2002 Lowe 180W Help

[RUSS9999]

Bought a 2002 Lowe 180W with a 90hp Johnson last year. The one thing I do not like about it is that at WOT it leans to the left slightly with just me in it and a lot with a passenger. It has a driver set and bench seat, there was a lot of room between the two so I moved the bench seat over all I could and helped it a lot. Seems like you have to run the bowl really low or it will start purposing. Put a SE Sport 300 Hydrofoil on it hoping it would help both, but did nothing for either one.  A friend said to put a trim tab on the left side. Please help me.

[Fishes in trees]

I have the same boat with a 100 Yamaha 4 stroke.   I don't have that problem.   I don't get on big water where I can run on plane very often.   I do fish on lakes where I have to putt around a lot - not on plane.  My lake is so stumpy that a hydrofoil would just be asking for it.  

[RUSS9999]

1 hour ago, Fishes in trees said:

I have the same boat with a 100 Yamaha 4 stroke.   I don't have that problem.   I don't get on big water where I can run on plane very often.   I do fish on lakes where I have to putt around a lot - not on plane.  My lake is so stumpy that a hydrofoil would just be asking for it.  

Is your motor setting on the transom? Someone told me razing it up one or two holes may help it. 

[Fishes in trees]

Perhaps you misunderstood.  Perhaps I didn't state myself well.   Anyway, I don't get on plane very often.   However, when I do get the very occasional trip to Truman or Stockton, other than the boat being a little doggy ( heavy boat with only a 100 HP motor),  I don't have any issues getting on plane or leaning in either direction.

 

[RUSS9999]

12 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

Perhaps you misunderstood.  Perhaps I didn't state myself well.   Anyway, I don't get on plane very often.   However, when I do get the very occasional trip to Truman or Stockton, other than the boat being a little doggy ( heavy boat with only a 100 HP motor),  I don't have any issues getting on plane or leaning in either direction.

 

No understand what you are saying. You don't get yours on plane much, but when you do, you don't have the leaning problem. I was just asking if your motor was setting as low as it could on the transom or if it was up off the transom one or two holes. They will sometimes set them on the transom and sometimes raze them up about 2 inches. The motor on my Lowe is setting on the transom, the one on the Tracker I had was razed 2''. If you razed it up the boat would run deeper in the water and may not lean like my Lowe does.

[Jig Man]

Check your p2p before you start raising the motor.

[RUSS9999]

27 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

Check your p2p before you start raising the motor.

Don't think I would move it, but what is p2p?

[slonezp]

P2P=Prop to pad. With the motor trimmed down the cavitation plate, which is the flat area just above the prop, should be close to even with the bottom of the hull. The "sweet spot" should be there, but may also be an inch or two above or below the pad. That being said, I don't think that's your issue with the leaning. Sounds like a weight distribution issue or the tab on the bottom side of the cavitation plate directly above the prop might need some tweaking. 

As far as the porposing, when you take off, do you have the motor trimmed all the way down and then raise it when on plane? If you start with it trimmed up, or raise it too fast, that will cause porposing.

[RUSS9999]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

P2P=Prop to pad. With the motor trimmed down the cavitation plate, which is the flat area just above the prop, should be close to even with the bottom of the hull. The "sweet spot" should be there, but may also be an inch or two above or below the pad. That being said, I don't think that's your issue with the leaning. Sounds like a weight distribution issue or the tab on the bottom side of the cavitation plate directly above the prop might need some tweaking. 

As far as the porposing, when you take off, do you have the motor trimmed all the way down and then raise it when on plane? If you start with it trimmed up, or raise it too fast, that will cause porposing.

Looks like the cavitation plate is about 1''1/2 above the bottom of the boat. The tap on the bottom side of the cavitation plate I have moved it both ways with no change in how the boat leans running across the lake. Moving weight is the only thing that has helped and it just helped when I have someone in the boat with me. Moved the passenger seat over so it is the same difference from the side of the boat as the driver seat, made a huge difference with a passenger. When I take off it is at 1/4 trim, it's on plane fast and takes little more trim before it reaches top end speed and starts porposing. I then trim it down until it stops porposing. When it gets to top end speed, you look over the side and all of the boat is in the water. That may be that a 90 is just not what a boat rated for a 150 needs. I would like more speed, but would be happy if I could get it to stop leaning heavy to the left when I have someone with me. Before I moved the passenger seat it was leaning so bad that it was putting water on the back deck in a left turn. 

[slonezp]

Where's the fuel tank located in the boat? Batteries? Livewell?

[Jeff H]

Had this porpoising problem with my first boat. Solution was to raise engine. Worked great after that.

[RUSS9999]

2 hours ago, slonezp said:

Where's the fuel tank located in the boat? Batteries? Livewell?

It is all centered but the 3 batteries. 1 on the right side and 2 on the left side and the only way to move one to the right would be to move the oil reservoir from the right side to the left side.

[RUSS9999]

Don't know what it will be like with a passenger, but got it to ride level with just me in it, even stopped some of the proposing. Did a little modifying to the SE Sort 300 Hydrofoil.