you will be in sync with what it is doing. That's the only way I know to describe it, Sounds crazy perhaps but with practice you'll get it. And once you do you'll think "why did I have so much trouble with this""!! Pretty soon you'll be driving into the 90's without even thinking about it.:at the bar

Don't know where in Kentucky you are, but if you want to come to north Alabama I'll go out with you.

Bill

 

[Dave Hensley]

What part of Kentucky?

 

[Bobalouie]

Like White said, it sounds crazy when someone says to correct before it happens, because if you are like me, you end up thinking to yourself, "If it hasnt happened yet, how can I correct it".

Think of it more like what White says. When you get up and going, you put little inputs into the wheel to set up the corrections that you will be making. Its not so much getting into sync with what the boat is doing, it is setting up the sync in the first place. Its hard to describe, but if you flick the wheel to the left a little, the boat wants to lean left, but if you put it back to center before the boat finishes falling left, it will want to go back to center without falling all the way left. If you flick it too far to the left then maybe you have to give it a little right input to get it back to center.

You need to keep the boat guessing what you are going to next, not try to guess what the boat is going to do.

If you wanted an estimate of how far my hands are moving, it is probably 1-2 inches in either direction up to about 80-85 mph, then my boat settles down and I am probably moving 1/2 inch or less after that. 70-75 mph is the spot where my boat wants to wiggle.

 

[suicidealli]

it is like learning how to ride a bike. the first time you try, it seems impossible. after you have it, you dont think about it, you just do it.
my first ally i had no help, and had to set it up too. i said it was a POS. who would want to drive something like this. after all summer of washing the sides, i got it. now i just cruise at a 90-95 like sitting on the couch. eat a sandwhich in the 80's. give me a couple of hours, i can help you!!!! if the boat is set up correctly. i can bring my 2002 also. it is the easiest ally i have driven. after you feel it, and know what it wants, you will set the water on fire..

roy

 

[woodsman]

sorry for the lack of reply guys, been at work. And yes the alli family is at its best and I am very glad of it..lol.

as for the location, southern esatern/central(right on the border). I fish and ride lake cumberland and laurel lake.

and i must say, i have been looking at the bow is for sure one of my problems sounds like. as for everything else i just dont know.

And suicidealli i dont know your real name but I want to thank you for extending out a hand in such a way as to try and shoe me the ropes in person. I would love to take you up on it because there is no alli cats around me. feel free to pm me anytime.

And i must say, i do remember trying to leran to ride a bike, and it did seem immposible. i know(well hope) that one day I will be like you guys, i just wish it came easier.

 

[Lotus 50]

I found my SS easier to learn to drive with 200 lb of brother as ballast sitting beside me. The extra weight makes my boat more stable. First time out, both my brother and I couldn't reach 60 mph. By the end of season one, I was up to 74. My brother and I both had plenty of V bottom experience, but as noted, Ally's are different. He still can't drive it. Not enough practice.

 

[Alli-drenaline Rush]

it is like learning how to ride a bike. the first time you try, it seems impossible. after you have it, you dont think about it, you just do it.
my first ally i had no help, and had to set it up too. i said it was a POS. who would want to drive something like this. after all summer of washing the sides, i got it. now i just cruise at a 90-95 like sitting on the couch. eat a sandwhich in the 80's. give me a couple of hours, i can help you!!!! if the boat is set up correctly. i can bring my 2002 also. it is the easiest ally i have driven. after you feel it, and know what it wants, you will set the water on fire..

roy

Woodsman - Ask Roy how he got his tag name LOL!!!!

 

[SLOmofo]

suicidealli, Same here bought the boat took off all the Merc stuff, the old steering cables and the Hyd steering system. Then I put new Hyd steering and put a sorta stock OMCease on it.
I had driven a Bullet one time and did OK with that, so this shouldn't be too much different. I had read the Little Red Book a few times so had an idea of what to expect and the basic idea of how. Really the best thing I found is don't push it, slowly build the skill through time. It's just like when you were a baby. It took a while before you could stand on your own without falling down, how many times did you fall. When you took your first step, how many times did you fall. When you ran, when you rode a bike, how many times did you fall.
Now I have a hole lot of HP on the back end and I'm still trying not to fall!

Baby steps. Sit, crawl, stand, walk and then run.
Then get an Allison and start over again.

 

[woodsman]

Woodsman - Ask Roy how he got his tag name LOL!!!!

Well now I must ask. But then again suicidealli is a name I could have named mine a time or two. I have almost lost it twice that I can think of off my head...lol

 

[SSTOM]

I live in Frankfort and have a good friend in Loundon with 2 Allys a 2002 and a 2003 I have a SS. I have driven a XTB many times we go to Laurel some give me a shout I'd love to meet up and help all I can. 1 502 803 5638 Tom

 

[woodsman]

I live in Frankfort and have a good friend in Loundon with 2 Allys a 2002 and a 2003 I have a SS. I have driven a XTB many times we go to Laurel some give me a shout I'd love to meet up and help all I can. 1 502 803 5638 Tom

Sure to brother. I fish laurel lake probably the most any more due to it being closest. Might go saterday morning if I don't go to lake Cumberland.

And feel free to pm me next time you come down to laurel Ill make a point to head that way. Im only 30 minutes from the most water.

 

[suicidealli]

pm sent

roy

 

[suicidealli]

ok here is how i got my name:
i was learning how to drive my first ally, and it was so bad my friends said i was going to kill myself in it. said i should name the boat suicidealli. lol
now i drive the heck out of it, and they still think im crazy!!!!!!!! average people dont understand allisons!!!!!

roy

 

[suicidealli]

i might be able to come down to cumberland this weekend. the carppie have been hitting. call me

 

[woodsman]

Yeah they have been hitting good for a while. My family has kept 300 in a weeks time. So they are hitting good. Like I said I may be headed there sat morning. Iv got a tourney folding up and im trying to get some line time in...lol iv got your number I will give you a holler tommorow sometime.

 

[Jr in Jax]

I've had mine for 13 years now and have not been able to get it above idle speed.....Maybe next year...

 

[BigCountryx]

End of your rope? you just started the climb, lol. I did the same thing, only had my boat one season and have gone from a max cofortable speed of 65 to an easy upper 80 cruiser. I've bumped 90 but wasn't well balanced and didn't have a real warm and fuzzy about being there, lol. Stick with it, you'll catch on. My best advise was full fuel tank, full livewell, balance the piss out of it,don't overtrim and don't oversteer. Easy as she goes captain.

As far as the bullet comparison goes, my cousin has a 20xd comp with a 300x... 102mph boat and he said he won't get in my boat cuz he's scared of it, lol. Take that for what it's worth... he was a passenger of an Alli bat-turn... ruined him!

 

[Texan]

I haven't ever bat turned my rig - knock on wood - but when driving the Bullet Prototype at the APC Rally this past summer, I was very uncomfortable with the center of gravity being so much higher than while sitting in my XB03. My son even commented that he felt higher up than when cruising in my boat.

When running on the pad in the Alli, the hull might be pointed in this direction or that. That's why you correct with steering. Chopping the throttle will cause the hull to drop and which ever way the hull might be aimed at the time is the way it will go - hence the bat turn at speed. Drive it up and drive it down. Never forget. Just because you're slowing down doesn't mean you can forget about driving the boat. You ain't running a Ranger (wolllered out log with a big motor on the back).

Junior has, at 13 gotten tall enough to reach the foot feed, steer and see over the windshield now and the first day driving with me in the passenger seat, he had it up in the mid 50's and the second up in to the upper 60's. I was working the blinker trim, but he's had enough seat time in my lap to know what and what not to do. When and if he ever buy's a boat of his own, he'll be disappointed with anything other than an Alli hull.

I will say that I've heard a bunch of smack between Alli and Bullet owners. They are both good boats and both have their good points. Having driven both, I'd buy another Alli way before considering the Bullet.

Respect the boat and she'll respect you. If you try stupid chit, she'll bite you in the butt. The big HP on the hanging off the arse-end only has so many turns up to the big numbers RPM wise (8000-9000+) before you'll be looking for a replacement head or a rebuild. Take care of her and she'll take care of you. Mine took care of me a number of times in 6' swells on Lake Fork and got me back to the ramp without a scratch on her, me or my partner.

Above all, find somebody to give some side seat advice and you'll enjoy your rig for years to come. That and keep her stored in the garage....

Good luck and have a great time. Don't be discouraged because we were all there once. You'll get more looks and comments at the ramp than anyone with a Ranger, Skeeter or Champion ever will.