268 Islander... Wet, Rough ride?

[plandep]

I have a 1995 268 Islander w/ T175s and for the family / fish combo use it has the perfect layout for me. However, I have noticed that anything above a 1.5 foot sea, everyone gets wet and the ride is rough as hell. It doesn't matter if it is at 20 kts (min plane speed) or 30+ kts and it is not really weight dependent.

I have gone to much more aggressive use of the trim tabs which has helped some, but even at max tab the ride is not fun or dry. I have experimented unsuccessfully with various engine trim settings. I have let other people drive the boat to see if it was my technique and they haven't any better luck.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[BobP]

Where is Brian?

 

[gradyfish22]

From my experience, the islander with its narrower beam was just an ok riding boat, does seem like your having more trouble then you should be though. It should handle the seas better then you seem to be experiencing, something does sound out of character from how you describe the ride. The boat should ride better as you add weight, if your not experiencing that something is out of the norm with your boat, your boat holds a good amount of fuel, and that in itself will make the ride more solid.

Are you trimming down for head seas, and up for following, and slightly favoring bow down on a quartering sea to get the bow angled slightly into the waves so the hull slices them instead of pounds over them? If your doing all of that then your not doing anything wrong as far as running the boat with trim angles and such. Are you dealing with a tight chop or a more spread out one, many boats who run through a tight chop will get a little chatter as they go through the waves, but the ride should stay somewhat smooth.

Do you have any custom features on the boat that makes it different from the rest? Do you have a substantial amount of anchor chain or rode? Do you have a lot of gear or very little stored onboard? All of this could effect the ride to some extent.

As far as wet, as much as I love my Grady, the narrower beam models always tended to get some spray in the rioght wind conditions, but you would be surprised how many boats out there are just as bad...or even worse when it comes to spray.

 

[Gmanoffshore]

I use mine all the time with regular runs 70 miles to the Stream out of Ocean Isle and have no such problems. The high free board and narrow beam require some finesse but it is a hell of a lot drier than a friends 32 CC that shall remain unnamed.

If I am running 27 knts. into a 2 to 4 quartering head sea I get water on the curtains but unless you are in something 36+ I think most rigs will do the same thing.

 

[Gmanoffshore]

I just noticed your boat was a 1995 and does not have the extended running surface that was changed in 2000 I think. This does make a difference and makes the boat act longer but I can't see it being that much of a difference.

 

[HDGWJOE]

I had a '95 Islander with a single 250 motor and found it to be a great hull... would slice comfortably through 5-6' head seas once I had it dialed in. I actually liked it better than the 282 Sailfish I had. You may have something else going on there.... I assume you are not the original owner... you may want to check around and see if your boat has been modified in any way below/above deck that could change handling characteristics. Sure doesn't sound right that 1.5' conditions would do that to you.

 

[Hookup1]

Islander

Where are you boating? Is that foot and a half of wind wave or swell?

I have noticed that my Islander doesn't like the swell. If I'm sunning across the mouth of the Delaware Bay and there is a Southerly swell the boat tends to launch a bit. If there is wind it will make for a wet ride.

I have F150's and have a similar speed issue. The boat won't plane until around 18 knots. Sometimes that is too fast for running into the swell. If its chop it should run right thru it. Slow it down to improve the ride and it 10-12 knots.

Mine is sensitive to weight. The narrower beam and fine entry of the Islander make it a good head sea boat. But the bow is so light it respond to fast to the swell.

Too much fuel and too many people in the back pushes up the planing speed. Try to get weight to the helm area or forward. Try running it with two people and less fuel. Make sure the engines trim all the way down.

 

[BobP]

Got to be vertical (perhaps curling) wind waves to take a beating at planning speeds, and he will.

If it's windy out, expect to use the wippers, expecially if going slower off plane. Even when I'm on plane, high winds will blow it over into my cockpit, good thing for canvas!

 

[Grog]

If the canvis is up you should stay dry but with the the right wave even 1.5's let you know they're there. If the wave doesn't have a back, you're basically going over 1.5' ledges over and over again.

 

[ocnslr]

Where is Brian?

We only use "C-Time" when it's flat calm out... :roll:

Yes, wet if there is a wind to blow the spray back on to the boat.

Wet even if no wind and headed directly into a slop, as the boat motion will bring the spray on board.

Ride does get rough when the seas get up, but not at 1.5-feet...

Adjust speed, adjust engine trim, adjust trim tabs.

We also run PowerTech props and can hold plane at much lower speed than with the original Black SS props on the F150.

Final comment - the Islander with a single engine (we had 250Hp OX66 for 465 hrs) and the Islander with twins ARE TWO DIFFERENT BOATS.

Brian

 

[Kenlahr]

We have got use to a wet Grady ride. When we are 60 to 80 miles out, unless it is really snotty, we are running at 26 to 28 and getting wet. Yhats just the way it is. I could slow to 15 to 18 and keep everyone dry, but the five hour ride back to the dock would make it a LONG day considering we have another 3 hour tow home. Been there done that, but only when we have too.

Although, I am pritty sure we have never been wet in 1.5 footers....

 

[1st grady]

I have the 95 268 and found that if you keep the main tank full (dual tanks) , the ride seems better. I don't think you need full tabs and watch your speed. In 3-4s, we cruise at about 24 MPH. In the swell, you do need to be a throttle jockey. As far as being wet, it seems no worse than other boats of this size. I can say that we have taken some spray on occasion, but not enough to get anyone wet. Try it on the slow side and speed up untill it becomes uncomfortable, then back off the throttle a little. This is the third season with mine and I am still learning.