Center toon placement

I have built a triton with a ls6 engine.the toons are 26" dia.and 26' long.I have lowered the center toon 5" lower than the outside toons. I am not getting the speed I thought I would get and was wondering if I made the center toon the same height as the outside if it would make a difference.

 

Probably help a little bit....not much.

How fast do you wish to go? How much power do you have, how much weight is the boat to carry....boat, motor, fuel, passengers, gear, and all.

If you have used round pontoon components you have chosen the absolute least efficient shape if speed is the aim.

There are serious interference waves being made between the pontoons. The addition of the third one makes the problem more severe. The distance between the supporting floats is a matter of importance at certain speeds. Think of it this way............One toon throws up a bow wave, that bow wave converges with the wave from the other toon. They fight each other and create some drag. The point of convergence, along the length of the boat, is a function of speed and distance between the toons. Worst case scenario, the convergence can build up a wave system with enough height to strike the underside of the connecting deck and its crossmembers. That problem is only at low or transition speeds. If you have enough power to get the whole boat on a plane then the problem is still there but less serious. You are back to the inherrent inefficiency of round bottoms when planing speed is desired.

 

No reply from the OP. I do hope that he/she is well and that the tritoon build is progressing satisfactorily.

My reply above is certainly not to discourage the ambitious builder. It does include some reality stuff. Round toons and go fast are strange bedfellows. Put enough power on it and you can make anything go fast. Economy and practicality be damned.

 

The speed he was anticipating might have been ambitious anyway, we may never know !