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Boating Safety
When loading your boat, give attention to the effect that the load
distribution has on the boat’s trim angle. Trim angle is the technical
term for the up or down pitch angle of your boat (also known as the
“bow up” or “bow down” angle). The fore and aft load distribution
of weight, passenger, and gear can affect the running trim angle of
the boat.
• Excessive weight placed in the stern of the boat can cause
the inability to get on plane, high bow up angles, and can
lead to steering difficulties. High bow up angles can be
dangerous due to the reduction in the operator’s forward
visibility which can lead to collisions and groundings. High
bow up angles cause longer transition times from
displacement mode (slow velocity, 0 to 5 mph) to planing
speeds (18 to 20 mph and above). During transition, it is
important that the boat operator pays attention so that they
are able to see forward and that the time in transition (or in
the “hump” speed region) is minimized.
• Excessive weight placed in the bow of the boat can lead to
very flat planing trim angles which may lead the boat to turn
aggressively, unpredictably, and without steer input. The
phenomenon of yaw instability is caused by heavy bow
weights and running very flat (bow down or flat trim angles).
This can occur with excessive weight in the bow compared to
weight in the stern of the boat. Another ill effect of too
much bow weight in comparison to stern weight is that with
extremely heavy bow loads, the boat’s bow may dive or
submerge when coming off plane (decelerating rapidly, or
encountering waves/wakes at slow speed). If the bow
submerges, then water will enter and flood your boat.
- When encountering conditions which may lead to bow
diving or bow submergence, it is recommended to
accelerate the boat before the wave/wake in order to help
raise the bow and get over the wave/wake.
- If the bow submerges, the recommended action is to
reduce throttle to stop forward speed, get passengers to
move aft, and turn on the bilge pump.
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