Hooking

[Jon]

Now that I have your attention, lets talk about it.

There is a poll above. If you have some decent amount of seat time in an Allison or other high perf boat, please answer above. If you don't care, share below the conditions of your hook. Maybe we can gather some info here and help keep others safe... like this guy.


Feel free to use this as a template.

Boat:
Motor:
Speed:
Weather & Water Conditions:
Other: What do you think set the hook into motion? Was it weather and water, one last bump on the trim, wrong prop, or a combination of things. Have you done it since?

 

[catfish123]

Boat: XB2003

Motor: 225X

Prop: 30 ET Lightning

Speed: 92

2 people in the boat, calm water, very little wind

Caused by a bump or two too much on the trim, and then by getting off the throttle too quickly when I realized I was in "trouble"........managed to stay in boat



Boat: XB2003

Motor: 280ROS

Prop: 28 ET Lightning

Speed: 100 or so

perfect water, no wind

Caused by motor too high, and by quickly burying the throttle to the floor
Bow dropped ever so slightly to the left, and immediately was into a hard right spin resulting in boat flipping over.............ejected

This is my "best guess" on what caused it. Everything felt perfect to me until it hooked.


I have not done it since the last time listed here...............and although it was over 2 years ago, I still have a tough time even putting it on the pad.................LOL

 

[David Shook]

XB2002
Drag
120 according to in dash Gaffrig
Good water and weather just testing
Don't have a clue , I was busy driving ?

 

[GotMyAlly]

One other qualification you might add, if I can make a suggestion, is the severity of the hook. This can vary from mild to wild. I've only experienced mild ones (even that kind can leave stains in your shorts) but I've seen some (and the after-effects of some) that are downright vicious.

Boat: XB2003
Motor: 225X
Speed: 80ish
Weather & Water Conditions: Light chop.
Other: Lack of seat time - only had the boat a few months and it was my first A-boat. Got out of my comfort zone, let out of the throttle too quick. There was never a risk of coming out of the boat. It just locked into a wide sweeping left turn that i couldn't pull it out of. My butt never came out of the seat.

Boat: XB21
Motor: 250XS
Speed: Upper 80s
Weather & Water Conditions: Medium chop
Other: New boat. Set the motor height the same that I had always ran with my previous XB21/250XS and let her rip as soon as break-in was done. It was too high. Due to minor differences in hulls, even two from the same mold with the same motor and prop, like to run at different sweet spots. This one told me she was too high.....with a sweeping right (I think) turn. Again, like the one that I had experienced years before, was not violent. I never left the seat. Just had to peel off speed before I could un-dig the nose and regain control.

I think the theme here is seat time. Both of mine occurred in boats that were new or new to me. The second time, I had 10+ yrs of A-boat seat time under my belt in many different boats, but only a limited amount of experience in that particular boat. When a boat that you're intimately familiar with does something funny at high speeds, I believe you're more likely to recognize it sooner - though at that point it may or may not be too late to react. In a boat that's new to you, those signs are more likely to be missed. And with less experience in that boat, how it is going to react to your next move may be a guess at best.

 

[Double O Joe]

20 years ago, driver error. Chopped the throttle into a couple of rollers at the end of the 1/4.. Turned so fast and hard I didn't have time to sh*t my pant's.. LOL It took me a few seconds to get my head back on straight.

Boat : XR2001

Motor : 260

Prop : 24 yammi

Speed : 100+

Adverse conditions : driver stupidity.. Beer could have also played a small part. It's been a long time ago

 

[xb03fs]

xb2003

200 EFI

55 mph

TXP OT 4 24 P

Kinda on purpose trying to find out just how fast I could make a U-turn, I was about 3/4 of the way through the u turn when the prop let go and the rear of the boat proceeded to kick in the air and came around.

knock on wood no high speed hooks, although my xb21 has blown out many times without hooking

 

[Freebird]

Boat: Norris Craft 1700
Motor: Merc 200
Speed: 80
Weather & Water Conditions: Clear with a few small boat wakes
Cause: Forgot I wasn't driving my Allison :big grin

 

[whipper]

Hmm two most memorable ones I guess ill put down or it will look like a book.:big grin

Boat GS
225 PM
DHA 30 labed chopper
92 mph
1/4 below

Slung a blade accelerating had more bumps to go so totally was unexpected. Bow dropped turned left tryed to jerk wheel the other way and the bow went straight up in the air almost like pivoting on the stern. I was looking straight up. kinda weird how that went. Didn't know what happened at first. that was about 7 years ago.

Same speed 93 I think it was and over trimmed in a ripple with another 30 pitch chopper. It was getting dark it was the last run to the boat launch. I was the only boat on the lake about 5 miles to the launch. Cruising along at speed across the middle of the lake around 89 and looked and felt great. i started bumping once then twice everything still felt good there was just a little ripple all ove the lake I was going into the ripple. i could feel the ripple hitting the pad. i gave her another bump and held the speed at 93 for about 10 sec. Then out of know were she turned right and all I could do was hang on!! I stayed in the boat freaked me out and proceeded to the ramp at about 50 mph. i pulled my shoulder a little and my hands hurt from gripping i guess? It happened so fast. It was after that I upped my rev limiter and started running smaller wheels. I have no desire to run a 30 again. 28 is as high as need to go with the upped revs and have better feel. im also a lot more choosy with what prop I run now also. if at 85 and I bump the trim and I dont see the bow move i move on. Personal preference. If at 90 the bow seems to float like a little up and down not steady like a rock I move on. I also were a Helmut now when I know Ill do over 90 with a 225.

 

[atcje]

I have zero experience in the smaller Allison hulls but I've had my 21 2+2 for almost 5 years now and have hooked it once. Maybe this info will be beneficial for all the new 21 foot owners.

I had been testing several props that day and actually loaded the boat and was done. Guy brought me a hill signature series 32 to test so we bolted it up and off I went. Made a couple runs but wasn't satisfied yet. Just finished a 93 mph run and thought there was more there, came to a curve in the river, slowed some to make the curve but left the trim and plate at the same setting as my last run (big mistake) came out of the curve at 85 or so and was looking at 4 miles of straight smooth water. Instead of dropping the plate and trim I just punched it. Boat leaned left and veered right slightly then sat down and around to the right I went. Not a violent turn just just a hard uncontrollable turn of about 160 degrees. Stayed in the boat but it was hard, thank goodness for the Allison seats. 2 things I learned that day, 1 always drop everything and build speed after full power is applied, 2 a lean either direction with a veer the opposite direction is bad juju, drop the plate and slow her down. I had felt that a couple times earlier that day and just got lucky. My instinct was telling me to park her for the day but I let my ego talk me into one more run, I listen to my instinct now.

 

[biller31]

No comment

 

[Lotus 50]

Bless me father for I have hooked or is it My name is David and I'm an Allison owner?

SS2000 w/150XR4 Merc w/ 30 Triton 1
Accelerating at 85 and woosh

What I now know is that my steering was loose. I was having to do more than usual steering for the speed. New rule - it it's not 'on a string' back out slowly.

I do have to be careful this summer with my surgically repaired shoulder.

 

[Dave Hensley]

No comment

No comment is a comment.

 

[wc911]

Seen it, Aint ever done it!!!!

 

[rocko71]

I did once, in my Bullet

Boat: Bullet 20xrd

Motor: 225 Pro Max

Speed: 94ish

Weather & Water Conditions: hot September, very light chop

Other: I was with a bud testing some different props on the Bullet, I had an empty boat except 3 batteries and full cooler, and not enough ballast (side console). I had ran probably 6-8 props already and was trying a 30p drag copy that had been worked since last time I ran it. This boat likes crazy high motor height, my best ever speed was at 2.25" above pad!!! Anyway, I'm running this prop at 2" above and all is well. The boat had a slight right lean bc I didn't have enough ballast on passenger side, but my bud was spotting from another boat and said it looked real good passing by. The boat felt great and water pressure was good so I decided to try one more click, 1/4" I raised my plate, and took off very careful, letting the boat take a good set after each bump of the trim. Well, I'm at 93, just tickling 94 mph when the boat leaned to the right pretty bad, I steered right a little to shift the weight back over and bumped the trim ever so slightly. The bow immediately fell like it was dropped off a building and the boat did a 180 to the right. Didn't sling me out but it did put a big bruise on my right knee from bracing against the console. I was pretty shook up but ran it hard back and almost did it again.. Afterwards my bud told me that if it starts to lean right, you are about to be in trouble, it's time to ease off. Oops! Haven't done it since, but I don't have a motor on my Allison yet, either..

 

[atcje]

That's 2 situations where the boat gave some indication, a lean to either side. Mine leaned left, Rocko's to the right, the difference being the balance. I would say if you feel a lean back out quick.

For what it's worth any boat can do this, my brother hooked a charger 596 doing 72 but he had it stretched for all it was worth and went across some small ripple. Boat dropped the bow and came around violently to the right. Threw him and my son out. Swamped the back of the boat and nearly filled it with water. It came to rest still up right and pumped itself out. Shook them both up pretty bad, lots of bruises and scrapes but they were otherwise OK. Man we were all afraid of that boat from then on. It got sold.

 

[catfish123]

I agree except with this part of your statement:

" I would say if you feel a lean back out quick."

Backing out quick is usually not a good idea.

 

[atcje]

True but if you have the chance you gotta try something other than what got you to that point in time. I drop the plate to induce some drag, and plant the prop and skeg. So many never get a warning, if you are fortunate enough to get a warning you gotta try something.

 

[racerx]

I was testing my buddys new xb2002 on the river with Gohr holding a radar gun on me at the end of a pier that was in a tight corner, I was hanging it out at 94mph chopped the gas to make the turn and it turned tossed me out just could not hang on and was rolling in 2 feet of water and it was cold...We checked motor height at above pad

 

[LakeAnna]

I've gone around several times in the past and most of the time it wasn't to bad.
One good thing: Once you've experienced it a few times you do get a good feel for it. Kinda gets that slippery *** syndrome like a loose go-cart... Sure helped me out in a few questionable situations...:big grin
So far the white one has been nice to me although I don't "hang it out" like I used to either. When the skeg came off this summer at about 90++ it sure helped having the previous experieces.

Grandsports with either a good 260 or most recently power is a 225x. Worked JC case, 11 setback, balanced, 10 galllons or so, prop @ 1/4 to 1/8 below.

***260 ran 104-5 my best with a 26 & 28 cloppers

***225x has been 97 or so with a 28 hoss

Blowing over the hydrostream was my worst ride ever by far! :relax:

 

[K.Kiser]

No textbook hooks so far, but I did get thrown out when a intentional hairpin turn went wrong.. Boat was biting hard like they do but when I turned the steering wheel back to straighten the path, it leaned vertically to the outside of the turn.. It was Up on the rub rail high enough the gearcase was dry so there was no steering or throttle input and it wouldn't come down until I thought it was gonna roll over on top of me so I abandoned ship..

It washed off the "XB" badge from the rear of the topcap wing, so I know it was high and I remember the casting deck looking really similar to the vertical cypress trees way out in front.. I scraped frost from my truck windshield about two hours earlier before heading to the lake.. I also remember my breath fog across the water for that breaststroke back to a soaked boat, so I remember that swim very well..

They are my favorite boats, but they for sure have their share of dark and shady traits..