Tips for driving an Allison?

[AustinL911]

Hey all,

A little background: my father has a 1998 XB-2003 with a decently hot 260 strapped to it. He's owned it for 16 years now, though hardly ever uses it due to lack of time. And for 16 years now, he's been talking about teaching me to drive it. Well, our schedules finally aligned where we could go out together and cruise around for a bit. My naive self is thinking, "It's a boat, how hard could this be?" :banghead

Now, we didn't get to spend much time in it d/t lake and weather conditions. In that time, I was able to get it up to around 67-68 (GPS) before I decided it was a bit uncomfortable for me my first time out in it. The way he explained it to me, is that it goes through a couple transitions as it steps up onto the next pad; the first being around 67mph and the other being around 78, with the 2nd being the worst of the two.

A few thoughts:
-He states the squirreliness at those transitions is normal and is something you get used to. I can't say that I like it. It makes my butthole pucker. And I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to 'drive thru them'.

-When the torque on the steering wheel (manual steering) loosens up at ~67, it's a very unsettling feeling.

-How do you slow this SOB down without it getting squirrely?

I spent a lot of my time getting used to nailing it out of the hole, trimming up to where it needed to be, getting it up to 67 or so, and then easing it back down. My natural instinct was to chop the throttle when things started to get hairy, which I promptly got yelled at for doing on a few occasions, so I really tried to work on not doing that.

So is there a 'trick' to driving these things or is it simply seat-time and getting comfortable with it? He's got the boat setup very near how it should be. He can run it right on up into the high 90s with ease. I'm not so sure I can do the same at this point, nor am I even close.

Help?

:idiot

 

[2Fast2Pass]

Seat time, Seat time, Seat time. Before you know it, Dad will be the passenger... Like ME!

 

[F2008]

Hey all, a little background: my father has a 1998 XB-2003........
........he can run it right on up into the high 90s with ease. I'm not so sure I can do the same at this point, nor am I even close.

Help?

Austin, sounds like you have the perfect teacher right there in the family. Patience..... and practice.....it'll come.

 

[Brack]

jus punch it and close your eyes,......its all in the seat of your pants,.....



JK,.......stay safe,......lots of seat time and you will learn what the boat wants





see ya at the Bar,........cheers^Brack

 

[SLOmofo]

First, kill switch and life jacket , clipped and zipped.
Second, steering and engine mounting need to be tight and secure.
Third, while your learning nobody else in the boat except maybe Dad.
Forth, like in your youth, crawl, stand, walk, then run. Drive in all sorts of conditions, trim it in trim it up, over wakes till it becomes second nature. Increase speed 5 mph and do it again. 5 up do it again.
Wax on, Wax off.
I think the best thing is to concentrate on the horizon, don't look at the bow. Your eyes and inner ear will sense the boat starting to lean that is when the correction has to take place.
Bow small, horizon large. Wax on, wax off. Crawl, stand, walk, run. Become as one with the boat. If you don't, you'll fail.

As to slowing down, don't.
But if you need to at some point, incrementally back out of the throttle, don't chop it or you'll hook(bat turn, go around) that's why he yelled at you. Dad's been there done that, didn't like that! Also why when you are learning or testing different props, engine heights etc., etc. you do it alone.

Take it from someone that's very, very lucky to be typing this today that has been thrown out of the boat at just over 100.
Looking up, 3 feet under and realizing you will have to swim to the surface to take a breath isn't something I relished.

 

[catfish123]

Plus 1 Gary from another member of the "SWIM CLUB".

 

[Scott Gilmore]

jus punch it and close your eyes,......its all in the seat of your pants,.....



JK,.......stay safe,......lots of seat time and you will learn what the boat wants

THIS ^ Scott :at the bar

 

[K.Kiser]

don't overtrim, don't oversteer.. Small well timed steering corrections will calm it right down to a walk in the park.. Slowing down I barely reduce throttle while giving a few bumps down in trim.. Get some boat in the water before letting the prop convert from a push to a drag.. The dreaded "hook", again don't chop the throttle, don't overtrim.. If the hull at fast speed is leaning to the left, bump up a little trim.. If its flying high and leaning to the left, ease back out and work on setup.. Don't reduce power from high speed going over traffic wakes, not wise to haul butt over them either.. The trick is dont get caught with your pants down and being forced to make that decision.. Moderate speed, level the trim and keep a little power on it..

 

[Dave Hensley]

I have found instructions from the bank and not in the boat are best. Take it out by yourself. Run it up to 60 and trim it until the nose starts to rock. As soon as it starts to rock put some left wheel in it and start making a wide arc. That will stop the chine walk, which is what you are feeling. Increase speed but no trim up to about 70 while still slightly arcing to the left. Now ease back up straight. It will wobble again, put some left wheel in it. Do that at varying speeds and you will quickly get to the point you can feel the wheel input correct the chine walk. You just graduated Pad Driver 101.

 

[chad202]

Remember when driving, think pressure to the left. Hold constant pressure and ur steering corrections should consist of easing the pressure off slightly then reapply it. As far as the boat going thru transitions, their is a thing or two that be done to the tri step area at the bottom that would make them a piece of cake. Jmo

 

[njj502]

Take your time. My GS is my first Alli and first 'fast' boat. I had it in the 90's by the end of the first summer. Lots n lots of seat time. Get a GOOD jacket, WEAR it and use the kill switch. Once you learn it it'll become second nature. I don't even realize I'm making corrections until I lock the wheel.

 

[fnshrmaster]

All the comments above are great info. The key is left pressure, release, left pressure. Start slow, baby steps.

Three years ago I was washing the sides, I am now running high 90s comfortably. One day it will just click and you will wonder why you had such a hard time before. Good luck and wear your PFD and lanyard.

 

[K.Kiser]

The left pressure is a key piece I forgot about, great advice guys.. My Dad put me in the drivers seat of a non Allison, let me take it up till it was chine walking, he reached over with his right hand and drove through it while my hands were on the wheel but not with pressure, just to be present on the wheel to make the connection between the hull movement and steering correction.. The occasional nudge to the left was apparent and in short time he pulled his hand off the wheel and I took it from there.. That was the "click" and its just sharpening up on what you've learned after that..

 

[whipper]

All of the above and what I did wrong at first was counted way to much!! The left pressure and back {balancing the hull on the pad} is so very slight of a movement compared to what I was doing. It only takes a hardly noticeable movement. Over correcting you are rocking the boat.

OK hear it is the riding a bike analogy.:banghead

The first time you rode a bike EVER. You balanced buy moving the handlebars {wheel} back and forth. Then as you got better you could ride down a hill and seemingly at speed you weren't balancing like you did the very fist time but you are still balancing it. Allisons are the exact same way. You start off over correcting because you don't know what to expect and hull wont balance her self just like the bike. When your at 65mph the hull rides up on the little pad. Thats all thats in the water really. Your sitting on the starboard side of the boat. The hull has to be balanced to stay straight she wants to naturally fall off the pad to one side or the other. If you tied your handlebars you would fall over on your bike also. You can balance a bike and not even think about it!! Allisons {BECOME} that way also. you just mash her and you can reach the boats top speed without even thinking about it and the hull flys straight as an arrow all the way up. But like a bike it takes practice to get there.

Ive always liked the bike way of thinking about it because it was something I knew. The second part of everything is the controls how and when. To 65-70 any one can hop in and get floppy then slow down. Its above that when you become an Allison driver. Garys post on the controls is the way to do it SlOMofo. Before long youll get it and wonder why you never right away. We all go threw the same thing. Its not you its the nature of the high performance Vee hull. Once you master the driving the respect never stops. You always have to respect one of the fastest vee hulls in the world at all times.!! Safety gear is always a must as mentioned. Only a fool drives over 80 without a life vest on. They wont be boating for life as one day they will get bit in the arse and thats that. Pluss other guys who know what boat your driving wont respect you as much without wearing one. I don't anyway. If i see someone without there vest on going for it in a high performance boat I don't want anything to do with them as they are disrespecting the sport of high performance boating and making us all look bad. Lanyard and vest. If your skiing or tubing not going over 30mph thats one thing. But getting her on the pad above 65 thats another. If you don't have it on your not going to stop and put it on then get on the way again once your over 65. Buy a sick one your going to wear and look good wearing it.:beer:

 

[SLOmofo]

The left pressure is a key piece I forgot about, great advice guys.. My Dad put me in the drivers seat of a non Allison, let me take it up till it was chine walking, he reached over with his right hand and drove through it while my hands were on the wheel but not with pressure, just to be present on the wheel to make the connection between the hull movement and steering correction.. The occasional nudge to the left was apparent and in short time he pulled his hand off the wheel and I took it from there.. That was the "click" and its just sharpening up on what you've learned after that..

Lucky Dog ! !! ! !

 

[SLOmofo]

"Only a fool drives over 80 without a life vest on." Drop the "over 80"

Only a fool drives without a life vest on!

And a bigger fool doesn't use the kill switch.


James (Whipper) is correct. I belong to a small extremely diverse group.
The "Hot Boat Outlaws" Should be the Hot Boat Scum Bags.
Simple rules : No running without everyone in the boat wearing a life jacket and No drinking till the boats are put away.
I'm not a joiner and to look at this group I wouldn't, but they are good people, just don't look so good ! LOL !

I was asked if I wanted to put the decals on my boat, he wouldn't give them to me unless I did. I said "OK " he said "It's because you can beat all our boats"

 

[LakeAnna]

All the comments above are great info. The key is left pressure, release, left pressure. Start slow, baby steps.

Three years ago I was washing the sides, I am now running high 90s comfortably. One day it will just click and you will wonder why you had such a hard time before. Good luck and wear your PFD and lanyard.

Kurt you where washing the sides on the GS cause it had no steering in it and was way off in setup. WAY OFF. Everything about that boat was goofy...

Like whippers bike analogy.... works for me.

 

[chad202]

Also when easing the pressure, don't remove all the pressure. Just ease some of it off the re apply.

 

[msethsmile]

Stick with a kayak.

 

[whipper]

Stick with a kayak.

They flip right over way to scary.:big grin