Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

I have an 18 and am thinking of putting a bracket on it. I do not want to go up in boat size because of gass prices. I use it for offshore fishing mostly out of Miami and would like to close off the transome and make it more of an offshore boat.

Can anyone with an 18/bracket tell me how it affects the ride?

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

JUST HAD MY 20 DONE IN BOYNTON IF YOU WANT A RIDE

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

the ones i have seen looked ok , i think the trick is to not put to much motor on it , todays 4 strokes are so heavy if you put a 150 or so on it i think it will sit real low in the water. I have had a couple of 23's one on the notch and one on the bracket and have not made up my mind which i like the best? Good luck i am sure you will get some good feedback . I would love a 18 project.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

look it up on google images there is a 18 with a bracket and ths got a 175 on it i think . looks real good i was thinkin about doing it on mine but i dont know if its worth it

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

salty dog if you do it move the console forward a little.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

A bracket shifts the boat's CG aft, and an 18 will obviously be more sensitive to this than a 20 or 23. You'll need to be minimize engine weight and do whatever you can to shift weight forward like moving console, batteries, etc. Might work ok with a 300-350 lb motor. A stern-heavy boat won't self bail, won't plane well at low speed, and won't ride as well as one that is properly balanced. You'll need a stern lifting 4B prop and maybe a Doelfin to get acceptable low speed planing performance. A bracket with a big flotation tank like a Hermco will help with static trim, but once you're on plane and the tank is out of the water, the basic physics are still working against you. Don told me he can make his bracket with setbacks of 18, 24 and 30", so a Hermco bracket with an 18" setback would probably be best, but that's a little skinny if you want to use it for scuba.

CSC member Keys Cruze (Urban Patterson) has an 18 with a bracket and a 150 E-TEC on it. He said it's a 50+ mph rig and his kid loves it, but I haven't ridden in it or heard anything about it's rough water ride characteristics. He doesn't post much but you might try sending him a PM. I can send you his e-mail address if you want to send me a PM. Denny

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

i wanna see a pic of that 18 with the 150 etec got any?

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

I too have toyed witrh this idea for my 18. If you go to Don Herman's site, Hermco. I think you will see the 18 with bracket you are referring to. It is pictured with a Evinrude 175 FITCH. Sure would like some feedback as to the preformance after these changes.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

The boat is a 1989 18.2 with a 115hp E-tec and a dolfin. From what you guys are saying, it sounds like it would be a good canditate for it. I have seen pics and they sure look great but, I still would like to here from someone who has enclosed the transome before spending the $5k on modifications.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

BLK Hawk, has it made the ride much better? What kind of motor do you have?

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Send me a PM and I'll send you his e-mail address. Then you can communicate with him directly.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

In my opinion, you shouldn't need that doelfin if that 115 is propped right. With a stern lifting prop, you should be able to plane at about 12 -14 mph; perfect speed when it gets nasty. You'll loose that low planing speed with a bracket. A light motor, 25" transom, a well thought out splash board and TRIM TABS is what the 18 needs. Just my opinion.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Hey Dog, My 1978 18 has an aluminum bracket with a 22 inch set back and a large flotation chamber. The transom is partially enclosed. It has a 150 etec. Bushwacker's analysis is absolutely correct. At the time I put this boat together the choice for a 4 cyl. 2 stroke was limited so I went with etec 150 which is a bit heavy for the 18. If I were to do it over again I would go with a Hermco bracket with the least amount of set back that would allow the engine to tilt so it is out of the water and I would put an etec 130 on it. Having said all of that I do LOVE the boat, the bracket layout, the speed, the rough water ability. I have some pictures but can't seem to find the time to figure out how to post them.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

looking into the future and continuing with the bracket power discussion I have been researching alternatives for power when my Yamaha 130 expires.
The Etec 150 weighs between 418 and 433 lbs.
the Etec 130 weighs between 390 and 405 lbs.
The Optimax 115 and 125 weigh 375 lbs.
The Optimax 135 weighs 431 lbs.
The Yamaha 130 2s weighs 368 lbs.
I have never owned a mercury but it seems that the optimax 1325 might be a suitable modern engine replacement.
Just thinking. Waiting for POUS to give me outboard stimulus.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

A couple of thoughts after having 3 18SFs (1987,1988, and 1989)..........


-Saltydog - The planing characteristics are a bigger concern in dangerous conditions than taking a wave over the stern in your light 1989 with your 115. If you still have the teak splashwell door, that will cover you for waves. In another post a few months ago, you asked about 18's that had the console moved. The Potter 18's have the console set farther back. The 80's 18s had the console moved forward to offset the heavier 18's (80-87).

- I was with Bushwacker at our 2009 Key Largo event when Keyscruz pulled up in his bracketed 18. It looked good as far as the balance at rest.

- I am against moving the intended CG and I have had a bracketed 23 SeaCraft

- Over these 9 years as a member of CSC from the beginning, what has been said is exactly what Denny and 76Red have said about the pluses and minuses

- Plus, with all those member's input, it can be summed up as this: The bigger the bracket tub the better(IE.Hermco Bracket), the shorter the set-back of the bracket, the less the CG is shifted. All 23's and bigger handle a bracket quite well, the 20 Seafari and Sceptre handle a bracket better than a SF or MA because of the weight up front. 18SFs will have the most severe CG changes that need to be offset with batteries, fuel tank, ect. because they are smaller boats. I would take a ride on keyscruz 18 or another one and then decide. You may like the ride! I would never by choice have a different set up on an 18SF than a 358lb motor that gets me to 40 mph and planes at 12 mph, especially for offshore.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

??? That sentence makes sense if you meant to say optimax125! :D

Snookered has had personal experience with 3 different 18's with 3 different motors on them (130 Yam, 150 60 deg OMC V-6, and Zuke 140 4-S), so he knows that boat and it's sensitivities better than any of us! I think he summarized it well.

I would suggest you might want to also consider the 90 hp DI 2S motors as well. That gets the weight down to around 350 lbs, which would be real desirable if you wanted a bracket, and they'd burn even less gas! Most folks don't realize that the VDH hull design is at least 10% more efficient than any other deep V, so you don't need as much power on a SeaCraft as you'd need on any other similar size hull! Fr. Frank is getting great performance out of his 90, and BRP is sandbagging on the E-TEC HP ratings by as much as 10%! The HP curves for both the 150 and 225 E-TEC's have been published in factory literature; the "150" is actually 165 at the prop and the "225" is actually 240, so that 90 hp motor might surprise you! Windrider just put a 90 HP E-TEC on a 20 cc, so we're all waiting to hear how that turned out!

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Sorry for the typo. I meant OptiMax 125. The OptiMax 75-125 all use the same 1.5 L block and are advertised to all weigh the same. Therefore i thought it best to opt for the 125. More power and the motor would not have to work as hard.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

True, but sometimes the higher output models are tuned/optimized for higher rpm to get the extra hp, and may actually have less torque at lower speeds where you need it to get on plane, so the "more is better" thinking isn't necessarily correct. Depends on the application, so need to think about how you really use the boat and not just top speed!

The 90 hp E-TEC is a 3 cyl/1.3L engine (1/2 of my V-6) that weighs 335 lbs w/25" shaft, with 2.25:1 gear reduction, so it can swing a big efficient prop.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Snookered- When you say "The 80's 18s had the console moved forward to offset the heavier 18's (80-87)."

Do you mean the late 80s hulls are hevier to offset the heavier 1980s motors so they moved the consoles forward?

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Let me back up and say that this is my first boat and I have only had it for less than a year, So here comes the rookie questions.

RED76-When you say propped right. You mean a 4 blade prop to get on a plane faster?

Right now the 1989 has a etec115 with only 200 hours on it that weighs 390lb, a dolfin and stainless 3 blade prop. Since its new, I will not be changing the motor. I will have to work with what I have. I do appreciate the suggestions though.

If I understand correctly, your suggestions are to get a 4 blade prop and some trim tabs first to improve the planing speed? If so, is there a particular prop that you would recommend?

Sorry, still in the learning process. Thanks!

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Dog-
The 80-87 boats are not Tracker boats, see below:

(SIC = SeaCraft Industries Corp (1980 thru 1987 other SeaCraft Models) (Potter on Board of Directors approx 1 year after sale)

These boats are known for having more glass and heavier core materials. I can attest to those 18's, which we still own. It will definitely win a fight with a dock any day! :eek:

The 80's 2 stroke motors may be slightly more weight, but that is not the reason for the console move.

This is an assumption for the console move, but it is clear that they were moved forward Post-Potter. There are only 2 reasons to move it-rear deck space and more importantly - shifting the CG forward(if they were building a heavier boat, they needed to improve the CG). When Tracker took over, the glass and the core material changes reduced the weight. 2 things I like on a Tracker is its lighter weight for performance and the huge rear deck because of where the console is located. Next time you get a chance, compare a Potter 20SF's rear deck space to the Tracker 18SF's deck space. You will be surprised.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Dog - Since your boat is an 89, I would hope it has a 25" transom. You really need a 25" shaft motor if you're gonna put it on a bracket. Don't know if it's the geometry of the bracket or the effect of the longer shaft, but when I had a 20" motor hanging on the transom, the power trim had nowhere near the effect on running angle that it does now with the bracket and longer shaft. I now use the tabs primarily for roll control and use the power trim to adjust running angle.

What size prop are you currently running and what is your max rpm/mph and min planing speed with a typical load? Any 4 blade prop will give you more stern lift than what you have now due to the extra blade, but some are made for bass boats with a lot of rake to create bow lift, which is not what you want. Look for one that's advertised for "heavy offshore boats, to help them stay on plane at lower speeds". I believe the BRP Renegade Offshore fits this description. Suggest you register on theE-TEC Owners Forum and post your prop questions there, including type of boat, weight, intended uses, and current prop and max rpm with your typical load. It's a great website supported by a couple of really knowledgeable technicians that can give you some good advice.

I've tried the 4B Michigan Vortex (aluminum) and Apollo and a 15x15 PowerTech with the old SST blade profile. All were a big improvement over the 3B props I tried, but I like the PowerTech the best and it uses the Michigan 2-piece hub system that is more robust than that used on the Merc props. I can plane at 12-13 mph with any of these props.

FYI - here's a link to a post I made a couple years ago on the Pro's & Con's of Outboard Brackets. Pro's & Con's of Outboard Brackets.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Yep, made that way....

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Not necessarily a 4 blade. A lower rake 3 blade with cup on the trailing edge not the tips works well. Old style OMC SST(Hard to find, but what I am using), There is a similar Merc prop and the Yamaha semi- cleaver should work well. Your stock prop is probably the SST II which lifts the bow(cupped tips) 18' SeaCraft CCs don't like those. Trim tabs are great, best $500 I've spent. As for the 4 blade, I'd love to try a Bay Pro III. The IIs are bow lifters.
My old 150 Johnson is 375lbs and thats pushing the limits for rough conditions. Plane @12, cruise 28 @ 3800 - 4000, WAO 42 @ 5500. Those numbers are when I'm fully overloaded, 3500lbs or so :D

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

Can't comment on the ride before because had the work done as soon as i got it for more room.Closed transom in with a 20 gallon livewell armstrong bracket 05 150 mercury loaded for fishing 2 fat ass's in stern can hear water in scuppers but dose not come in.

Re: Ride on 18's with brackets?
 

I feel flattered that you copied my pictures of my 18ft with bracket. The work and bracket was done by Don Herman at Hermco