Pontoon boat with tuning plates
A pontoon boat with a motor arrangement has multiple chines on the pontoons and has a plurality of chine wedges positioned in respective reverse chines. The chine wedges providing a optimal balancing of the performance characteristics of the pontoon boat. The pontoon boat may be performance tuned by positioning the chine wedges at alternate positions or utilizing alternately shapes, sizes, or orientations of chine wedges. The chine wedge may be readily attached and detached utilizing threaded fasteners which extend into foils mounted on the pontoon, the foils partially defining the reverse chines into which the chine wedges are placed.
1 . A method of tuning the performance parameters of a pontoon boat utilizing a plurality of chine wedges, the pontoon boat having a pair of pontoons with a reverse chine defined on each pontoon, the method comprising:
selecting a plurality of chine wedges, each chine wedge including a plate with opposing side edges converging toward a rearward end of the planar plate and with a rearward edge that defines the greatest width of the plate;
temporarily fastening a pair chine wedges of the plurality of chine wedges to a respective first chine wedge position at each of corresponding reverse chines on each of the two pontoons of the pontoon boat such that each chine wedge provides a lifting surface, measuring select performance parameters of the pontoon boat with the chine wedges at the first respective chine wedge positions;
moving the pair of equally sized chine wedges to second respective chine wedge positions at each of the corresponding reverse chines on each of the two pontoons and temporarily fastening the pair of chine wedges thereto;
measuring select performance parameters of the pontoon boat with the chine wedges at the second respective chine wedge positions;
comparing the measured select performance parameters and selecting respective chine position based on said comparing; and
fixing the chine wedges to the selected respective chine positions.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the measured select performance parameters include one or more performance parameters selected from the following set: top speed, handling characteristics, load capacity, tendency to porpoise, responsiveness in steering, and tendency for forward ends of the pontoons to dive.
3 . The method of claim 1 , including: fixing at least a pair of the plurality of chine wedges at selected positions on the plurality of reverse chines based on the measuring or observing performance parameters.
4 . The method of claim 1 , including fixing the at least a pair of the plurality of chime wedges by welding.
5 . The method of claim 1 , including fixing the at least a pair of the plurality of chine wedges by utilizing threaded fasteners.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting a plurality of chine wedges includes selecting the plurality from a plurality of differently sized chine wedges.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting a plurality of chine wedges includes selecting the plurality from a kit that includes fasteners and written instructions.