More pics

[natecert]

Now I get it. I have taken several pictures of the hull from bow entry to stern view at the water line. Kept trying to picture the water flow and hull moving at planing speed. Too bad I could not have ran the hull as produced by the factory and then after the mods I plan on.

Over the years I have taken a lot of pics of the current sled at various RPM and speed. The surprising thing I learned last weekend was a run to Cabbage Key down the coast and back was the hull did not notice it was 400 lbs. lighter. Also the spray line remained the same. At WOT it was more squirrly.

Just checked the pics I took on the ride to Cabbage Key and the spray line was 7 foot from the transom on the 21.8 hull viewed from the helm. Normal load it is about 7.5-8 foot. My best guess is the boat fully loaded is about 4500-5000 lb.

On the other hand I have loaded it for bear, meaning easy 600 lbs more on the deck and the RPM vs speed was about he same. Also the MPG only dropped by .1 MPG.

Have kept a log of MPG each trip for over 20 yrs. When it was over proped with a worn 19 pitch the MPG was a constant 2.2 MPG. Now with a 17 pitch with some added cup the MPG is a solid 2.4-2.5 heavy and 2.5-2.6 normal load.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, how heavy can the 23 hull handle vs performance fuel consumption? I'ts not he cost of fuel but total range. Would like it to be around 400 miles. With twins and full gear for over night trips. My guess is total weight with full fuel (180) and heavy load to be 6750. So any thoughts? Do I need to look at a lighter approach?