How Do You Guys Running Warp Speeds Have Your Trim Set Up??

**Instigator** · 02-20-2003, 07:26 PM

Am deep into rigging the Vector project and am about to lay out trim buttons.
Wondering how you guys running the 100+ MPH boats or the ones that are very trim sensitive (you're on the buttons all the time) have yours set up.
At this point I am planning on leaving my three buttons (single buttons) on the wheel, and I have a Bob's floor mount with two buttons on it.
Will use the wheel buttons for down, and wire both floor buttons to be up. Figure that way, my foot can bounce off the floor buttons but I can still hit the "down" on the wheel.
Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated.
Thanx guys!
Gary

**Raceman** · 02-20-2003, 07:47 PM

Gary, I've only run one boat with foot trim and decided real quick that it wasn't for me. Assuming that you don't have hydraulic steering and NEED the third button, I've always just run two pairs of buttons at the 3 & 9 oclock positions on the wheel. I guess it's just what you get comfortable with.

**Mike Agnew** · 02-20-2003, 07:54 PM

i have mine set up that way down on the wheel . up on the floor really like it that way . if you ever get in trouble you don't have to even think about it . just grab a botton .like that stream .yellow i think looks really good on the water . by the way you really got to becarefull of the people that you let play with your boat set up that way . most cann't get the hang of it .

mike

**Jay2002** · 02-20-2003, 08:18 PM

isn't for me. I've tried it and like up and down on the wheel. I have the down button on the outside of the wheel so it's the closest one to me. I think one style is no better than the next, the main thing is that your comfortable with it. Good luck and be careful, Jay.

**Instigator** · 02-20-2003, 08:49 PM

Have spent the most time with both up/down on the wheel, also ran Yammers boat last Summer with the trun signal buttons.
Boat will be Cable/pulley steering Norris. Bought a complete set off Pete Nydahl with the quick release wheel and already had the buttons on the wheel.
Mike, I think the OPC tunnel boats are set up with "up" on floor, "down" on wheel.
And yeah, don't worry about other people getting behind the wheel

Figure I'll be too busy scaring the **** out of myslef to let some else screw it up

I hope John M. reads this thread and responds.
Thanks for the feedback guys, that's what I'm lookin for.
And I agree, it's kind of an individual thing.
The boat is actually coming together pretty well, and with the balancing tricks I've got up my sleeve

, I think I'll be O.K.
Still need a new helmet and restriant sytem for it though.
Think I'm goinmg to switch from an open to a closed face too.
Almost all the people that have been seriouslly hurt in these things have either gone through the side of the boat or the dash.
I'm ugly enough already w/o eating a dash with an open face helmut!
Keep the info coming guys!
Gary

**Raceman** · 02-20-2003, 08:55 PM

Gary, check those bars and see if they're made right for that engine. One of my STV's had a set on it that were wrong, and I don't know why anybody would've made em that way. The hole for the pulley linkage needs to be at the point where the plane of the swivel pin and tilt pin intersect. If it's not on plane with the tilt tube, the cables will loosen/tighten when the motor is trimmed up or down. The same is true for the other swivel point. In the case of these on the Merc, the tips were in front of the swivel pin and it made the cables tighten as the engine left the straigh ahead position. If the ends are behind the swivel pin, the cables will loosen as the engine is turned. If they're made right, the cable tension will stay consistent throughout both travel ranges.

**Instigator** · 02-20-2003, 09:03 PM

they were definately made for this motor and came with extensions too which I've since removed.
I rigged all my own boats in my nine years of being a knee jockey so I understand the dynamics to it, but I've also spent a boat load of time trying to figure out cable routing to keep it clean and still be functional.
The steering was origonally built as hollow tube break away shaft for a tunnel boat.
I had my buddy replace it with a shorter, solid shaft and he also made me a trick "Delron" mounting bezel/housing so I could mount to the dash only (yes I re-inforced it) instead of having the forward floor support as the tunnels did.
If everything works right, I should "feel" everything this boat does before it even thinks it!

**Mike Agnew** · 02-20-2003, 09:39 PM

used to have a set of streeing bars like that on a friends v6 looper .one day had one break right at the motor and threw me through the side of dads old seebold eagle the last thing i remember was i saw 7000 rpm on the tach . swam back to the surface . to find my buddy that had never been in a fast boat about 80 feet farther than i was .also had brain fart that day too .no life jackets killswitch laying on the floor . and helmet was on the pontoon we were using as island . 1 thing though the bars were used . but i would maybe think about running a piece of alum around the back side of the motor and bolt together the 3 pieces .just a little safety feature.

mike

**Steve Zuckerman** · 02-20-2003, 10:07 PM

Gary,
People like what they become accustomed to. I've driven boats
with floor trim, and generally found it annoying. The problem you may run into is in rough water. You'll have a natural tendency to
brace yourself against the left pedal, which will be doing the opposite of what you need to do in rough water, trim down.
I've run three trim switches (one on each spoke), rocker style,
on my last four boats. In (towards the hub) is down, out (towards the rim) is up.
When serious drag racing, I use my trim computer, so I don't have to even think about it. If I don't like my set down the course,
I can still manually trim the boat. Unless the conditions are unusual (wind, rough water), it usually isn't necessary. I would also recommend an accurate trim gauge. I fab one up out of an
OMC sender, which is more accurate than the Mercury sender
because it's spring loaded, and a Gaffrig/Merc gauge. If you run
the OMC sender backwards (which you shouldn't have to do), it
works perfectly with a Merc gauge.
Ultimately, you have to fly the boat by your ass, but an accurate trim gauge will help you find the "sweet spot", and return to it quickly, whether you trim manually, or use a trim computer.
The boat's lookin good. Looking forward to seeing it run.
Regards,
Steve

**RSM** · 02-20-2003, 11:48 PM

I agree with steve, If your going to run one on wheel and one on floor it would be alot safer to switch them around. Like you said your foot will be bouncing around the last thing you want to do is accidentaly give it more trim when your trimmed on the edge at speed in that little vector with that big motor it might make you mess your britches.

**JamesE** · 02-21-2003, 07:28 AM

My boat has the turn signal type mounted on the steering column and I hate the damn thing. It feels awkward and it is difficult, for me at least, to make fine adjustments to the trim. In the past, I have always rigged the trim buttons on the right hand spoke of the steering wheel. I prefer being able to reach both the up and the down simply with my thumb. I find I am able to make fine adjustments easily.

**Spreadeagle** · 02-21-2003, 09:05 AM

I like the all down on the wheel. I ve found that you tend to wanna hit the down button(s) more frequently especially when comming to a turn, and hate to hit the up by mistake in a scary situation- I'm thinkin of putting a turn signal style "up" lever and still keep (3) downs on the wheel.

HMMMMM- maybe a down button under your butt that will activate when ya get skeeerd and clentch your cheeks together.

Later
Gary

**B.Leonard** · 02-21-2003, 09:25 AM

LOL!! There you go good idea! LOL!! That will keep someone else from driving your boat for sure

I used those Teleflex Pro Trim turn signal types on my Lund, nice for a mild boat but they feel to "loose" for a fast boat.

Don't do the floor trim! I hooked up a floor trim to run my jack plate on my tunnel for the Tot's run. At the end of the run I found my motor all the way down because I was unconsciously bracing my foot against the switch!

I felt the boat handling different but it was so rough (like a poker run) it was actually helping hold the boat down.

My theory is... if you need to get to switches faster than placing them on the wheel will allow, something is wrong. Your setup shouldn't be that much on the edge. It's a problem waiting to happen.

-BL

**H2OPERF** · 02-21-2003, 10:13 AM

Hey gary its looking good,E mail me your new ph# or call me 305 302 5410 im in col.This weather sucks cant do any thing couldnt get the car out of the driveway.Ill be here until mon if i can take it that long.You might want to use one of those wheel buttons for the primer to cool it off.Dave

**Balzy** · 02-21-2003, 10:23 AM

Up and down on the wheel, (2 switches) and up/down for the jackplate on the floor. On the wheel for trim I also like the (in tword the hub is down, and out tword the rim is up) makes more sence to me to have out be up and in be down. That's what the motor is doing anyway. On the foot pedal for the jack I also found myself bumping them when laying my foot on the pedal for support in turns. I made some posts next to the buttons to stop this. Now I have to intensionally push them. Hard to do it by accident now. Ask Mr. Gimlet how it was before I did that. Layed on the up button by accident at 80 in a left hand corner on a 60 foot wide river with him in the passenger seat. When it got high enough the boat decided to walk the prop across the water and wham we were sideways looking straight at the shore of trees. He ended up sliding out from under teh dash reaching over trying to help me counter steer. It was funny (kind of) at the time. Not so funny when you think about it now though.

As far as trim on the floor goes, Nick Kaye's Euro is set up that way yet. He's gonna change it. It sucks if you aren't used to it. I hate it. Ask him about teh time his Giant Schnauzer layed on the up button while he was going fast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!