I just started getting comfortable enough to start going fast enough to get up on plane with my bass boat. When I was shutting the throttle back down toward neutral to decelerate though, the boat comes off plane, the bow sticks up and I get a pretty good wall of water coming in (enough to get the carpet wet in the back of the stern and a little water in the bilge). How do I properly decelerate to avoid or minimize this? Someone told me to decelerate gradually and that should help.

I just slow down gradually. If you come to a sudden stop the back of the boat will drop down quickly and the drag with slow the boat while the water you were moving continues forward and comes over the back of the boat. 

When you come off plane and the wave is coming just accelerate a little bit.  Youll catch the wave and surge forward but wont get wet.

You just about can't come off plane slow enough to stop the backwash.  As mentioned, as the boat is settling, just before the backwash hits, give it a little gas to move the boat forward several more feet.  Pretty soon you will get the timing down to where it's almost automatic.  Even after pulling the throttle back all the way from a high speed run, it will not wash over once you learn to make that little bump on the throttle just ahead of the backwash.

 

The other option is to buy a boat that does not do it, but you are getting into a pretty large boat.  My 285 Pro will soak you if you drop it off plane and don't give it some gas, but my Javelin R20 never gets water over the splash well when I chop the throttle on it.

Some of this is load and weight dependent...  I used to only put 5-6 gallons of fuel in for a weekend (smaller lake) and I could pull it back to neutral from 60 mph and not get a drop in the boat... add 30 gallons of fuel and full livewells- a little water comes over if you don't give it that little bump of throttle as you drop out of plane.

 

You can feel it, just pay attention to the moment your nose starts to drop back down... in a few trips you'll probably not think of it again... until some new guy asks you the very same question. 

Thanks guys. I've also heard of back splash guards installed on some bass boats. Are they worth it?

No, those are for back trolling. Just learn how to modulate the throttle at he right time. Just takes a gentle blip. 

I don't usually see splash guards on a bass boat stern.  I have seen them on a Lund Pro V Bass but it sits a little higher off the water than a normal bass boat too.

Figured it out and have it pretty much mastered now. Only a bit of splash into the splash well now. Thanks guys for the help.

On 4/17/2017 at 9:17 AM, flechero said:

Some of this is load and weight dependent...  I used to only put 5-6 gallons of fuel in for a weekend (smaller lake) and I could pull it back to neutral from 60 mph and not get a drop in the boat... add 30 gallons of fuel and full livewells- a little water comes over if you don't give it that little bump of throttle as you drop out of plane.

 

You can feel it, just pay attention to the moment your nose starts to drop back down... in a few trips you'll probably not think of it again... until some new guy asks you the very same question. 

 

X2  Weight distribution is important.  Weight aft will usually give you a faster top end, but the compromise is that it does not get on plane as fast, and it can create the backwash problem.

 

You can also try tilting the motor down before you throttle down.  It may also give you more lift when you bump the throttle just before the backwash reaches the stern.

My Skeeter had that problem more than any other bass boat I owned. Slowing down while making a slow easy turn scrubs the speed and breaks up the wake. The slight excelleration bump just before the wake overcomes the stern is another technique that works, just make sure you have enough space. Little practice and you will learn to keep the boat dry when slowing down off a plane.

Tom

Trim down as you throttle down. That'll lower the bow as you slow.

I have it figured out now, I have almost no back wash getting me. Just had to out run it.