12' Springbok questions

[ShoestringMariner]

Hey all, I just dragged home a 12' Springbok. It ain't pretty and needs some work. I have a few questions if I might ask;

1) there is a fast leak coming up from the keel at the front where the bow is pulled together and the keel is exposed. The PO sealed the outer edge of the keel with urethane so I am thinking the water is coming up from the weep hole at the rear of the keel...with these boats, was/is there typically some sort of rubber seal in the keel where it is exposed at the bow? It's a big gob of DIY special there now

2) this is a shallow boat (15" transom) and seems quite tippy. It has no rating or capacity tag...can I assume it's 2 adults max?

3) will 7.5 horse be too much?

4) should I put my battery and gas up front when it is just me? Feels like it sits high at the front without actually going anywhere.

Thanks in advance

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Here's some photos. What I dont understand is how the keel strip was originally sealed off from the open channel. Surely the weep hole lets water fill it up if there is a hole at the bow end?






I assume this is considered a pretty shallow boat? Is a Deeper V more stable?
I'd like to stand up to cast, but fear that would be foolish, or does the weight of batteries, fuel tanks etc help with ballast?
This is actually my first boat, POS or not

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

My first boat was a 12' SeaKing that I loved and have many fond memories of so please don't take my comments as digs.

Replying to your 1st post

1. The leak - The factory should of sealed it (and could of and it's failed) with a bead of sealer that ran around the cutout area between the hull tips. Usually the brace plate (piece that holds the hull tips together) is a separate piece from the keel strip but from the looks of the rivet pattern in the pic that may not hold true with your boat. If yours is all one piece then yes a hole in the keel strip (with the failed sealer mentioned above) could make a leak. Got any pics of what's going on on the outside?

Either way I think you could clean it out and build up inside the valley using Gluvit or the likes to get her sealed up.

2. It's a 12' boat, it's better than a canoe but it's going to be tippy. Perhaps JB will swing by with a formula for capacity as I don't remember where to find it. (I do member where the hp one is for the next answer)

3. Max HP guessing your trans width at 4' and by following this I'd say 7.5 is ok possibly rated for 10.

4. Are you talking under power or just sitting? If under power then trimming the motor may help but once again its a 12' boat and may require weight distribution planning.

Replying to the 2nd post

Pictures can be deceiving but in yours it looks like a deeper model than my SeaKing and while I wouldn't stand for long after some getting used to I was never fearful of standing to cast so long as the Mrs. stayed still. If centered the tank and batteries will give a bit of ballast but not much.

Added bit: A V hull is typically less stable than say a flat bottom. V hulls can be stable in their own right but as the amount of V is increased the stability goes down but ride quality and tracking will be increased.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Thank you, no digs taken at all!

I assumed there must have been a factory seal here, do you think 3M 5200 might work?
The PO used a thin bead of Urethane along the outer edge of the keel, but not the rivets. It all looks intact, but I cant be certain. The rivets look ok, but I will re-seat them a bit. I doubt rivets could leak as fast as the water was coming in, so I'll have to assume the main culprit was the weep hole / keel seal. Will be my first try anyway

Motor size - good to know, I have a 7.5 for it.. I'm right at 42. I may try a 9.9 on it someday if the 7.5 wont plane

Sitting high; Was with me in it, going nowhere. I couldn't get my motor to wind up, so did not get it under full power

Thanks for the hull stability explanation

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

5200 could be an option, I would get the entire area cleaned out and leak test before deciding on a plan of action though. If you're filling the boat (instead of floating) for the leak test tipping the boat so it's bow down will save some water and weight.

Sounds like moving your tank will definitely help but keep in mind that any saved weight will help performance so if you have a 6gal tank consider a 3gal. Also consider using oars in oar locks instead of a trolling motor to save the weight of a battery. If you have a fish finder run it off of a small 12v SLA battery.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

great, thanks, i will try that. i have one of the old 3.3 gal tanks