How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim

ADVERTISING

LuxoGear Emergency Whistles with Lanyard

Shop now »

NOCO Genius GEN5X2, 2-Bank, 10A (5A/Bank) Smart Marine Battery Charger

Shop now »

RHINO USA Boat Trailer Transom Straps (2PK)

Shop now »

LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder

Shop now »

Seaview 180 V3 Full Face Snorkel Mask

Shop now »

Most popular comments
for How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

justsomeguy - 8 years ago

I'm just getting my first boat and have watched about 10 videos on trimming and yours is the best I have watched yet. Take my thumbs up!

Clinton Thomas - 6 years ago

I am just getting into boating and this video is very informative thank you

BoatU.S. - 6 years ago

Thanks so much, Clinton, and welcome to boating! Glad we can be part of your education. Make sure to subscribe to our channel to get notified when we post helpful new how-to, maintenance, and boat handling videos--about once a week. Plus we also have more than 100 already in our library that you might find useful.

Fishing Alabama Waters - 6 years ago

2018 and still learning from your video getting my first boat tomorrow and I had no clue what trim was so I started watching a bunch of videos that was not helpful but this one was perfect thanks! Fish On Baby!

BoatU.S. - 6 years ago

Thanks for watching! We're glad to hear these videos were helpful for you.

drumm3r28 - 6 years ago

fantastic job guys. But we got to get a new sound guy

Flyninja 99 - 6 years ago

Very basic but lots of knowledge ty man for video

R Woods - 6 years ago

Thanks for this, I mainly use boat in the Solent ( Portsmouth UK ) and due to the southwesterly winds it can change from calm to lumpy in no time at all. I found your video very informative. Looking forward to trying the "trim down" in lumpy seas.

damirjon1 - 6 years ago

Thanks for this tips

Spirited Driver - 7 years ago

Yup, pretty much how i explain the operation to my customers as well.
...And in general most boats are going to be on plane at 3000RPM and up, so safe to say on the majority of boats to have the trim all the way down/in when under 3000RPM and as you increase speed and RPM the boat & engines will want more trim up/out (until porpoising).

Sal Palos - 7 years ago

bought my 1st boat last month. I have 0 boating experience. I only have a 50hp motor....but your videos are invaluable and have helped me greatly to know what to expect and what to do. Ive watched several of your videos, and they were all well explained and simplified for a novice like me.

Thanks.

10. comment for How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

paul goodier - 7 years ago

Good vid.....I'm completely new so checking as many vids as pos...thx

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching, Paul! Check out our channel for many more helpful how-to videos. We'll be adding even more over the next few weeks.

overexposurevideo - 7 years ago

very clear video ! even helps me with the manual trimming ( don't have electric trim )

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching!

ColinW - 7 years ago

Great explanation, Thanks a lot.

Bob Bob - 7 years ago

very video sir.

nobody46820 - 7 years ago

Very clear and helpful!

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching!

s8peed - 7 years ago

nice

Will Congdon - 7 years ago

You wear a fanny pack like that you will get no trim

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Hi Will. While it's not the most stylish, the "fanny pack" you're referring to is actually a belt pack-style life jacket. If the wearer were to go overboard, he or she would pull the cord, which will inflate it. While the wearer must manually don the life jacket after inflation, it's lightweight and addresses many of the excuses people give for not wearing life jackets--too hot, too heavy, ruins my tan, etc. If you want to see the various options available or read up on them, our partners at West Marine have quite a few options available: https://www.westmarine.com/search?Ntt=belt+pack

TheInkinJapan - 7 years ago

Before watching this, I would have used hedge clippers.

asudavew - 7 years ago

Thanks. Best trim informational video I’ve found

Charles L - 7 years ago

I agree with your video however leaving the trim where you had it then stopping and accelerating again might make for a surprise. Newbies need to know that... but good vid

20. comment for How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

Fstarocka Burns - 7 years ago

2.6 what, gallons / hour? thanks! great explanation!

Matt D - 7 years ago

Thanks for the video. Great set of instructions.

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Congrats on purchasing your new boat! We have tons of great videos to help you learn, and you may also find our "New To Boating" section of our website helpful: http://www.boatus.com/newtoboating/

Matt D - 7 years ago

I just bought my first boat and don't really have anyone to learn from. All of your videos about boating have been very helpful. Maybe I won't look like such a noob when I go to put it in the lake on Sunday. Thanks again!

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching.

Solidus - 7 years ago

Does this change on a catamaran and what about if your boat has trim tabs i always just run with engines down and use trim tabs to adjust tilt

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Catamarans are a bit different, as the narrow hulls are often designed to cut through the water rather than ride on top, so trimming up is less beneficial in many cases. It really depends on the design. You certainly can control trim using the tabs the same way that an inboard-powered boat does. You just might be giving up a bit of efficiency that way. Thanks for watching.

Charman Herter - 7 years ago

best video on trimming your boat

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching!

Rockfield Langley - 7 years ago

good video!

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for watching!

travis ongley - 7 years ago

does this technique work with a 12 foot flat bottom aluminum boat, 15 horse merc?

pfcdre1 - 7 years ago

thanks learned something useful

Kia Rio - 7 years ago

why do you want your motors trimmed down when you start because it seams like its making it harder on the motors or does it help because they are deeper in the water keeping the props way down to keep in contact with lots of water to push against

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Hi, thanks for your inquiry. Trimming the motors down at launch helps keep the bow down and lessens the amount of time the boat takes to climb over the bow wave.

mburke1211 - 7 years ago

Thumbs up! Thorough explanation.

Charles Israel - 7 years ago

wow! I lucked up with the right video. thanks!

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

You're welcome! We're glad it was helpful. Happy boating.

30. comment for How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

Jrezky - 7 years ago

Audio balance is off, you may want to check the levels next time.

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Sorry about that. Thanks for the suggestion!

matko990 - 7 years ago

How should the trim be set when the boat is not on plane, for example, if it's set at level with the boat at 10 knots and the stern "squats down" (large wake behind the prop), should you bring the trim up down or keep it level? Also, when on plane, can you simotaniously trim up and throttle down, since the RPM's rise on their own and you don't intend to go full speed? Thanks for the video.

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

If your boat is squatting and throwing a large wake, it’s because you’re exceeding the hull speed of the boat, and the boat is trying to climb over the bow wave. Engine trim alone won’t cause this effect. When the boat is not on plane and traveling below hull speed, neutral engine trim is the most efficient, as the thrust from the motor is in line with the boat’s motion.

You can trim up and throttle down at the same time if you have a good feel for your boat. Most people find it a bit easier to perform these actions separately at least at first until they understand how the boat will react.

clay dennett - 7 years ago

will this work with outboard jet drive . my boat just started porpoising at high speed

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Clay, I'd try trimming down if your boat is porpoising, but props create lift along with thrust. Jet drives create thrust in a different way so trim may not be as effective as a weight shift.

thecosmicsnail - 7 years ago

Did you ever see that deadhead you came very close to?

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Thanks for pointing that out. Definitely something you have to be careful of.

Don Rubie - 7 years ago

Excellent and easy to understand video, thank you..

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

You're welcome, Donald. Glad it was helpful.

Barry Olech - 7 years ago

I'm from Australia Queensland thanks found it very lnformative and easy to comprehend l have a relatively new boat with a new yamaha 70 hp best I've heard it explained thanks again!

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

You're welcome, Barry! Glad this was helpful.

marcus mcc - 7 years ago

thanks very helpfull.!!

ADRIAN GLOVER - 7 years ago

Totally confused!, how is decreasing the engine revs making the boat "not happy" and not saving fuel?, just wondering.

BoatU.S. - 7 years ago

Adrian, for greatest efficiency, you want the most speed possible at a given RPM. If you leave the engines trimmed in (down) all the way, the boat hull will have more area in contact with the water, increasing the drag. Yes, the lower RPM means less fuel burn, but in this case also at the cost of slower speed. You can actually trim up, let the RPM (and speed) come up on their own, and then back down the throttles to a lower RPM, and achieve the same or greater speeds, and therefore greater efficiency. I know, it sounds counter intuitive, but it’s all down to reducing the drag when you trim up. If you listen to your motor and watch your speed carefully, you should be able to find a happy combination.

Jonathan Capestany - 7 years ago

My Yamaha 225 saltwater series have a 4 prop blades........jesus, no wonder I always burning too much fuel. I'm eagered to test this myself. thanks for sharing

al dixon - 8 years ago

Very well done and informative! Thank you!

Chris Preston - 8 years ago

very informative thanks I am new to boats and this helped

Tee - 8 years ago

great vid, going to be a boat owner down her in midwest florida and i can really put this to use thanks alot

Andy Sneed - 8 years ago

Any body can answer, but do you trim after you have gotten plane. It makes more sense that way.

Gigi spearman - 8 years ago

Thank you!

William Lobach - 8 years ago

This really made it easy to understand for a newbie. I appreciate the time you took to explain the sweet spot between staying flat and the bow bouncing too much.

Connor Black - 8 years ago

My left ear really enjoyed the video

Paul S - 7 years ago

I cut the cord on my headphones so I only have my right ear. I have no idea what you, or he, are talking about...

Jose Martinez - 8 years ago

great training on trim up and down thanks for great tips Robert

H Peterson - 8 years ago

So glad I'm a card member! This video was perfect! I'm a sailor and never used a powerboat trim but this boat explained it perfectly

Edward English - 8 years ago

I have a 17.5 Palm Beach Bay Boat with a Yamaha 70, 2 stroke. After rising above the bow wake I trim up and glance at the spray from my motor. as the boat trims and flattens you can see the spray drop and flatten to the water level and the boat speed increases. If it is trimmed down to far it will create an arc of water spray from each side of the motor. As it trims flatter that arc will flatten. I can't say if the same thing happens with a multi engine set-up though.

Sven N - 8 years ago

Nice video! Thanks for this.
I found out i was doing it wrong al the time. I always trim all the way down and give full throttle haha.
Does the topspeed become higher when you trim up when at full throttle?
//Sorry for my bad English.\\

Len Lester - 7 years ago

Sven N

Lanny Vrooman - 8 years ago

I have watched several of your video's and have gained some insight but I still have a several questions. 1. When you have trim tabs in addition to the engine trim what is the procedure for trimming the boat out of the hole and on plane? 2. Are trim tabs up and adjust engine for out of hole (all way down) then adjust engine as you come on plane then adjust trim tabs? 3. Once on plane is it better to adjust trim tab like your video (just to the point the boat begins to porpoise then back off to eliminate) the adjust engine for best rpm?

Sven N - 8 years ago

Thank you for fast reply!
I'm gonna try it as soon as i'm in my boat again.

BoatU.S. - 8 years ago

Sven - Yes, most boats can't reach top speed without the engines being trimmed up significantly. Often, it's the only way to get an outboard all the way to its Wide Open Throttle (WOT) limit.

50. comment for How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

Lowriders PerfectVision - 8 years ago

Ive never had a boat with T&T until i bought a bass boat last week & have yet to get it on the water but ,, I Learned alot just from the video......

Dylan James - 8 years ago

By far the best video on trimming. I've watched quite a few. Thanks.

bauer10943 - 8 years ago

Great video and explanation of trim excellent and very simple.

Ray Brown - 8 years ago

great video I haven't had a boat for a long time so it really help me remind me things I have forgotten thanks so much

Thad Aaron - 8 years ago

What about trimming with non-electric (manual) trim adjustment?

carlrx7 - 8 years ago

2.6 ghp fuel flow at what rpm?

BoatU.S. - 8 years ago

+carlrx7 Around 3800 rpm.

Mike Littau - 8 years ago

excellent video. thank you.

razorsharpbt - 8 years ago

Having the outboard properly trimmed can also make the steering much easier.

OutOfTheBlue Fishing - 8 years ago

Is this only for outboards or same thing for stern drive engines as well?

BoatU.S. - 8 years ago

+LadyDeeFishing Providing the boot is in good condition trimming the sterndrive unit will not rip the boot. Boots are made so that they bend and flex within the full range of the outdrive trim parameters. However boots do not last forever and should be visually checked at least a couple of times each season. If they show any signs of fatigue or cracking they should be replaced without delay.

OutOfTheBlue Fishing - 8 years ago

+BoatUS So the main idea is to keep the boat trimed within half trim right? If you go over then you may rip the boot on a sterndrive.

BoatU.S. - 8 years ago

+LadyDeeFishing Same idea for sterndrives.

Peter James - 8 years ago

Good clear tuition on the basic technique of trimming the engines

Mick Wolf - 8 years ago

now i understand, thank you for the great demo :)

Noel Johnson - 8 years ago

Great video, Helped me out understanding trim much better.

Adam Clemens - 8 years ago

perfect demonstration

drnh4444 - 8 years ago

This is the most helpful video to a new boat owner like myself. Thanks very much

Jason Morrison - 8 years ago

fantastic

Frank di LEO - 9 years ago

Good visual demo!!!

Jonathon Slavtcheff - 9 years ago

Cool vid! Beautiful boat! been in love with center consoles after i moved to the gulf

Howard Boyer - 9 years ago

Good video, but what's the deal with the fanny pack?

louis vagias - 8 years ago

Gay

Alinda Johnson - 8 years ago

qvc

BoatU.S. - 9 years ago

That's a belt-pack lifejacket, +Howard Boyer

Madtanker - 9 years ago

Could you do this with a hydraulic lift for lifting/trimming the motor. Im worried it will damage the hydraulics

BoatU.S. - 9 years ago

+Madtanker The hydraulic rams on an outboard or sterndrive are designed expressly for this purpose. On an outboard, there are two mechanisms: Trim and Tilt. The first trims the engine while it’s running, and the other completely raises the lower unit out of the water when it’s not in use. Both are controlled by the button on the throttle lever. If you keep trimming up, the trim ram reaches its limit of travel, and the tilt rams kick in to raise the outboard up completely.

If you are referring to a hydraulic jackplate, that moves the entire outboard up and down vertically on the transom, that usually has a separate stalk on the dash, behind the steering wheel like on a car, and has a completely different purpose.

John Carroll - 9 years ago

Good video, I think I got that. Went out on my Rib 4.9 meter 75 hp and had it trimmed down and it kept pulling to the right, I guess I should have had it trimmed up more.

john palma - 9 years ago

at your rate of speed you could go around the world in no time.

Carl Axon - 9 years ago

Love your videos, I'm a new motorboater and you explain things in detail and in a simple understandable manner, Thankyou.

ryguy ryguy - 7 years ago

Lol. Motorboater

Lisa Spears - 9 years ago

Would this also apply to a 19' single engined Sea Cat?

Lisa Spears - 9 years ago

Okay, but what about cruising along. should I trim the engine to get the results you spoke of in the video? I also watched your trim tab video, which my boat has. Do trim tabs have any effect on take off for a sea cat? Thanks

d3adl0ck3d - 9 years ago

Would you still apply this when wakeboarding with a sterndrive deck boat?

d3adl0ck3d - 9 years ago

+BoatUS YouTube Thanks

Jason Taylor - 9 years ago

well explained one of the best trim vids

FlyingDutchmanHans - 9 years ago

Great video!

Trevor Stagi - 9 years ago

i watched the whole thing looking for trim and not even a bikini.

kelvin bungard - 9 years ago

One of the best videos and well explained, thank you.

Stopthegreed - 9 years ago

Thanks

Omar Khamis - 10 years ago

very useful video

nound tatin - 10 years ago

About How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS

The "How To Trim Your Boat - Basics Of Boat Trim | BoatUS" video is part of the boating, sailing tipps category, which contains similar videos like this one.