humber predator

charlie65 · 22 July 2011, 20:03

advice needed

I have a Humber Predator 5.5m rib with a mercury 150 outboard , i have only purchased this , it was used as a dive boat, i have bought it to use for fun in and around belfast/bangor/northdown.Up to now i have not taken it much over 1/4 throttle as it feels out of control and dangerous, i have alot of inland water boating experience but no sea experience , ,i have been told the engine may be too powerful for the rib ? could this be true?, today there where 3 persons on board and it was anything but fun , the seas where not that choppy
the boat seems to pull to the right alot

any advice would be much appreciated

Courageous · 22 July 2011, 20:13

Hmmm...... does the boat have a rating plate on the transom? I should have thought 150 would be OK but I am no expert. Does it have trim tabs at all? If they were mis-set that might cause the issue. If the 150 ends up being too big I'm looking for one of those so please bear me in mind.......

charlie65 · 22 July 2011, 20:22

no trim tabs , the rib is fine at low speed
give me £6750 , 1998 rib and a 2000 150 mercury and its yours???

wavelength · 22 July 2011, 20:28

predator???????????? not heard of that model. Usually you are looking at an ocean pro, destroyer, attaque, or assault. Post a pic and lets have a look at it.
I've driven 5m attaques with 150hp--not a machine for the inexperienced but in the right hands a mean machine. At 5.5m its high powered but it should be manageable.
If the boat is pulling to one side your trim angle is probably wrong. I assume it has power trim?? Its not an on/off switch it needs to be trimmed up once on the plane until the boat feels right. Find someone with a fair bit of experience to help you along at first.
oh and charlie can you take the bold print off please-its a tad annoying

charlie65 · 22 July 2011, 20:33

sorry about the print lol i do have quite a few years boating all with speed boats and sports cruisers so i have a bit of a notion but this just doesnt feel good or inspire any confidence and yeah i did mess about with the trim to see if it helped , which it didnt

captnjack · 22 July 2011, 20:40

What does the hull plate say for max HP?
What kind of steering does it have? Anti-feedback? hydraulic?
Is the trim tab intact?

Courageous · 22 July 2011, 20:43

Charlie - it's the motor I'm looking for but thanx for offering me the "package problem"

I'm sure someone on here will sort you out. There's not much escapes these lads.

charlie65 · 22 July 2011, 20:45

not sure what it says ill check it tomorrow, as for trim tabs there is none , surely the outboard engine trims ??

wavelength · 22 July 2011, 21:03

where did you get the model name "predator" from??
We drive at boat shows for Humber Ribs and its not a name that rings any bells with me

charlie65 · 22 July 2011, 21:07

maybe im wrong it was advertised as a humber predator , ok then maybe just treat it as a 5.5 metre humber ??

captnjack · 22 July 2011, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie65

not sure what it says ill check it tomorrow, as for trim tabs there is none , surely the outboard engine trims ??

Above the propellor is a zinc shaped like an upside down shark fin. On your size engine it should be about 10cm long. That is the trim tab on an outboard. Is it dramatically worn or missing altogether?

While a simple part, if it is misadjusted, worn/eroded, or missing it can cause all sorts of pulling problems.

Nos4r2 · 22 July 2011, 21:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie65

maybe im wrong it was advertised as a humber predator , ok then maybe just treat it as a 5.5 metre humber ??

Post a pic. Someone will know what it is.

wavelength · 22 July 2011, 21:49

Quote:

That is the trim tab

thats not doing it. it is the up/down power trim ya need to play (carefully) with.
Trim the leg down (in as far as it will go towards the transom) when setting off and as soon as its on the plane trim up (moving leg out from transom) by stages until the steering lightens up and the boat rides flat without pulling to one side.

lets have the pic to see what model it is. Need to see bow and stern profiles. Various Humber models as earlier post. All have different characteristics.

Pikey Dave · 22 July 2011, 22:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie65

advice needed

I have a Humber Predator 5.5m rib with a mercury 150 outboard , i have only purchased this , it was used as a dive boat, i have bought it to use for fun in and around belfast/bangor/northdown.Up to now i have not taken it much over 1/4 throttle as it feels out of control and dangerous, i have alot of inland water boating experience but no sea experience , ,i have been told the engine may be too powerful for the rib ? could this be true?, today there where 3 persons on board and it was anything but fun , the seas where not that choppy
the boat seems to pull to the right alot

any advice would be much appreciated

In a previous existence I had a 5.85 with a 175 on the back, a handful but not flighty or unstable. I'd rather see it with a 150 than a 115. What prop is on it?

charlie65 · 23 July 2011, 13:50

thank you all for your advice , i am on me way now to take pics so i will post them later tonight

thanks again everyone it is much appreciated

9D280 · 25 July 2011, 10:12

Just as a thought, if it was a dive rib, is it maybe set up to be perfectly balanced with umpteen heavy cylinders in a rack somewhere?

I've "only" got a 60 and there is a perceptible difference in handling between the forward tank being full & empty. Granted the whole caboodle only clocks in at about 430Kg when full of fuel......