Rock and Roll

[MWest77]

Hey guys! Please forgive my ignorance on the following. I, as a few of you know, just got my first Allison from my good friend Ocktane. At just over 65 mph, the boat starts doing the side to side thing I think y'all call chine walking. I powered through it to about 70 once today but it was windy as hell and kept getting pushed sideways. The other times, it got a little squirrelly. My question is: 1: is this the boat trying to run on the pad and the boat isn't balanced? 2: the boat is fine, you just can't drive? 3: the time you ran 70, the trim was correct and the other times it wasn't? Or 4: keep practicing dumb ***. 5: all of the above.
Had a freaking awesome day on Sardis lake today with the wife. Fishing sucked though. The new stereo rocks! Don't know how I ever went without one.

 

[Iowafshr]

Its starting to lift on the pad at those speeds. It could be a combination of being out of balance and not enough seat time. I have a level in the boat and check it from time to time. I've done it enough now I don't use it much, but it helped a lot when first getting all the gear distributed.

Don't power through chine walk it can get dangerous. You don't need much trim in these boats either. Most guys run fastest with neutral trim. When it starts go get hairy back off a little and try again. My biggest breakthrough came with balancing the load though. I learned by leaving it trimmed in and slowly bumping up a little at a time while the boat lifted on the pad.

 

[whipper]

5 All of the above:beer: Its going to take seat time to drive her with zero chine walk. There should be no side to side at all ever.

It will come together for ya. Since your in Allison country I would get someone to drive her with your counter weight that weighs within 15 lbs of you and tell ya if ya need more or less balance in the form of moving things around or ballast. Then at least you know its just you.:wink Also when ya add a passenger such as the wife that all changes again. Sometimes ya just need to trough something 15 or 20 lbs to your side to off set the passenger. Wind does effect things but not the chine walk below 70 really. you can drive 70 in some pretty gusty days with little effort. The faster ya go the harder it would be though. Not so much chine as just dangerous say 75-80++. The hull gets up on the pad with the right amount of trim at 65mph so yes thats correct. Thats when driving becomes the part only we can do as we all had to learn how to do it. All performance vee hulls chine walk at high speed and once you master the balancing of an Allison you can drive any high performance vee hull on the planet. So thats cool to know and keep practicing.

Once ya know she is balanced correctly. And you know exactly what hight your prop shaft is at. And you only trim till the GPS stops each bump. Then after ya fly past 75mph with out a wobble you will know you are getting there big time. It will just happen one day. You'll feel it coming and you'll go oh there it is!!! You'll make another pass and bingo!! You'll never forget once ya got it. Just like riding a bike. At first you wobble the handlebars and then before ya know it your doubling and riding with no hands. Same type of thing hear. One you stop wobbling it means you can take the training wheels off and try that trim button a little more. Just be careful. As forgiving as these hulls are below 75 they quickly become more unforgiving as you get into the 80,s and 90,s and beyond.

 

[Ocktane]

Don't worry Mike, I'm gonna get out there with ya one of these days. I'd say its seat time and possibly balance. FYI Prop height on that boat is about even with the pad

 

[MWest77]

I usually just barely bump the trim and feel what the boat does as speed increases. I'm going to get a level tomorrow to keep in the boat till I figure out what needs to go where, alone and with a passenger, gear, etc. It only got squirrelly once today and I eased off and tried again and got past it. My steering input may have caused it trying to over compensate. What a blast! These boats create spectators quick!

 

[MWest77]

Thanks for the input! Each time I go out, it gets a little easier. Starting to worry a bit less and smile a lot more.

 

[22R]

It is all in the balance. Keep your eyes on the horizon and not the bow of the boat. Put enough pressure (turning) on the wheel like you are going through a long sweeping turn and you willl feel it try to lock on to the pad. Do it a few times then start to use the same technique back and forth to balance at your current speed before you try going faster. Kill switch and life jacket on !!!!

 

[Ocktane]

Kill switch and life jacket on !!!!

+1

 

[MWest77]

Kill switch on life jacket always. My problem is when I stand up, I almost always forget to unhook it and trip the kill switch lol.

 

[suicidealli]

I love it.... Just about everybody's first trip out is the same.. Practice practice there is a learning curve, and it will take some time... Like above jacket, and kill switch.. There is a lot of reading material on here to help you out.. Do some searching.. I hae responded to a lot myself.. Half the fun is learning how to drive these beast... After some time you won't even think about it...

Roy

 

[MWest77]

Will definitely be at Clifton next time to meet you guys that come.

 

[ssv1761982]

Leave the family home while learning. Go alone or take an experienced guy with you.

From what I know, that boat was setup perty good so you just need a little experience. Don't make any changes until you learn how to drive it the way it is.

 

[allimax]

This was the best article I found on explaining what's going on. Hope it helps some. No not an Allison but the Bass Cats are nice rigs and this guy did a great job writing the article.
http://basscatowners.yuku.com/topic/21816/Chine-Walk-Learning-to-control-it-My-Experience

 

[whipper]

Thanks for the input! Each time I go out, it gets a little easier. Starting to worry a bit less and smile a lot more.

Thats for sure!!

Ya know after a hard day at work and life gets...well life happens. The second im on the water in the sun or even no sun and drive down the lake all my worries go away and I smile ear to ear. Allison's are very therapeutic.:big grin

Youll get it in no time because you want to so bad. All the input is true. Theres so much to it yet once ya got it youll wonder why in heck it took ya so long because it becomes second nature. She will only get funner and funner with time. Maybe thats why boats are referd to as females? Guys wish there wives were like that.:big grin

Oh and ya its way safer to try and {get it} if ya can go out by your self a few times. That way you have full on consentration and you just repete up and down the lake getting better each pass with only your but to keep safe. A little trick is to go up and down the middle of the lake. Each pass you go down your same tracks. that way you always have calm water and no wakes from yourself to contend with.

 

[BALD ALLISON]

Heck, I'm still learning to drive. (everyone elses boat) LOL. One step at a time, and don't let frustration get the best of you.

Phil

 

[max200]

Here's a tip! One of the reasons why chine walking is difficult to drive thru is when you learn to ride a bike and balance it whichever way the bike falls you turn into the fall to recover. It is the opposite when balancing your Ally on the pad. Make small corrections the opposite way it wants to fall. This is closest way I know how to explain it. Just drive it right up to the point where it just starts to chine and practice there. Wear a good jacket. Im no expert but Maybe this will help some. usually it just hits you and you got it. Be safe!
Drew!

 

[MWest77]

:laughingThanks Max! Thinking about trying to get out early next week for about two full days of practice.

 

[Ocktane]

Now that we are switching work schedules we'll have some time off together Mike, guess we don't have to wait till we retire to hang out after all! We'll get out in the Ally and get her to fly!!

 

[MWest77]

Sounds good Nick. Hopefully we can get loose next week.

 

[SmallJaw]

You are getting the best advice possible. I was a wreck when I got my boat back in the summer but by driving around at all kinds of speeds, trim, and jack plate positions I was slow to get the "it" feeling. After about 6 hrs of actual seat time for me it pretty well clicked. I was running in the 80's after that. I did go by myself most of the time till I was sure I wasn't gonna kill anybody but myself. No need to push it either. What's the rush? Have fun and let it come to you. My only suggestion is to gently turn the wheel left about 1/8th of a turn was your boat falls off to the right. You will develop a rythm.