2013 Chaparral H2O Owner’s Manual
Chaparral Boats, Inc.
Nashville, GA
chaparralboats.com
5-9
Trimming Your Boat
Trim refers to the way a boat fl oats on the water. Your boat will work best
when it is trimmed to run at an angle between 3 to 5 degrees to the water.
You can trim your boat by shifting gear or passengers or, if your boat is so
equipped, by adjusting the drive unit angle or the trim tabs.
Power Trim
The operator can adjust his craft to the ideal boat angle for load and
water conditions by trimming the drive unit (Figure 5.3). The power trim
system allows the operator to adjust the drive angle while underway by
changing the angle of the outdrive in relation to the boat’s transom. It also
allows the operator to raise and lower the drive for trailering, beaching,
launching, or operating in shallow water.
Note: Refer to your engine owner’s manual regarding the operation
of the power trim controls installed on your boat.
Drive Angle
The drive angle of the boat is the relationship between propeller thrust
to the planing surface of the hull’s bottom. You can improve the perfor-
mance of the same boat under varying conditions by adjusting the drive
angle.
Moving the drive unit angle towards its innermost adjustment brings the
propeller in as close as possible to the transom. The angle of the propel-
ler causes an upward thrust which pushes the boat’s bow downward as
shown on Figure 5.3.
By gradually shifting the drive unit from its innermost adjustment towards
the outermost adjustment, the propeller thrust pushes in a downward mo-
tion. This motion, as shown in Figure 5.3, tends to lift the bow.
After reaching plane, under certain load conditions, your boat could have
a tendency to bury its forward V-ed section. The boat will begin to plow
and lose speed. If the water is choppy the boat will yaw. A boat will spin
out if its bow is excessively buried. The only way to correct this situation
is to increase the angle and swing the drive unit outward.
If the drive unit is angled out too far, your loaded boat will be sluggish
in coming to plane. Once on plane, your boat will tend to porpoise. To
correct this motion, move the propeller inward to decrease the angle be-
tween the drive shaft and the transom.
CAUTION
: Never trim drive unit up and out using TRAILER switch
while boat is underway. Use extreme caution when operating
with drive unit raised. Severe damage to drive unit may result if
unit is raised beyond the gimbal ring support fl anges at engine
speeds above 1200 RPM.
CORRECT
G
i
ves
m
ax
im
u
m
perfor
m
ance
INCORRECT
Causes boat to "plow"
INCORRECT
Causes boat to "porpo
i
se"
Figure 5.3 Trimming the Drive Angle
