Wanted: 16 Owners Who Have Extended The Strakes!

[Greg Guimond]

Looking for current or past 16 Classic owners that extended the 16 factory hull strakes, either partially or right back to the transom. Anyone try it?

[gcarter]

It's been demonstrated that full length inner strakes detract from good handling due to too much stern lift.
Take a look at any deep vee boat built in the last 20 years, and I suspect you won't find any w/full length inner strakes.

[Greg Guimond]

Using the search function, there was certainly a lot of discussion over the years by various board members about the "possible" effects. It looked like some may have done it. I was wondering if anyone ever partially or fully extended the inner strakes on a 16 Classic. It seemed that partial extension from the factory length was the favored approach but any feedback would be appreciated :wink:

[gcarter]

What do you have in mind?
What are your goals?

[Greg Guimond]

Flat attack angle George

[gcarter]

I have virtually no personal experience in 16's or 18's, so I pay a lot of attention to folks that have had good success in them.
Rootsy wrote a good lengthy explanation why 18's perform better w/cutaway inner strakes, I searched for it, but it seems he has deleted it.

Here's some thoughts about 16's from Rootsy:

"the CG is too far aft... if you have it full of fuel it runs much better than if it is empty... even with a significantly lightened engine. when you get low on fuel it really will launch itself quite vertically in rough water... such as 2 - 3 footers on st. clair...

lack of inner strake. which i feel causes it to really be wishy washy at high speed... induces chinewalk when overpowered and overtrimmed.. and also helps add to the light bow situation. i understand this was all done in the 60's to begin with when there were untrimmable drives and low output powerplants and such, good valid reasons for what was done, but that was then... this is now... with todays drive and powerplant engineering i think you could really add strake back to it similar to the 18 and get much better performance and ride... especially with trimmable drives and propeller technology of today.

the hook really isn't an issue at cruise and higher speed operation... it really isn't in the water... you are riding on the outer strake inward if you look at some photos and such... at high speed my 16 literally riding on very little hull... actually you could really get rid of the hook and just alleviate one more feature out of the mold...

V8 engine clearance... front of the motor is just sooo friggin tight to the rear seat...

fuel tank location... i think it could really benefit from moving foward a couple of feet...

again JMHO..."

Notice Rootsy thinks 16's would benifit from full length strakes, but that the root of the problem is the bow is too light.
Now, if you check back w/Parnells video from the Keys, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the way that boat performs.
Parnell gives all the credit to the very long, very large fuel tank.
If it were me, I'd play w/weight in the bow.
It's so much easier to place some sand bags in the bow than rebuilding the bottom....

[Greg Guimond]

Thanks for the post George. I have a PM into Rootsy to see if he ever experimented with lengthening the inner strakes on his 16. As to the sandbags, well you read my mind, take a look at the last post in "Building Surface Tension". As you can see in the post, the hull is easily worked on. Thanks again :)

[Greg Guimond]

Btw, this space between Bulkhead # 1 and # 2 is the "sandbag box" for experimenting :wink:

[Ed Donnelly]

I extended the stakes all the way back on my 16' , but, I also had a pad and a step.. I was running a Speedmaster lower unit..and big horsepower..

It never was what one would call a safe boat...............Ed

[Greg Guimond]

Ed and George, take a stroll over to Surface Tension build thread, I think you'll both want to see the Parnell info :shocking:

[mattyboy]

you'll find not too many rounded keel full length inner straked deep vees around, most full length inner straked boats were true deep vees sharped keeled.

the one rounded bottom boat with full length inner strakes was one of the 4-winns U17 i think might have been the U19 it was one chinewalkin SOB made the test driver pucker.

[gcarter]

I thik I agree w/Matty on this.