Triton boat setup-Need Help

[Darrell20]

I have a 2006 Triton TR21X single console with a Merc 225ProXS with a 26P Tempest Plus prop. It has a fixed jackplate set at 2'' below the pad. At about 70 mph it starts to chinewalk pretty badly. I am running 5700 rpm and have 25 pds of water pressure. I bought it with 4hrs on it (caught in a bankruptcy) and now have 20 hrs on it. I haven't had much seat time to deal with the chine walking because of the breakin. Should I be looking to raise the motor up  to help with the chine or just get more set time under my belt before I start messing with the setup. Thanks for any input or suggestions.

[txbass1]

At 70+ miles per hour, any set-up on any boat at one time or another is going to give you some chine walking...you have to know how to drive out of it. So I would suggest ALOT more seat time and then play with it if you feel you may be able to improve it. Otherwise just realize that 70+ will get you there a couple of minutes before me (and 98% of the rest) and be HAPPY!  

[Stringjam]

Get somebody who is experienced driving high perf bass boats to drive it.  If they don't have any problems driving it, the answer = more seat time.  

If takes a good bit of practice to learn how to properly balance a boat that gets up on the pad......DON'T TRY TO "DRIVE" THROUGH IT.  If the chining gets bad enough you hook the hull and end up in the drink.  

You have to learn to balance the boat and not let it get to the point of chine-walking in the first place.  Eventually you'll get the feel of what the hull is doing and start making the minor corrections necessary to keep it balanced.  

I bought my first real high perf bass boat about 10 years ago (a Bullet 21XD) and I knew there would be a learning curve - - I spent about a month doing nothing but driving that thing until it finally "clicked."  When it did - it was a breeze.  

 

[Way2slow]

Yes, chine walk is a driving issue with most boats fast enough to ge up on the pad, however there can be contributing factors. An ill setup boat makes life in the fast lane a whole lot harder if not impossible.

First, there can be no play in the steering or motor. If the steering wheel moves, the motor has to move, even 1/8" free play at the motor can make the boat almost impossible to drive.

Proper engine height, setback and prop can help tame one down also. The more of the motor you can get up out of the water, the less likely it is to walk. Getting the setback right gets the motor trim to a more neutral position so the prop is pushing foward, not downward to get lift (it's called finding the sweet spot). A four blade prop helps handling also but usually at the cost of a few MPH.

I would think you have hydraulic steering. Many times they don't get fully bled out and give a small amount of slop. That slop has to go. I've even had boats that the steering wheel had slop in the key slot, letting the steering wheel move without moving anything.

The quickest way to learn to drive it is don't trim it all the way out until you are at WOT and the boats is at full speed with the motor tucked in some. Then start bumping the trim out, as the boat starts to get bow lift, it will slowly start to chine walk. Practice getting your timing down to correct so you can zig when it wants to zag. As you get control, bump it up a little more. As you trim up the chine walk will get quicker and more violent, so this will give you time to feel it and correct it before it gets too bad. Once it starts walking, trim back down and slow down until it quits and start working back up again. There's no such thing as "Driving Through It". Trying that can make for a very bad day on the lake.

[cart7t]

All boats will chine to some degree once you get up on the pad only.  Tritons though, have a tendency to be a little worse.

You're going to have to learn to live with it by spending more seat time.

[Jig Man]

At 70+ miles per hour, any set-up on any boat at one time or another is going to give you some chine walking

I have a Champion 206 with 407 hours on the motor (225 Opti). It will run 73 mph at wot and has never done any chine walking on any lake at any time of the year.

[txbass1]

Awesome Jig Man... I have never driven your boat or I would not have written that post. I am happy for you and hope I can find that on my next rig. I honestly have never experienced or heard of a boat going that fast with absolutely no chine whatsoever at any time. Nice to know it is out there though.

[Way2slow]

I've driven and road in a number of heavy class bass boats running in the low 70's to mid 70's that didn't chine walk.  Like I said, setup has a huge amount to do with it.  My Javelin R20 doesn't start to chine walk until it gets to 73 - 74 mph.  I'm repairing the engine on a friends 94 Stratos 201 that doesn't chine walk until it hits the mid 70's.  My Stratos 285 Pro didn't start until 71 - 72 on glass smooth water.  When there is a four to six inch chop my Javelin won't chine walk, even at 80.   I've been is several Rangers running in the low 70's that didn't chine walk.

Oh, and before it comes up that a Javelin R20, a Stratos 285 Pro and a Stratos 201 won't run that fast,  All three of these boats are running 320+ hp motors.  The 201 runs 78 with two people, the Javelin 82 with two and the 285 got too squirrly to get it past 83.

Now with all that said, I've never been in a Triton and don't know many people that have one but don't think I've ever heard of a Triton running 70+ mph that didn't chine walk.  From what I hear, that's their nature, just like it's a fact of life with a Bullet or Allison.  Chine walk is a very common problem but not "ALL" boats will chine walk in the low 70's but as I stated earlier, setup has a "HUGE" affect on just  when and how bad one starts to walk.  The faster the hull design, to more apt it is to start walking sooner.

[Land Surveyor13]

I would say raise the jack plate.  My 2006 Triton TR20X performs best at 4" on the Hydraulic Jack Plate.  Not sure what that equates to height wise on the boat.  I would also suggest that if you have the cash go get a Hydraulic Plate installed.  Best money I have spent so far on my boat.  You can raise and lower the plate as you drive.  Find the best spot on the plate and trim the motor all the way up for best performance.  Chine walk is gonna happen.  Learning how to control it isn't really all that hard.  Slight ticks to the left on the steering wheel and steady pressure on it will hold you straight ahead.

Jerrod

[Socalbassmaster]

Now Not sure if this is for everyone but when I start to feel the chine I will make a small turn to the left till it smooths out. I agree every boat has is and you will get the feel of it and know what to do to minimize the chine

seat time I'm still learning new things and I have been diving fo a  long time

be safe and don't over do it

Like the guy said you may get there 2 min before I do but if you flip you don't fish....

[Catt]

Every Triton I've driven or rode shotgun in chine walks it's a fact of life but with the proper setup you can minimize it.

I have a nephew with the same boat but he's running an Optimax this is his setup

Manual Slidemaster jackplate with 10 inches of setback. The propshaft was 1 7/16 below the pad, and the distance from the end of the propshaft to the pad-end measured 53 3/8.

[redboat]

I bought my second Triton last year, a TRX 20 Patriot with a 25p Rage prop.  I'd heard that Triton had fixed the chine walking issue - my 196 would chine walk above 68 but I could get 70 GPS max and the chine walking was controllable. 

 

After break in I got 74 MPH with the new boat but RPM was only about 5500.

 

I had a Hydro Dynamics jack plate installed and had the prop blueprinted and balanced (doing these things to my 196 got me about 5 MPH more top speed).  I started with the prop 3 1/2 inches below pad and raised it 1/4 inch at a time.

 

The best top speed I've gotten since the prop and jack plate mods has been 72 and at that speed it is VERY squirrely.  Chine walking begins around 68 and is almost uncontrollable above 70.  Higher than 3 1/4 inch above pad and it blows out badly on hole shot.

 

In all cases maximum up trim is required in order to obtain best top speed.  Trimming down even a little causes both speed and RPM to drop dramatically.

 

I've settled on 3 1/4 inches below pad.  I get a decent hole shot and can do 65-66 before it starts chine walking.

 

This is not a driver issue, I have 12 years in my older Triton and a year in this one.  I think the issue is the Triton hull just isn't designed to go more than 65 or 66.  Push it past that and it fights back. 

 

One comment: I did notice with my older rig I usually blew past the "80 mph" boats at around 65 or 66.  I don't know if these guys were getting their MPH readings from the onboard speedo but they sure weren't doing 75 or 80.

 

[DINK WHISPERER]

Mine usually walks only when I'm over trimmed. 

[redboat]

16 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Mine usually walks only when I'm over trimmed. 

Yeah I thought of that.  I have to run as much up trim as possible regardless of prop height.  If I drop it even a little RPM and top speed both drop.

[WRB]

This is a 2018 thread...

Go online and look up Kent Brown Triton Boat rep and look at his vedio's on chin walk.

Tom