Spray Rails on a 31?

[Ironworker]

So has anybody added them on a 31 and willing to confess to doing so? Do they keep the spray down enough to offset the look of the boat?

[Carl]

http://bertram31.com/newbb/viewtopic.ph ... oy#p109908

[Ironworker]

Thanks Carl. That is a really nice boat. The the spray rails has little to no effect on the aesthetics of the boat IMO.

[Carl]

Same boat or is it??

oh it is...better shots of spray rails

http://bertram31.com/newbb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2779

[EarleyBird]

Well Boys,I’m going to add my two cents,35 years worth. Sure to raise a few eyebrows. I believe spray rails are designed for the forward section of the Boat. Trying to keep the spray off a 31 forward or mid ships is like....ain’t happening. Even running in FLAT calm conditions with no one around you the entire hull is getting wet. Add 2-3 foot chop sooner or later spray is getting on your window, eisenglass.. whatever, unless your idling, which very few do. Add a little more sea and your getting wet. Run 5 miles or 60-90 your getting WET, period. That is the nature and design of the boat..you want to stay dry, stay on the couch. Bullets are whizzing by me already...EarleyBird

P.S. Reel Cowboy is a pretty boat.

[Tony Meola]

Jim

Funny you say that. Really is true to some degree. It is a pain on a 90 mile run home. No need for shots to be fired. But it is not as bad as everyone makes out. It is in a boat in water. Never found a totally dry boat.

[Ironworker]

I'm not worried about midships. I only care about the guy on the flybridge driving the boat. If he is dry and warm then I'm happy!

[EarleyBird]

Save ur money, don’t take away the lines of a Beautiful boat. Stay warm and dry...invest in a enclosure. Really warm and dry a hoody and a set of Helly-Hansen’s. I’m messin’ with you. Bottom line run these Beauties enough your getting wet, especially if ya go fast. EarleyBird

[Carl]

Tony

I talked with John today. We catch up pretty regularly. He said to tell the gang hi. He hasn’t logged on much the last couple of years. He’s just living the John Cranston life, which for you guys that know him.... ain’t too shabby. He’s still tearing up the fish every chance he gets.

Pam switched companies fairly recently, which she’s enjoying, but the new gig is keeping her busy.

John said he’s been very happy with the spray rails and that they are very effective. They were custom made by a local fellow named Salvador. Salvador does good work, he’s done a few of my friends’ boats. I think he is in San Leon Tx.

Rick, John said if you had any questions to give him a shout. PM me if you want his number.

Earleybird- - I tend to agree with you, but then we have John saying they are very effective. My gut says John is not a fair weather boater so those rails must be doing something.

Our boat slice and push water out when going...so anything that directs it out further or down can only help. I doubt it will ever be Buddy Davis dry, but has to be better.

I wouldn't mind drier...but I'm not even thinking about adding them to mine, although as seen they can look good. Just not on my list of wants for this boat.



FYI- if looking for this quote it's from the other spray rail post we have going.

[EarleyBird]

Made my point, glad you both.....partially agree. Fish Offshore in the NE, your getting wet. Like to hear from Mr. Cranston, the conditions and the mileage he fishes. The addition to the 31’s hard outer chine must help. Put an enclosure on that top, of course you’ll stay dry, just have good windshield wiper blades. By the way it’s Earley, six letters,L.E.Y.

[Carl]

By the way it’s Earley, six letters,L.E.Y.

All fixed, sorry about that.

Funny part is I had it right then changed it, I "was" mighty proud of myself for catching it too.


Anybody that thinks these are dry boats can come out on my Express, one that I almost always run with helm window open. At times I should be wearing a mask and snorkel. I really should be running from tower at those times, but I'm not the brightest tool in the shed.

[EarleyBird]

Thanks Carl, for thinking about my name, just the way you learned how to spell Earley. I would imagine adding those spray rails must help. When your going 60-80 miles each way, we’ll, you know what’s going to happen. I also run when I can with my front window rolled up, hate looking through eisenglass. Plus 9 times out of ten coming home from Offshore it’s going be blowing SW, heading into Manasquan. If it’s calm that ol’Girl of mine is running just shy of 2400 rpm’s, 26 plus knots, even then every now and then whoever is driving wipes their sunglasses off. Stay safe, have a great year. Generator went in today, port side, steering cylinder actuator tomorrow. I’ll post a couple pics.EarleyBird

[DanielM]

EarleyBird,

Howdy, No bullets whizzing by, as I don’t have an opinion to add, nor a dog in the race. I haven’t been offshore in John’s boat, just a few booze cruises, so I can’t really comment on how well the spray rails work personally.

But I can give you an idea of the type of boating John does. He’s had the boat about 20 years or so and his normal fishing trips are 30 to 40 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico with multiple 90-100 mile overnighters thrown in each year for wahoo and tile fish. The wahoo trips are usually January to March kind of time frame, which can be a little rough down here during the winter. Summer is usually much calmer.

He had Yanmar 170s in it for years then swapped them out with Yanmar 315s (I think) so the boat can scoot along pretty well, and going 90-100 miles out he likes to get there. I don’t know the cruise numbers but the boat is light by design so I’m thinking a pretty healthy cruise. He likes to fish.

When I talked with him he seemed to think the rails made enough difference that they were worth the money to him. Other folks might not have the same experience.

I like all the pictures of the work you’ve been doing on your boat. It’s looking good. Hope you have another great season.

[EarleyBird]

Thank you Daniel, normally go to Florida for a couple months in the Winter, virus ended that. So...been working on the ol’Girl under shrink wrap since Christmas. Major project, new Covering Boards. In addition new Furuno Electronics, SW pumps, Helm and steering cylinder rebuilt, generator facelift, wheels re- conditioned( DQX 20x22) and some other love. Shrink wrap coming off in a week, grind remaining wood and glue off gunnels. Shooting to float her first week in May. Have owned the boat for 35 years, 4th set of motors. Over 5000hrs on my 270 Cummins. Looking forward to try and catch a couple big BFT this year. Caught a few last year, release a few too. Trolling and chunking for the smaller BFT and YFT was hot. Stay healthy and safe. EarleyBird

[Carl]

Daniel- one thing got me thinking...did John have the spray rails on when running with the 170's??

Has to be a different riding boat with 315's.



Taking into account Bob Lico's "the 31 is a dry boat" statement, which I think is mostly due to he always seems to be haul' en. Going faster gets boat up higher, higher with bow proud has "bow" spray coming out mid-ship; add to that he's gone before the spray has a chance to make its way back at him he's got a fairly dry boat at speed.


Wondering if much or some of the benefit of what John notices about the spray rails could be more that Johns going faster now.

[EarleyBird]

Oh Boy, Love to comment on Captain Loco’s statement about a “dry boat”. Let’s be realistic, it is a 30’ foot boat. Running in the Atlantic and running in the Sound is apples and oranges. Only go so fast til your beat and tear it apart. Spray rails or not. There I did. Plenty to talk about this W/E. Going need the Howitzers now. HaHa EarleyBird

[DanielM]

Carl,

He's had them on there with both engines. They've been on the boat as long as I've known him. I'll have to tell him to pop in and give you his impressions on the difference with the hp.

[Carl]

K- well there goes that theory. So guess we are back to the rails do help.



Earleybird- - As to Bob cruising the Long Island Sound...you may be thinking of the wrong Bob. Bob Lico is on the other side of Long Island, Great South Bay, Fire Island Inlet and the Atlantic with plenty of offshore runs.

I think, and this is only my perception is his Dry Boat comment is when running at his 30 knot speed in HIS boat...and he's not getting wet. But then he also has a bridge enclosure sooo...not sure if wet side curtains count.

[EarleyBird]

First off Capt.Bob I spelled your last name wrong, excuse me. 30 knots in a 31, gotta be mighty flat to be doing that. Anyway, to each his own. Have fun ya’all, got a boat to work on she’s warmed up under the shrink wrap. EarleyBird

[PeterPalmieri]

I’ve always had a good laugh at this. My fishing friends always laugh at the “Nice Dry Ride” advertisements. When it’s nasty and blowing 20+ knots on your beam no boat is dry. We get a nice amount of spray up on the bridge when it gets nasty but you make adjustments to your speed, trim or heading and it’s most often only temporary. It’s nothing an enclosure and passengers sitting either on the engine boxes or in the cabin to remain dry. Sitting in the aft corners when it’s ugly is not highly recommended.

There is a reason why all my grundens are collecting dust in the basement while in the fall all the 500-1m centers have 6 sets of matching green or orange bibs.

I took my boys on a half dozen party boat trips this year out of Captree and Montauk. The short story on that is it’s easier to talk through rigging, Dehooking fish and jigging techniques when you are not running the boat. In any case out on boats 80 feet plus, heavy monsters, with well seasoned captains. You know what happens when your on the down wind side of the boat? You get freakin soaked.

I don’t think I’d ever entertain the idea of spray rails.

[Carl]

There is a reason Blackfin added flare to their bow.

If the water your cutting through is not directed out and down it has more potential to come back at the boat.

Depending on your boat style, weather etc that water may be hitting the cabin, the bridge, the enclosure, the cockpit or...


My gut says anything that directs that water away should offer a drier ride at times. Cost, looks, benefit...like everything else in boating it's a compromise to be decided by those who own their boats. Me...it's a boat

[Tony Meola]

Jim

Bob did a lot to make his boat run faster and cut back on the spray. His engines have been lowered so that they are almost on the hull.

That allowed him to change the shaft angle to flatten out the angle as much as possible while still spinning a 21 inch prop.

He then shifted weight aft so his chines are always digging into the water.

When he set up his props he did special work on them. He started with a prop blank that was a s size up from the ones a normal 21 inch prop is made from. Then he cut them back to 21 inches set his pitch cup and then worked on the take. Now because he started with a larger blank, he now has more blade area reducing slip.

This allows him to run more efficiently and that allows the boat to run faster at lower rpms.

Given these changes, the water at speed breaks at the pillisters rather then further forward as they do on a stock 31. This gives him a drier bridge.

I am sure there is more but Bob can explain that.

[EarleyBird]

Sounds like he put a lot of time and expense to have an efficient, quicker, and drier vessel. Good for him. EarleyBird

[Ironworker]

I spoke to John with Reel Cowboy this weekend. He is a believer in Spray rails. He said it converted his boat from a wet boat to a dry boat. Where he fishes, he has a long run. Nothing worst to get soaked in the first 20 minutes of a 4 hour ride!

[Carl]

Sigh....


...well there goes another post closed to hypothesis, conjecture and opinions based on second and third hand hearsay.