...you really do need to take a spin in one to experience the difference....roud:. I did meet with with Glen yesterday in Seattle at factory. I am having some custom things done to it. Now I cannot wait for fall fishing in my new Wooldridge..
the sleeve with the SS liner had a diameter that was a touch larger than the stock sleeve....we tested the high skew with the stock sleeve....
in short, no....but our highly tuned
I agree...I have the stock one installed right now and the rebuilt impeller/SS liner on the shelf for when the stock one gets a little worn out....if the high skew was cheaper I'd put one in just for the fact that sticks do not get caught in it as easily as the stock one.....which reminds me, I need to return the high skew to the folks I borrowed it from :shot:......
Claimed weight and actual weight are two very different things.
Someone in my office gave me a Wooldridge flyer today that contained most of the same information as your post tjm (#326), so I decided to revisit this thread after a lengthy discussion with a co-worker on boat comparisons - is the offer still available to go on a ride if and whenever possible? I'm seriously interested in your set-up (especially in a wider boat) and may upgrade next year. I've read most of this thread (commenting a few times) and have only a few questions left I'd like to get your opinion on; hope they weren't already discussed..
1) Weight/Getting Stuck.
If I recall and understand correct, your boat's current weight is 2020 lbs empty which is much heavier than a 20' Alaskan XL (1350), a Phantom/SJX (1600) and a Predator (1400); how do you explain your's is easier to get unstuck? Granted a 20' Alaskan XL has a 76" bottom and a 98 1/2" beam which gives more displacement of water than the above named boats that average a 72" bottom and 91-94" beam. Still.. I would assume the extra weight would still give you issues once stuck.
I have been amazed at how easily my XL with 175 E-Tec is able to get unstuck when compared to my previous 17.5' AK - it really does float like a dry cork; I attribute this to the much wider hull. Last moose season was heading down river just after dark and got hung up on a bar - was using a fuel drum someone had placed out on a sandbar as reference on which side to take - and I chose the wrong side - BETWEEN the drum and the near bank - $$#$@%#$#$@! Boat was sittlng in a very shallow trickle with hardly any water flow; the minute I hopped out the boat bobbed up a bit and you could rock it side to side just a touch. Less than 5 minutes of rocking L/R and 2 big pushes from the transom and BAM back in the channel. I was completely floored - the old AK would have taken a significant amount of time. Needless to say we idled the last 2 miles back down to the cabin
Speaking of weight, where the heck is the extra weight coming from with your 20' Alaskan? I know you upgraded the bottom of the boat, but, to me anyway, it seems that the boat's still a couple hundred pounds heavy. Where's the extra weight at?
2) Skinny Water.
No doubt you can run in skinny water without a tunnel (especially with your expeierence in a SJ) - but what happens after you stop and bank the boat? How much water do you need to get on step again since you don't have a tunnel? How long is your hole shot or does it take for you to get on step? What about when you have a load on board? To me there is a difference between running over shallow water areas and hunting in the shallows where you frequently land the boat and have limited spots to get back on step (if any at all). Have you done any tests in this regard? Personally, I'm still not certain which is better.. a tunnel where you can't turn as sharp and may cavitate, or no-tunnel where you can turn shaper but cant go as shallow as you otherwise could.
I disagree with your assessment of what the tunnel does and doesn't do in terms of impact to performance - I believe a tunnel makes for sharper turning and holding the line as it acts as a "water keel" to keep the rear end from breaking loose - if your impeller is properly tuned/sharpened/shimmed it'll dang near throw you out of the boat on a hard corner. Keep in mind, however, my experience is with OB not IB, so not sure if your statement would hold with an IB configuration. The benefit of shallower running and bumping over debris is a definite plus for the tunnel set up.
3) Weeds/Grass.
Any idea how your boat will run in the weeds or grass lands? I know that Phantom has a new Invasive weed system and am curious how Wooldridge's set-up does in comparison. For some this may not matter but for myself, well, it's a factor to consider.
