Sea Eagle SR14 RIK + 30hp Mercury Two Stroke

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
No Title

The Trailer

I've written a lot about my new Trailex Trailer in the thread "Nice Inflatable Boat Trailer" but I didn't say anything about what led me to it or about my first trailer. A friend of mine had a nice Easy Loader PWC trailer he was willing to sell me for $300 but I first had to know if my boat would fit on it. I measured and remeasured to make sure it would fit and found that yes it would fit but the nose of the boat would be so close to my truck that I wouldn't be able to let down my tail gate all the way...time to put the boat on the trailer and have a look see. It was a tight fit but after a drive around with it I went ahead and bought it. Next up get the motor installed.

My motor has a 20in shaft and the boat a 15in transom so I decided to use an inexpensive and light weight jack plate. My motor weighs 155lbs and is bolt on only so I also decided that I would have someone else do the installation. The thirty mile trip to the marina where the work was being done went well and everything looked good on arrival but not so good after the installation. I didn't know at the time that having the bunks under the floorboards rather on the tubes was not a good thing but that's where they were. It was clear that the floor was being stressed more than it should be by how much it was bending upward But I needed to get home so off I went hoping for the best. Another problem was the trailer was way to rear heavy and there was no way to move the axle back to transfer some weight. Because there was almost no weight on the tongue the trailer would bounce on the hitch ball continuously while travelling...I was not to happy about that.

I got the boat home and found the floor was even more stressed and bent but nothing broke or cracked thankfully but this was not going to work. I took the boat off the trailer and modified the bunks so I could get the maximum adjustment from them and was able to get the rear onto to the tubes. Everything looked much better and the front boards seemed to be not affected from sitting on the bunks but I still didn't like it. After looking long and hard underneath the boat I decided there were a few things needed before I would be comfortable hauling my boat around on this trailer. First the bunks needed to run the length of the tubes and the boards needed to be wider or maybe two bunks side by side to form a V to support the tubes. Second the tongue needed to be much longer to get more weight on it and third it needed some kind of transom support.

A lot of this was going to be more than what I had skill to do so I was going to have to find someone else to do the work. After getting some estimates for the work I decided the cost was going to be more than I wanted to pay so I started searching for a real inflatable boat trailer. My search ended finding only one and that was a Trailex trailer. It seemed to be just what I was looking for but it wasn't inexpensive. After a lot of thought I gave them a call. I had been looking at their biggest trailer but they said I could get by using a smaller one with a longer tongue. If I did that I would get free shipping and lower the overall coast by $700 so I went ahead and ordered it. Ended up the only addition I felt I needed was a keel support for the front end which are cheap and easy to find.

The trailer was shipped in pieces by FedX to my door so it was going to be me that was going to have to put it together. Because of the way this trailer is constructed using t-bolts in slots everything went together quickly and easily in one weekend. The only issue I had was it looked like the axle was to far forward which would mean I would have the same problem as my other trailer being rear heavy. Sure enough that was the case but a good thing about this trailer is everything is fully adjustable including the axle. It was no problem at all to lift the trailer,loosen some t-bolts and slide it back which put plenty of weight up front on the tongue. Afterwards I took it on a 120 mile trip for a test spin and everything was good. So far I have been very happy with this trailer and would highly recommend it.
 

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ronaldj

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Messages
655
I just looked at all of your pictures.
I no you have not had the boat on the water yet but, it looks like you are going to have to move your console and your seat a little more forward towards the bow.
If you factor in the outboard weight, the gas weight and the weight of the body or bodies on the seat. The stearn looks to be off balance. Hope I'm wrong
 

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
Maybe but there is a video on YouTube of the same boat. He's using a tiller motor,gas tank in the rear and nothing up front. He has a Yamaha 25 and it looks like he has no problem getting on plan along with no bow lift that I could see. http://youtu.be/tJVRdcwGxu4
 

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
No Title

Things to get done in the next couple months.
1. Gauges
I bought a tachometer with hour meter,cyl head temp gauge and I'm going to get a battery gauge which all need to be hooked up. When I bought the motor the controls didn't come with it so I bought an ignition switch from Mercury that mounts on the transom and plugs right into the engine wiring. It works perfectly and has the two wires needed to hook up the tach.The cyl head temp gauge has a sender with it that mounts to a head bolt and I have a switch for the lights in the gauges.By the way these are Faria gauges and I also got some Auto Gauge mounting cups for them. On the metal plate on the console I added a 12 volt recepticle for my cell phone for when I'm using the GPS and a lanyard kill switch.With all this I have lots of wiring to look forward to.
2. Gluing
I have lots of gluing that needs to be done so these next couple of months I get to learn how to do that. I have a bunch of Rail Blaza stuff and most of it locks on to mounting pads that you glue on your tubes. Things like fishing rod holders,camera mounts and cell phone mounts ect. can all be locked onto then unlocked and switched out by the push of a button. Scotty also makes a lot of the same type of stuff and can be bought here on Iboats. Along with the Rail Blaza stuff I have some bags with their quick release connectors that need to be glued on. I also have some d-rings and a carry handle I want to add.

I have to get going so I'll continue with this subject next time.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
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Just got done with my 750 mile trip to my new home on Lake Houston,TX with no issues even though I had to go over some rough roads in Oklahoma. I used a transom saver with a spring in it and my trailer has a transom support and boy am I glad I had those two items. The worse bump was over a rail road track. I slowed way down but it was not enough,I wouldn't be surprised if the tires came off the ground,but the supports did what they were suppose to. The motor swiveled up and down taking pressure off the transom,the support held tight and the light weight trailer frame handled everything without a problem. I was worried about the rear trailer frame because the transom support and saver are mounted at the same spot but it held firm. I was also worried about the tires and bearings with the 8in tires spinning so fast. The tires are way over rated for the weight they are carrying with a C load rating and max pressure of 90psi. I guess Trailex wasn't lying to me when they said they haven't had any problems making the 8in tires standard on this trailer.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
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I just got done installing my SeaDek Floor covering and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's a rubbery closed cell foam type of material and I got it in blue aqua camo color. I figured the color would tend to hide the dirt my blending in with it plus it matches the boat. My plastic floorboards were much to slippery for my liking so I decided to do something about it and this is what I came up with. I had to do some cutting to install it and that went pretty good with no mistakes on my part. There is no gluing involved the glue being under the wax paper you peel off then sick on. This material is soft to the touch and along with the footing the other benefits I expect is quieter operation,cooler to the touch and protecting the floor from the sun. I will give and update after I've had a chance to try it out.
 

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Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Alan,

Will you use a separate seat set at front of console or plan to use the transversal fixed patched seat to drive that sib ?

Happy Boating
 

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
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I'm going to use the bench seats that came with the boat. I had two and I bolted them together to make it twice as wide. I'm going to bolt a standard boat seat with a swivel onto that...I already have the seat. I'm thinking I'll need to do something to insure the bench seat doesn't slide back and right now I'm thinking I could make do with one screw put in in such a way so that it doesn't rub on anything...we'll see.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
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I got my new propeller installed today.It's amazing how much larger the old one is compared to the new one,the new being 10 1/8 in dia while the old i'm guessing is at least 12 in. The old prop was used to push a pontoon boat and had a 8inch pitch. That's probably good for about 15 mph and would over rev if pushed to hard. The new prop is a Michigan Match I got here at iboats and has a 15inch pitch which my service manual says should do 30 to 35 mph with a boat heavier than mine but we shall see.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
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Nov 17, 2011
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I think I've got an anchor set up. The picture will give a clear understanding of the way I came up with to mount my anchor but I'll say a little something about it too. It is only a 5lb graph-ling hook anchor but I'm only anchoring in protected calm inland lake and river and in shallow areas so I'm hoping it will do. As you can see I'm using a handle and the boat roping to mount the anchor. You can also see that it's a folding anchor with a lock and it worked out perfectly by hooking the anchor on the rope,locking it then putting the top through the handle. There is also a hole at the bottom where an adjustable bungee cord fit perfectly. I'm not worried that the bungee will hold because I've been using one to hold my 100lb dog on his line for years without a problem. So there it is. It looks like it will work but as usual I'll only find out when I get it in the water...launch date May.One other note I already have a wear patch for it waiting to be glued.
 

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alanfox55

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Nov 17, 2011
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Worked on hooking up my gauges,12 volt receptacle to charge my cell phone and VHF radio,switch for the gauge lights and a kill switch. The only issue I have is with the kill switch...I'm not sure of the hook up. I found the black/yellow wire that it needs but I'm not sure how to hook it up.Do I just splice into it at the engine then run a wire to the kill switch? Do I cut that wire that now goes to my ignition switch then run a wire to the kill switch...I just don't know. Normally I think I would connect to that wire at the ignition switch but I can't get to it there so I'm stuck. If anyone knows please enlighten me.The ignition switch is a Mercury accessory that plugged into my engine and works perfectly. It was designed for a teller motor when someone upgrades from manual start to electric.It was meant to be mounted on the transom so that's as long as the cable will reach. Because I sit so close to the transom that is not a problem at all.The 12 volt receptacle was an easy two wire hook up I just added a fuse to the line as I will for my gauge lights. I was not able to hook the wires to the gauges because I didn't have the correct size connectors but that will be simple enough when I do. I'm a little unsure of the light switch wiring. It's just a two wire switch so I'm thinking hot wire in and hot wire out with no need for a ground because the gauges are ground but we shall see. The wiring was kind of a slow process for me but every small job completed gets me closer to launch.
 

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G

Guest

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Worked on hooking up my gauges,12 volt receptacle to charge my cell phone and VHF radio,switch for the gauge lights and a kill switch. The only issue I have is with the kill switch...I'm not sure of the hook up. I found the black/yellow wire that it needs but I'm not sure how to hook it up.Do I just splice into it at the engine then run a wire to the kill switch? Do I cut that wire that now goes to my ignition switch then run a wire to the kill switch...I just don't know. Normally I think I would connect to that wire at the ignition switch but I can't get to it there so I'm stuck. If anyone knows please enlighten me.The ignition switch is a Mercury accessory that plugged into my engine and works perfectly. It was designed for a teller motor when someone upgrades from manual start to electric.It was meant to be mounted on the transom so that's as long as the cable will reach. Because I sit so close to the transom that is not a problem at all.The 12 volt receptacle was an easy two wire hook up I just added a fuse to the line as I will for my gauge lights. I was not able to hook the wires to the gauges because I didn't have the correct size connectors but that will be simple enough when I do. I'm a little unsure of the light switch wiring. It's just a two wire switch so I'm thinking hot wire in and hot wire out with no need for a ground because the gauges are ground but we shall see. The wiring was kind of a slow process for me but every small job completed gets me closer to launch.


run it to your battery not the outboard wire. It may require a ground wire which you will need to put a screw in the console and run it to that. You can pick up one of those rings that tighten right to the terminal of the battery
 

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
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I got the correct size connectors to finish hooking up my gauges and other electrical stuff yesterday. I also picked up some blue wire covering to help protect the wiring,make it a little more water proof and make it look cool too. To also help with water proofing I shrink wrapped everything.You can see in my pics that the wiring at the console is a bit of a mess but that's kinda to be expected. That said I do think the covering helped the looks a bit but I'm going to try to tidy things up a bit back there. I only had to use one cover for all the wires running to the rear so that worked out well.

I also got my seat installed.This is a high quality seat that normally runs about a hundred dollars but I got it for $50 so I went for it but you can see it's an over size seat.It's called a Big Man and it's easy to see why. I also installed a swivel for it and that went well. I thought it might be to big for my bench seat to handle but I rocked back and forth on it with only 2.7 psi in the tubes and all seemed good.

I think I'm going to make my goal of a May launch date. I have a bunch of gluing of accessories to do,change of impeller and carb clean and rebuild but I think I can get that done in time.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
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476
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I got all of my gluing done this week.I glued four Railblaza pads,two D rings for my anchor and another hold down point while on the trailer and the four pads to attach two small bags. In my picture you only see one bag because the other one is across from it.I will use one for personal items and the other to hold the extra Railblaza items not being used.Also in the picture you can see three of the four Railblaza pads holding rod holders on one side and a set up to hold fishing rods while under way. The Railblaza stuff is very cool I think because you can take an item off the mount and replace it with something else. For example I have two cup holders one for me on my console and another for a passenger who can mount it on any of the pads. The gluing had a learning curve to it as I have never done this before. I used Clifton one part glue and followed the directions but only one side of the pads where adhering. What I decided to do was to use a hair drier to melt the glue a little on the one side and then it would stick...thankfully.

I think I have everything done now except some motor maintenance. I'm going to put in a new impeller and housing then rebuild the carb then I should be ready to launch.Oh and I have a video camera mount and boom so I'm all set to make some videos...can't wait.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
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Nov 17, 2011
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Here's a little bit better view of what I got done.
 

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alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
Water pump rebuild.

After running the motor on muffs I decided a new impeller was probably needed. These motors have a very strong tell tail which mine didn't have. I think a lot of people would've thought my stream was just fine and left it alone but as I found out it was not. I also thought it was a good idea to change it because I didn't know when the previous owner had done it last. Rather than just get a new impeller I decided I would get the water pump rebuild kit just in case and boy am I glad I did because as it turned out all the parts were bad and needed to be replaced.

I had never done an impeller change before and I'm not a great mechanic so I was apprehensive going into this but it's suppose to be a fairly simple job so decided I would save some money and give it a shot.We all know how simple jobs can turn into difficult jobs and that was the case here but in the end I got it working better then when I started...here's how it went.

Being afraid of breaking a rusted bolt I went slow and used lots of penetrating oil sometimes going back and forth until it loosened up more.Everything came out but there was some rust on some of the bolts. Lower end came off fine then I prompted it up between my bench seat and the boat tube with my foam rubber floor covering doing a good job holding it in place to make it easy to work on.The pump housing and area around it was all covered with a thick layer of dried sand so I took a screw driver and shop vac and cleaned things up before I continued.This guy had to have been going through a lot of sandy areas which would lend itself to rapid impeller and housing wear.Sure enough the impeller and housing were bad. There were some good groves in the housing and the impeller looked terrible with cracked tines and one ready to break off. Then I pulled off the bottom plate to check out the caskets and they fell apart as soon as I touched them. Thankfully they came off without to much trouble and the surfaces cleaned up good with a razor blade.Putting it back together I noticed the impeller tines were too long to fit into the middle of the caskets. Realized the reason for this is once the impeller is into the housing the tines are bent so they are shorter so then will fit the caskets.The water tube seal rubber was cracked and falling apart but one came with the kit so replaced that. Now came the hard part getting the lower end on while keeping the the transmission connecting rod synced with the transmission...didn't happen. One mechanic on You Tube said to put the trans into reverse.A number of people on the forum said to put it in forward to get it together. Nether would work because ether way the linkages would be buried into the housing to where you could not reach them.Putting it in gear worked to get everything lined up put then I would have to pull the lower end out,put it in natural then things would line up good. The big problem was that after getting it together it would not shift into reverse. After putting it in and out many times I decided that the neutral detente on the motor and the lower end was vague and that was keeping me from getting the two set perfectly. I then was very careful to get them right and that did the trick. As it was it never had gone into reverse solidly even though it locked up. After my hard work it went into reverse with a solid click and the distance the control arm moved going into gear from neutral was exactly the same for reverse and forward.

It took me most of one day to get it done but I'm glad I did it and will know how to do it easier and faster next time. Hopefully my experience will help a fellow new be if only a little. Oh and sorry no pictures I was just to engrossed into getting the job done to remember.
 

alanfox55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
476
Pretty much ready to put it in the water. I rebuilt the water pump with a new housing,impeller and seals. I cleaned the carb and put new seals in it.I did a link and sync today.Now I need to start it and see if there are any adjustments that need to be done.Problem is it's been raining here in Houston almost everyday for a couple weeks now and there is not much let up in the next ten days forecast.I need to get it registered put the numbers on then I'll be ready to go.
 
G

Guest

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Pretty much ready to put it in the water. I rebuilt the water pump with a new housing,impeller and seals. I cleaned the carb and put new seals in it.I did a link and sync today.Now I need to start it and see if there are any adjustments that need to be done.Problem is it's been raining here in Houston almost everyday for a couple weeks now and there is not much let up in the next ten days forecast.I need to get it registered put the numbers on then I'll be ready to go.


Good job. Now make sure you pressure test your lower unit to ensure water is not getting into the LU. You can do it with a hand pump used to inflate bike tires. you need to ensure it holds for at least over night at 15psi. I had to apart my lower unit 3 times until i got it right on my 15hp Merc
 
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