Hey Guys (and girls?)...hope every one has had a great season...or is still having a great season for those of you lucky enough to still be in the water.
I have a 36 Sovran, and for those of you familiar with them, they were set up to be able to carry a full sized personal water craft or dinghy on the platform. They have the "chocks/slides" on the port and stbd edges of the platform, and have tie downs from the factory. My question is, has anyone seen any setups of how people are launching and retrieving the watercraft? I've thought about coming up with a way to mount a crane in the transom locker, but I think it would end up being very expensive, and I'm concerned about the moment on the crane due to the distance from the locker, out the roughly 4' past the platform. FWIW, I'd be using it for either a hard bottom dinghy, or a small stand-up style jetski.
My second question is regarding the tabs on Sovran. The boat rides extremely bow high, to the point that I use a second cushion on the seat to see completely over the bow when on plane. Tabs help, but the bow is still high enough to be annoying. Has anyone looked into larger tabs? They would have to be only longer, not wider, due to the prop pockets. Do all Tiara's ride that bow high?
If tab input doesn't fix the bow high attitude of the boat you may consider going to all chain for your anchor rode (frankly I think it would give the sovran a better ride with more weight up there). As for the PWC on the platform, I wouldn't suggest it. I currently have the 39 Sovran and I really don't think I'd want that much weight on the platform. We run with a small 10' Rib and its fine but I don't think I'd want to go much larger. Secondly adding that much weight on the platform will really exaggerate your bow high attitude.
I have seen a dramatic increase in performance of some boats ( not Tiaras) by adding fiberglass wedges in the very rear of the prop pockets. I agree with Maxwell, don't add more weight to the stern. Things will only get worse. Every Tiara I ever rode on ran well with zero tabs. My 36 convertible runs best with zero tabs except when the tanks are full. Do your tabs work correctly and go full down? Do you have the right diameter and pitch props? Where do you store all your STUFF? Clear out the below decks storage and get a dock box. Load your seldom used junk under the forward bunk. Capt. George
Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of the all chain rode...I'll think about that one. I appreciate the comments about the jetski adding weight and affecting the already bow-high attitude, but the intent is not to travel with it, or leave it on the platform all the time. I'd use it to head out to the anchorage, etc, and then launch the jetski. I should probably clarify, the boat rides very well with or without tabs, and the tabs do help, but it's just a very bow-high boat in general. If you're not familiar with the 36 Sovran, there's not much storage in the aft so that's not a problem, but it has an "open" style cockpit, so when there are people on the boat it's even worse because they are congregating in the back. The tall helm stations, etc don't make it any easier, either. I've heard of other complaints from other Sovran models, so I was wondering if anyone did any investigation and/or changes to tab size, etc.
Hi, Not sure where you got to on your questions, but I also have a 3600 Sovran and it has a St. Croix davit system (see link) works well with hard bottom dinghy but it is expensive. Best part is that it can all be easily removed if not using the dinghy to allow better use of platform. good luck., tom
Jeff, Sorry for late response. Mine has the Cummins 480 ce diesels and does ride a little bow up, but not enough that it is a problem. Trims out well once up to cruise speed. Agree that more weight forward will help, I use all chain. Should check your tabs as they might not be operating properly.
liberty - thanks for the response. I'm a pretty short guy, so that doesn't help, but even passengers have commented that they can't see over the bow when they are standing in the cockpit, or sitting on the aft portion of the "L" shaped cockpit seat. There's plenty of power from the Cummins 450's, so I'm not worried about that. It does seem that the tabs are small for the boat, though, doesn't it? I know they work, as I've checked them in and out of the water.
The 36 Sovran is a good hull design and can handle rougher water than most boats of her size. That hull design however does tend to run more bow high. Adding weight to the transom is definitely going to exacerbate the issue. I would definitely keep the tender weight as light as you can.
There are a few things you can do pull the nose down on the 36.
1) Weight in the bow will help, just make sure not to add too much weight. Trim tabs can be adjusted, weight in the bow, not so much.
2) Longer trim tabs may help, or longer throw trim tabs. Verify your tabs are working correctly before going down this avenue.
3) Hooks or Wedges - I dislike wedges or hooks mounted permanently to the hull bottom. These can some times cause adverse handling characteristics at high speeds, especially if done incorrectly. A curved wedge mounted at the very rear edge of the prop pocket would likely be best if you have to go this route. The curved nature of this wedge would create lift and stability at the same time. A flat wedge will provide lift without the benefit of stability and can cause steering issues at high speed.
4) Props - If you have the Cummins 450s, you should have MICHIGAN EQY-400 24x28.5 Nibral props. I believe they are 3 bladed. A four bladed prop would give you more lift, but this would be an expensive way to flatten your running angle. They would likely decrease your holeshot time, but may reduce your top end speeds. Your cruising speed should remain the same or increase just slightly depending on your loading. 4 Bladed props are more efficient with heavier wider vessels and less efficient with lighter narrower vessel.
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