Installed a M9 (sourced from Andy M. at SIM) on my 2006 Grady-White 228G with a F225. This is a bracketed 22 foot walk around. I exclusively fish in the ocean and typically carry alot of fuel (up to 150 gallons on tuna runs or ~900 lbs.) + alot of ice (up to 200 lbs.) + by T8 kicker (130lbs. including the mount) + sometimes a full live well (20 gallons or say 120 lbs.) + 10 gallons in my water tank + the F225 which is already heavy and, being on a bracket, causes what I call a bit of "stern leverage". Translation: this is a heavy, single engined boat. BTW - has Yamaha Salt Water II series SS prop with 17" pitch.
The boat actually runs fine as is but with all that weight, I found I was using the Bennet tabs at 50% or 75% down which I knew wasn't optimum. Plus the boat was a bit sluggish on plane. So two seasons later and researching hydrofoils, Andy sets me up with a Permatrim M9 for my F225.
Yesterday, after installing the Permatrim exactly as per Andy's tutorial, I did a trial run. Conditions in the ocean were a 5 foot swell at 14 seconds and zero wind. I had full fuel (~150 gallons), the T8 kicker, empty live well, no ice and two on board - so I was "medium heavy".
My observations after yesterday's sea trial:
o As advertised, the boat pops up on a plane much faster
o Can plane slower like at ~22 mph GPS at 3800 RPMs Vs 25mph @ 4000 RPMs
o This brings the GPH down to ~9 Vs. 11 GPH so MPG is up a little (2.44 Vs. 2.3)
o Boat handling is much better since the bow rides lower for better bow entry
o Now I can use the trim tabs to trim the boat left and right Vs. bow up or bow down
o Here's a surprise: no effect on top end speed (~41 mph) and
o The F225 achieves 6K RPM at WOT much, much easier & faster than before
o To me this says the engine isn't working as hard to deliver it's propulsion
o Steering feels "different" but okay and something I can get used to
o My Simrad autopilot seems to behave better with this new steering
So overall - I am very happy with it so far. I was not looking to gain economy (which I might) but rather better sea handling capabilities which it certainly seems to have done for me. Thank-you Andy for your help! Comments added: Additional info. - my MPG seems to have increased from roughly 2.0-2.1 to 2.35 based on a 40 mile run in an 11 foot swell with zero wind.
Back in Feb of 2007 I bought a "Permatrim" from Shipyard Island Marina, Inc. for my 19ft 2004 C-Dory Angler; equipped with a Honda BF90. I spent hours researching a solution on this web-site and others, on how to correct some handling (porposing) problems I was having. Please keep in mind, I knew when I bought this boat, it was not-nor-never was designed to be a "speed-boat" by far, but I ave had allot of boating experience in my years, and I knew it could operate safely at a much high speed then C-Dory claimed it would.
-As I promised, I would give all you some feedback on the results after installing this product to inform you if it helped correct the situation I was experiencing.
-My feedback to you is as follows; The Permatrim product I installed on my boat, not only corrected the awkward rear slide action in less than ideal water situations, it has changed the handle on the vessel completely. I could swear I would never have known it was the same boat. I still do not fully understand how something so simple in design and size could make such a huge difference. I have been a boat owner/operator for 25 plus years, have owned several different boat types, never have I made such a simple upgrade that would make such a huge difference. The installation instructions provided (.pdf format) by Shipyard Island Marina, Inc. were spot-on, easy to read and easy to do. Total install time was about 15 minutes. A special Thank you to Mr. Andrew J. Munao, Jr. (Shipyard Island Marina, Inc.) for his help and advice on the entire subject.
-The boat now handles like it is supposed to, it planes quickly and responds to steering like a sports car. I even got into some very nasty water conditions (4-5 ft swells, cross wind and confused current), these conditions occur at times in Prince William Sound Alaska around heavy island structure. In the past, before the Permatrim, I would have to slow roll the boat down to about 10 kts, and lumber through it for safety and comfort. With the Permatrim installed, the boat tracked true and safe, and I was able to operate at a safe speed of 20-22 kts.
-One other note to pass along, the boat came equipped with two Bennet Hyd Trim Tabs, before the Permatrim was installed, I had to keep them in the FULL down position at all times, now I can run them in a neutral position and use them for their intended purpose.
-It is worth twice the price I paid. Please use this testament to any other C-Dory customers, that this product will improve their boat handling, even if they don't have a real problem to speak of.
- One Last note: prior to the Permatrim I ran a 3-Blade; 15 pitch prop, I kept a 3-Blade 17 pitch prop as a spare. The Permatrim's new balance allowed almost a 300 RPM gain on the top end with the 15 pitch prop. I swapped over to a 4-blade; 15 pitch prop and now I tach-out 5900/6100 RPM (WOT) which gave me a 7 knot gain on the top end (that’s a BIG gain in this little boat). Last weekend I bought a 17 pitch-4 Blade prop to tone it down a bit, I can't wait to try it out. I am overly pleased with this product. If you have any other questions about this product I can try to answer, please contact me. www.arcticfusion.com
Andrew,
Once again thanks for being so helpful during my purchase of the Permatrim.... ( mailing two, so I could decide)...As I mentioned to you before, I had another stabilizer in place, but preferred to have the Permatrim....So, I was working with 4 holes that were already there...Hence, my hole pattern is a little out of line...
Install was easy, not to mention the permatrim looks a lot better, it also performs better...I was looking for a little more stern lift, and it has helped in that area...I also can run with the jack plate at a little higher setting...The first day out I noticed all the difference's right away, my engine even sounded a little quieter for some reason....
I had to ask my fishing partner if he noticed that, because I thought it was just me...Anyway thanks for all your help... Doug
July 21, 2010
Andy, I got it out on the water today. Much improvement. The product worked as advertised. Out of the Hole in about 1/4 of the time it took before. Actually, it couldnt even get out alone before; we had to lean out over the front to get on plane. Now we sit back, and the Permatrim takes us out on its own. No top Speed loss. GPS shows same top now as it did before Permatrim. Thanks for all the help Andy.
P.S. One of the Nuts in the kit was not threaded. Never seen one of those before. I guess it missed that part of the assembly line. No Biggie, New one was 17 Cents at the hardware store down the street.
Thanks again for all the help.
P.P.S. This went on a 1995 Addictor Bambino 333 with a tohatsu 40C. Just for your reference.
awesome product---90 plus percent of cavitation gone---lot of weight at my stern with 2 motors ,2 batterys, plus a 40 gallon fuel tank---at 30 to 35 miles an hour, boat planes well, will reach speeds of 50 at 6000 rpms---boat is smokercraft 19 footer and now does what i want it to---thanks again--denny from arabella golf (7/21/2010)
 July 31, 2010 Thanks Andy. The Permatrim is like a miracle! I have an antique ('64) 13' Jon Dory. It is very light, approx. 325 lbs. Maybe 700 lbs. with me, engine, fuel & gear. Most of this is in the rear because it is a tiller steer. I have a 15hp Mercury, which is the max. for the boat & what the previous owner had on it. My first trip out was ridiculous, the bow was up on a 45 degree angle & I couldn't see diddly. I had to go 7-8 mph just to keep the bow down. Not really using the boat or motor for it's potential. Friends told me to put sand bags in the front or take somebody out with you. The sandbag idea I just did not like & once I got the boat right, I was looking forward to bringing friends & relatives with me but not until it was right. I did my research & ruled out the wing type plastic hydrofoils. They didn't seem to have enough area above the propeller & that is where the lift comes from. I liked the fact that the Permatrim was made from aluminum & it looked like the hydraulic trim tabs I had on other boats, only this was one tab & on the engine!! My first time out with the Permatrim installed was fabulous!!! You can probably still hear my shouts of joy orbitting the Earth!!! Not only does it plane off at a slow speed but the bow never gets higher than a 25-30 degree angle & then comes down as I hit speed. The boat is also more stable on turns & going straight, no wobbling. This characteristic I believe is the fact that the Permatrim has vertical walls on the edges. I am a very happy customer & the Permatrim does exactly what it claims, worth every penny!!! I highly recommend it!! Bill C.
November 26, 2010 Andy,
A few months ago, I bought a 19ft Carolina Skiff V-Series center-console boat with a 90 hp 2-stroke Yamahe (TLRX). The first time I ran the boat, I realized I had serious trim problems. I couldn't run more than about 27mph without extreme porpoising, even when trimming the engine all the way down into full "negative" trim position. Porpoising was so bad that after about three bounces, the bow was slamming down so hard that I had to reduce power immediately. Even with the boat loaded and passengers up front, it would still porpoise at less than full throttle. I researched porpoising and trim tabs on the internet. It appeared that I was probably overpowered for the weight and design of my boat (hull weight is only about 800 pounds and it’s pretty much a flat-bottom boat except for the bow). I spent a lot of time reading blogs and testimonials concerning transom trim tabs, whale fluke-looking lower unit tabs, and Permatrim. I wasn’t impressed by the information I found about transom trim tabs and I think the whale fluke type foils are ugly. But, I liked the appearance of the Permatrim foil and I was very impressed with the testimonials. So I decided to try the Permatrim foil.
I purchased the 001 grey Permatrim for my 90 hp 2-stroke Yamaha. The Permatrim installation was easy and resulted in tremendous improvement. With the engine in "level" trim, the boat does not tend to porpoise at all, and I can run full throttle without porpoising (in my case, about 37mph, or about 10 faster without porpoising). Handling is improved and steering authority is much better, especially at no-wake speed. And, it gets up on plane immediately upon adding power.
I am very happy with the Permatrim. It solved my problem, installation was easy, the color matched my original paint, and the appearance is very neat, especially when compared to "whale-tail" type foils. I would strongly recommend Permatrim for anyone who has trim or porpoising problems, or just wants better stability and more positive steering control. It’s a great product, easy to install, looks good, and the cost is very reasonable.
John D. B
June 5, 2011
andy, just a follow up to let you
know how the Permatrim I purchased back in Jan for my 19' Sea Swirl Striper
with a Honda 130 hp performed...I just got around to testing it and it worked
out perfectly! i did remove the Honda kicker motor (for fishing) to do away
with added weight and with the Permatrim installed the RPM's went up to
6000-6100 WOT and the boat planes right out of the hole in about 50' !! It
looks like a factory Honda part on the motor and was fairly easy to install
with detailed instructions..very satisfied customer and appreciated the advice.
Thanks,
Bob johnson
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