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How to set your tilt and trim
Trim refers to the angle of the engine drive leg to the boat. A trim “up” is farther from the transom; a trim “down” is closer
Trim up, drive leg out
An engine trimmed up forces the bow higher at speed
When the boat is light, trim up to go faster: when scooting into town for the paper, or on a solitary
cruise •At high speeds, too much trim up will cause the boat to porpoise, bouncing the bow repeatedly as you
go down the lake. And, if your trim is too high, the prop could over-rev, spinning air not water.
Trim down, drive leg in
The bow sits lower in the water when the trim is down
When the boat’s full of supplies or a gaggle of guests, start out with the trim down to help get up on a
plane more efficiently, then trim up gradually as you increase speed. If you don’t trim up, the bow will dig
in, soaking those in the bow and making it harder to steer. But, trim down a bit in choppy waves for more
control.
Tilt
The tilt mechanism allows you to lift the engine high enough out of the water to change a prop. You can also tilt up to beach the boat or paddle it over shallows. Don’t drive with the engine in this position: You risk overheating if the engine-leg cooling-water intakes are too near the surface, or you may cause damage to the drive couplings in a sterndrive. Also tilt up for trailering.
- David Harris
- illustrations by Pep Montserrat
Published in the April 2008 issue of Cottage Life magazine.
