Outrigger AoA setup the easy way

Attack Angles

(How to set outrigger angles)

If you are willing to invest some time AND a little EXTRA money, you can have an outrigger hydro that will perform!

I will show you a way to set up your hydro using a digital angle finder which can be purchased at most "Mega Hardware" stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc). This angle finder is an insert for a digital level. Some have a self contained 9 volt battery and some have a wire attached 9 volt battery. The cost is somewhere between $75 and $100. This should be a one time purchase, because it is a tool that you will use for MANY jobs. Here is a digital photo of my digital level. Notice the flat piece of aluminum super glued to the bottom. This gives it a very flat surface and makes it a little heavy to allow it to stay where you put it. This one has a LOT of miles on it and has been a super tool.

In order to set up your angles(front sponsons, rear sponsons, and strut) it is first necessary to place your boat upside down on a very stationary support.

1. Place the angle finder on the flat portion of the bottom of the center section and set the angle finder to "0" (check out your manual to do this).

2. Place the angle finder on the front sponsons (rearmost couple of inches). Adjust the sponsons to have an attack angle of between 2.8 and 3.0 degrees. I use 2.8 in order to create excellent stability. The 3.0 degree setting will be a few MPH faster, but a little less stable.

3. Place the angle finder on the rear sponsons (rearmost couple of inches). Adjust the sponsons to have an attack angle of between 1.0 and 2.0 degrees. I use 2.0 on my .21 hydro and 1.0 on my .67 hydro. The .45 hydro should be about 1.6. The larger the boat and engine size, the shallower the rears can be. The should be as high as possible WITHOUT generating hop on the SAW. You will have to look very closely to see the "high frequency hop" if they are too high.

Note:

The relationship of the front/rear sponsons, should be that the rear sponsons are 1/8" shallower than the fronts(with the flat area (bottom) of the center section parallel with the set-up table)

4. The strut should have a "positive" angle (rear of strut down) of between 1 degree and 0 degrees. I use .8 degrees for my .21 hydro and no angle for my .67 hydro. The .45 hydro should be set at .4 degrees.

If you set ALL your angles like this, you will have a well set-up hydro that will race well in all type water conditions.

NOTE

The same method could be applied to check Trim Tabs and Strut or Stinger angle on Monos ;)