When to use a wing?

Question for all those knowledgeable in the flat bottom drag boats. When does it become necessary to use a wing? Is the wing's purpose to create down force so the back of the boat does not come unglued from the water?
I see a lot of the 115 - 120 mph flats with no wing, and most flats above 125-130 mph with them. Then there are the K-boats, 140 mph and no wing? What is the deal? Just curious!

jetboatguru will answer this better than me but i will give you 1 1/2 cents worth first. the general consensus is that a wing is needed on a boat that runs over 135mph. it is not neccesarily used for downforce but more for stability too keep the boat from wanting to rock back and forth at the top end of the track.

Boat 030 is exactly right, A wing serves 2 purposes. The first being that it stabilizes the boat from rocking back and forth at speeds generally over 130. (which always made me wonder why he ran one, cuz his boat was quite slow). Secondly or firstly, the wing will plant the ass of the boat in the water or it will help lift the tail in sticky water such as Phoenix. In Bakersfield I should have put some wing in the boat because the Ass was light and the propeller I was using had lots of tail lift. By putting wing in it it would have planted the tail of the boat. Either way I was toast in the final.

So wings are adjusted then depending on the course you are at, the prop you are using, etc. I didn't know that! Thanks for the repsonses.

yes the wing would definately be adjusted according to the prop and to the track. places like red bluff and bakersfield would tend to want some downforce in the wing and a place like phoenix would have less if any. that being said if jetGu will jog his cobwebb infested memory he will remember that my boat did not have a wing on it except when it had Walz's pro gas motor in it.

I remember the owner of that wing about to bust a nut and give the wing away for a ride in that slow turtle like watercraft, howabout you 030? http://free.***boat.net/ubb/biggrin.gif

cos, thanks for jogging MY cobweb infested memory. you are right the owner of that wing was very interested in taking the slug for a ride.