One of the projects for the off-season will be exploring ways to get the nose of the boat down more when underway. One approach will be to investigate ways to get the boat up on plane a little faster; I’m currently reading the pros and cons of adding a hydrofoil to the outboard.

Another approach will be to investigate weight reduction or redistribution. Weight, especially in the rear of the boat, has been causing me problems two ways: the first is the high bow when underway and not on plane; the second is that when sitting in the slip the rear of the boat rides about an inch lower than the bottom paint covers, allowing a ring of marine growth around the stern. It didn’t do this when I fist got the boat but the new engine, with its extra cylinder and tilt/trim unit increased the engine weight by 70 pounds over the old one.

I could, of course, bring the bottom paint up another inch. Another idea I read today came from a Wahoo! owner who brought the battery forward from its traditional (on a Wahoo! 16) location in one of the stern compartments to inside the console. That would move about 30 to 35 pounds forward. Of course, it might also require a pretty fair amount of rewiring. Or maybe not. Something to ponder on a long, snowy night.