Hey ya'll I just bought my first bass boat. Regarding the topic of "trim", when you trim your motor up, do you hear a sort of gurgling sound. I don't know wether i'm trimming the motor up to much but I don't think thats the case, maybe i'm wrong. Also, any tips or things you've learned over the years about this topic, I would appreciate hearing.

When you first take off you want your motor trimmed down all the way. When you get you boat on plane then you want to trim the motor up.

If you have a merc they are famous for having lousy trim systems. If you see any oil film on the water while you are fishing its most likely from the trim seals leaking and the gurgling sound you are hearing is from air getting into the system. Pull the plug and check to be sure its full, if its not its leaking. Remember when you fill it that the motor has to be trimmed all the way up, sounds weird I know but thats how it works.

The motor is an 85 horse merc, its an older 1988 model but it runs like a charm. That thing is quicker than any motor i've ever run, and I put my motors to the test everytime on the water.  Which plug are you referring too?

If you are referring the noise while on plane, you are over-trimming.  Watch your RPM gauge and this would give you the best trim compared with WOT.

I thought I had posted a response to this some time back but I must not have pushed the right buttons.

Absolutlely correct that you need the motor tucked all the way under when you start out of the hole. If you don't the bow can come way up, block your view and you will be a long time getting on plane. I nearly hit a navigation telephone pole in Eufaula when I didn't realize I had the motor trimmed out. I realized what was happening just in time.

Fine tuning your trim can depend on your boat and load. I have a 1990 glass 18'10" boat with a 1990 Merc 150. I tuck the motor under and give it full power. As the boat comes on plane I back the throttle off a bit as I trim out the motor.

I probably plane out between around 2500 rpms, maybe  3000 I just don't recall. as I trim out I usually get the sweet sound at about 4000 with very little increase in throttle. Play with it a bit and you will see what I mean.

What I am looking for is no feedback to the steering wheel and a noise change that a mechanic I was talking to described as sweet. Sweet is as good a description as any when this happens there is literally no torque an the wheel and the boat runs down the lake as good or better than you car goes down the highway.

When you get the sweet sound you can increase or decrease your speed with little or no trim adjustment. If you start to porpoise you need more throttle or less trim.

Many, maybe most trim out to far. I trim for speed and efficiency not for the size of the rooster tail.

With a real heavy load which happened when I was going into a remote camp with another guy and food, clothes and equipment for two weeks I just couldn't get the sweet sound and could not eliminate all of the steer torque.

NBR,

I really like your description of "sweet". I am new to power trim. My last bass boat was over 20 years ago and was a stick steer 14' with an old beat up 50 rude on it. Total piece of junk, but it got me to the fish.

I just got an NX750 and had to learn how to trim and drive this boat. I stumbled across the same solution just by trying to learn. I found just where the steering was right and the engine sounded "sweet". You gave a perfect description of the process.

Hans