Water over the Bow

[jdbakerucf]

Is it normal for the 19' SX/AR model boats to have the bow of the boat extremely close to the water with people sitting in the front (I'm talking about 2 adults, not overloaded). Like scary close where even the small chop splashes over the bow? while running at speed the bow is up out of the water fine, but slow speed it's really nerve racking how close the nose of the boat is to going under the water?

 

[anmut]

My 21' will take water over the bow if there are two adults+ up front and it's white-cap choppy. But usually just a bit of spray. If we're surfing and I slow down and turn too fast into the chop after a rider is down I've been known to soak the front pretty good - but that's usually on purpose.

 

[2kwik4u]

Is it normal for the 19' SX/AR model boats to have the bow of the boat extremely close to the water with people sitting in the front (I'm talking about 2 adults, not overloaded). Like scary close where even the small chop splashes over the bow? while running at speed the bow is up out of the water fine, but slow speed it's really nerve racking how close the nose of the boat is to going under the water?

Had two ladies in the bow of my 190 this weekend. It didn't feel "scary close" to the water. It's much less freeboard than I like, but unless you're out in some seriously choppy water I don't think it's an issue. I'm still easily 2-3x this distance to water from any number of bass boats, especially those from the late 80's early 90's that had about 2in of freeboard BEFORE putting people up there.

The 19 ft'ers seem to be really sensitive to weight placement. If you get the whole fam damily up there in the bow the boat looks almost silly because it's floating "tail up". Just be aware of it, and plan accordingly, I don't think it's a safety issue unless it catches you off guard, and then the only real danger is the bow passengers hitting you for getting them soaked. The deck will self drain, and most compartments will stay pretty dry even if you take a full wave over the front.

 

[jdbakerucf]

so I just got this boat, and I guess I'm used to my old outboard hanging off the back weighing everything down... and like you said, it seems to be really sensitive to weight distribution and this isn't something I have experienced before with any of my previous boats (one being a boat).

 

[2kwik4u]

Keep in mind the drivetrain on these is really lightweight, and relatively close to the centerline of the boat compared to other types of drives. I/O's adn OB's have a lot more weight further from the center. So, on those, the distribution makes far less of an impact than it does on a jet. Especially true for smaller/shorter jets.

 

[Julian]

so I just got this boat, and I guess I'm used to my old outboard hanging off the back weighing everything down... and like you said, it seems to be really sensitive to weight distribution and this isn't something I have experienced before with any of my previous boats (one being a boat).

Yup....the engine weight is further forward in the 19' boats. So if you have people up front, you may need to offset it with some people in the stern. Depends on their weight and location in the boat.

 

[212s]

As the others stated, the single engine models are more sensitive to weight distribution. Just be wary of it, but no need to fear it. Perhaps embrace it a bit and let the bow riders have a face full from time to time.
?
You can't sink or tip over from waves unless you're in harsh 5 foot swells and drive foolishly turning away from the waves and getting hit amid ship - boats are made to NOT sink. The cockpit is self-bailing so water over the bow runs out the back anyway.

As an example, we were out in average conditions and a massive 50ft cruiser went by and I think we was having "fun with wakes"...it was the biggest wake wave I've seen in non-storm conditions. It flew two feet over the bow and soaked the area and sprayed my wife and I behind the windshield. It pushed our cooler back 3 feet. I looked around for water in the boat, and couldn't find any - it all ran down the self-bailing channels and out the back. Two minutes later we had the windshield wiped dry and were off jumping the boat through their wake like a jetski (although not as wild).

Now that's a fun time!