Permatrim on my 2320 F250 = Awesome

[scott diego]

So, after reading a lot of positive reviews on the Permatrim for the 2320 F250 combo, I finally manned-up and ordered one from Andy at SIM.
Special thanks to the relentless reviews and question-answering from GrouperJim. (threads which I probably re-read 20+ times -over the last year)

My mechanic here in San Diego, literally thought I was on drugs. But I remained un-wavered.

We put it on today, (with the Mercury Mirage 18). Let me just say that: it is like I own a TOTALLY different boat!

I only had the opportunity to run the boat for 5 minutes or so, but I was immediately aware of how much better it planed and handled. The fuel economy looks to have improved at least 20% (if not more)

Thanks for all of the help ClassicParker!!

-Scott

 

[Bryan 2530]

Nice!!

I keep going back and forth on the permatrims for my twin F200's.

 

[2320 pilothouse]

you have a pic??

 

[scott diego]

Regrettably I do not have any pics yet...

One more thing. The bolts that come with it are pretty soft. We snapped a few of them.

I am fairly certain this is the model we installed.

http://www.permatrims.com/Y9_Grey_Perma ... hagrey.htm

Andy at SIM will guide you through it...

 

[bigk23surf]

What hole do you have to motor mounted in? Mine is mounted all the way down and think I need to move it up with the permatrim on it now.

 

[grouperjim]

here are a couple of pics of mine.

they have two choices/styles now............you can bolt it above or below the A/V plate. just a tip, i run a bead of black 5200 between the Perma and the A/V plate. then snug up the bolts, and wipe of the excess off with a rag and mineral spirits or paint thinner. Snug up the bolts but not super tight or the soft stainless will snap. A right angle drill comes in handy for the two most forward bolts.

i never would have put the Perma on my boat because i thought they were fugly, but i have learned to love it. i had the luxury of having a fishing buddy who also had a 2320 so we would run side by side in the Gulf. at the time he had the Perma and i did not. i couldn't keep up with him in 2-3 ft seas because his boat handled so much better because of the extra stern lift. 2 days later.......i had one.

lol. you'll bang your knee on it a few times........almost as many time as you banged your head going into the PH. :mrgreen:

 

[TheOtherLine]

Special thanks to the relentless reviews and question-answering from GrouperJim. (threads which I probably re-read 20+ times -over the last year

-Scott

Having known Jim for many years, here's my advice; Stopping reading Jim's posts. It's going to cost you a lot of money if you keep reading his project posts.

Step away from the flame.....

 

[Parker23]

I only had the opportunity to run the boat for 5 minutes or so, but I was immediately aware of how much better it planed and handled. The fuel economy looks to have improved at least 20% (if not more)

Thanks for all of the help ClassicParker!!

-Scott

20% fuel economy improvement! WOW! :shock: :shock:

 

[grouperjim]

Most guys when they do a mod will jump into the boat for a quick feel of how things have changed. This usually means the boat is extremely light. Load the boat up and run it like you fish it. If you trim it right and run more level in the water, realistically you might see up to 5-10 percent better fuel economy.

 

[Parker23]

Thats been on my list of things to do since I saw yours! I guess it will be a to me from me Christmas gift!

 

[beardog629]

Grouper Jim, did you change back to a three blade with the permatrim or is the photo before going to the 4 blade?

 

[grouperjim]

Grouper Jim, did you change back to a three blade with the permatrim or is the photo before going to the 4 blade?

liked the 4 bladed rev4/17 a lot but went back to 3 blade mirage/18 for better offshore fuel efficiency.

 

[scott diego]

Most guys when they do a mod will jump into the boat for a quick feel of how things have changed. This usually means the boat is extremely light. Load the boat up and run it like you fish it. If you trim it right and run more level in the water, realistically you might see up to 5-10 percent better fuel economy.

Although I usually have 4 guys total when we go offshore; when I tested it I only had myself.

BUT, I did have a totally full 150 gallon tank. (and the mpg I was comparing it to was when I run it solo)

And the amazing thing for me was how much less RPM I needed to keep the boat on plane. My boat seems to have always been stern heavy... with the black Yamaha prop I had (from when I bought the boat new) a regular MPG# I would see on the gauge was 1.7-1.9. And at least 4500 RPMS to keep the boat on plane

Now with the Mercury Mirage AND permatrim the MPG is 2.4+

WHY DID I NOT DO THIS EARLIER!?!?

I am going to run the boat again now to get some better numbers to share

Update:

Ran at:

30 MPH - 2.4 MPG
39 MPH - 1.9 MPG

 

[WAJSKI]

I have a ?. Teh under vs on top model what are the pros/cons, or is it just a matter of choice

 

[grouperjim]

I have a ?. Teh under vs on top model what are the pros/cons, or is it just a matter of choice

Good question. Don't know the answer. I guess you would just have to look at from an engineering standpoint and ask yourself the question "Which is better with regard to strength and hydrodynamics?" I am happy with the "on top" version. No problems at all.

Scott......150 gals of gas, those are good numbers. Wait until you run it with 1/2 a tank. You'll be at 2.6-2.7mpg.

I will add one more tip. You'll notice the trim tab (vertical part) on the anode under the A/V plate wears/dissolves quickly and creates extra drag. The vertical part degrades quickly due to cavitation burn from the trailing edge of your prop. You can eliminate the vertical part of the anode by cutting it off and grinding it smooth, just like the smooth anode on a Merc LU. No more extra drag. The trim tab portion of the anode is not needed anyway with hydraulic steering and the fins on Perma which have way more effect than the tab. Heres mine cut off........just got done running the boat so it's bit dirty.

 

[scott diego]

Thanks for the advice... I wish I had listened to your posts sooner