Comments on: A friend told me that we need to get a ?? whale finn ?? for our boat to make it go faster? Serious Answers?

By: Luna

Luna — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:59:59 +0000

the product is called a Doel Fin. I suggest that you do NOT use this product. It creates a lot of drag, and actually slows your boat down noticeably. It slowed down mine anyway, a 17' runabout with 115 hp johnson V4. I suggest you avoid all lower unit bolt ons like this, the advantages of these products are dubious at best.
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I used one on my boat for 3 years. when i removed it from my boat my boat went faster and handled much better.

By: LERROYY

LERROYY — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:12:59 +0000

time to upgrade your motor get a 90 or a 115 hrs power and be happy or maybe you mite want to get a new boat with an I/O
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By: stewpid

stewpid — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:37:59 +0000

no speed increase. your boat is way underpowered. consider a 90, new or used.
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By: DDrew

DDrew — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:23:59 +0000

They have many different names (whales tail, etc) but everyone is correct, they will not make your boat go faster, but simply make it plane quicker and easier. If you have a bunch of people on the boat this will help it get to speed quicker. I have never seen any adverse effects of installing one, and you don't have to worry about voiding a warranty since the boat is a 1990 - there is no factory warranty
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By: mark t

mark t — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:54:59 +0000

I forget the exact spelling of the product, its dolphin or doelfin or something. Its like a whale tail that bolts to your lower unit. We tried them on small boats when I worked for the Gov. and they did nothing measurable. Save your money on that. You could reduce the pitch slightly on your propeller and gain some power while sacrificing top speed.
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By: John W

John W — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:29:59 +0000

A whales fin or whales tail does not make a boat go faster. It is a hard plastic or metal fin that attaches to the motor above the prop. It helps prevent the boats bow from rising excessively during take off. When the boats bow rises on take off the engine is pushing at an angle and some of the force is being directed up instead of forward so you lose power. The whales tail is cheap and helps prevent this but will not make it go faster….just get up to speed faster.
It's not perfect but it will help a little.

The other options you have for better performance are variable pitch props which are expensive and a more powerful motor which is also expensive.
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By: yankee_sailor

yankee_sailor — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:56:59 +0000

it's called a "dolphin"; two plates that bolt to the lower unit of the outboard above the prop ( look kinda like two short wings) and help the boat plane ( get up out of the water and scoot) sooner…..

many outboard manufactures void your warranty if you put one on, so talk to your local dealer…….
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