By: Mark Romanack
When a boat sits level in the water it’s because the weight distribution is perfectly balanced. The problem is if an odd number of passengers are on the boat, a pronounced list is going to result. When the hull lists to one side or the other, the ride is awkward, rougher and often leads to spray in the cockpit. The solution to this problem is mounting Zipwake Interceptors on aluminum hulls like this STX 2050 or Straight Interceptors on most fiberglass fishing hulls.
When you spend a lot of time on the water, sooner or later you recognize the need to control the boat’s pitch and roll. This comes into play a number of ways. If the weight distribution in the boat is heavier on one side than the other, the boat is naturally going to list to the heavy side. This commonly occurs when the boat has an odd number of passengers on board or when heavy gear in the boat is not distributed properly.
Another common issue occurs when running in a quartering sea. In this case, the boat will also have a tenancy to list to one side or the other, creating an awkward, rough ride and unwanted spray in the boat. Trimming the outboard can reduce this list, but it can’t completely level the boat in most instances.
The traditional solution to this pitch and roll problem are expensive, difficult to mount and hard to maintain electric or hydraulic trim tabs. At Fishing 411 we have discovered a better way to improve boat performance in challenging conditions.
The Zipwake E-Series Chine Interceptors mount to the port and starboard chine of the boat. This is an especially useful function because the chine area of most boats is free from accessories such as sonar transducers, swim ladders or kicker motors. Aluminum hulls typically feature a reverse chine style hull that are ideally suited to mounting these chine interceptors.
For the past two years our Fishing 411 TV filming boats have been equipped with Zipwake Chine Interceptors. Once you have driven a boat equipped with these accessories, there is no going back. The ability to control pitch and roll makes any boat a better performing, smoother riding and drier riding boat.
Unlike traditional trim tabs that feature a plate which is tilted below the hull or above the hull to control bow lift and pitch, the E-Series Chine Interceptors index vertically. A waterproof and water cooled DC servo motor lowers and raises the interceptor plates independently, giving the captain complete control over the boat’s pitch and roll.
The Zipwake Chine Interceptor can be set to Automatic mode which allows the captain to concentrate on driving and let the interceptor plates make the necessary changes to keep the boat running level. The other option is to manually adjust the interceptors using a conveniently located dial. If the boat is listing to the left, simply turning the dial to the right will level the boat. If the boat is listing to the right, turning the dial to the left will quickly level the boat.
The Chine Interceptors are the answer for controlling the pitch and roll of most aluminum hulls. If your boat is a fiberglass model, Zipwake produces a host of Straight Interceptors ideally suited for most fiberglass fishing hulls.
All the Zipwake Interceptors are easy to mount, maintenance free and durable enough to stand the test of time. Once you’ve driven a boat equipped with Zipwake Interceptors, there is no going back. The ability to control pitch and roll makes for a vastly improved and drier ride no matter what brand or style of boat you own.
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