Floor buckles under power on Saturn 15ft Inflatable

[idbsi]

Hey all,

New to the forum and any advice/help would be greatly appreciated.

Just picked up a 15ft Saturn inflatable (used) and put it in the water for the first time today with a buddy. It says it is rated up to 40 hp and we
were only using a 25 hp motor, when we tried to bring it up to speed the floor started to buckle and popped out from under the lip on the transom, after that we could only go under half speed.

Has anyone heard of this happening or had this happen.

We made sure the boat was fully inflated before hitting the water, so I have no idea why this happened.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help on this issue,

Mike

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Are you sure it was fully inflated? I had that happen with my long ago Zodiac, and the cause was not having it fully inflated. With the Zodiac I had to get it almost rock-hard to perform the way it was supposed to perform.

 

[idbsi]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Hey minuteman,

Thanks for the reply,

Well we pumped in some air (hand pump) at the lake as we brought out on a trailer already inflated but it was chilly so it seemed to deflate a bit onthe trip out, but it was definitely not rock hard.

I will try it out again this Wednesday and will bring the electric pump to make sure it is fully inflated.

Curious, do you know what kind of pressure you put into the Zodiac, I think Saturn says inflate to 3 psi, but maybe that's not enough.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[idbsi]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Sorry this is a 15ft not 12ft if that makes a difference

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

You need to have sib inflated to at least 3.0 psi once on water, that is with a gauge, not Superman sight or finger touch if you want cruising perfection, same lenght twin side joiners must not be facing each other, place one long, one short at right side, one short, one long at left side. If both lenghts are facing each other will have a hinge effect and stress floor panel rails. Sib/Ribs are high volume, low pressure.

Happy Boating

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 15ft Inflatable

My Zodiac was back in the late 1970's, so I don't remember for sure - 3.0 psi. seems about right. Sea Rider mentioned what may be the key factor in your problem - 3 psi in the water. Obviously you lose a little pressure as the tubes cool down so you'd have to either over-inflate on land or top it off after being in the water for a few minutes.

 

[Pack Rat]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

side joiners must not be facing each other, place one long, one short at right side, one short, one long at left side. If both lenghts are facing each other will have a hinge effect and stress floor panel rails.

Make sure you try this tip from Sea Rider...I did and noticed the effect STAT.

 

[idbsi]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 12ft Inflatable

Thanks all for the tips.

I will put them into to use tomorrow and see what happens.

Much appreciated,

Mike

 

[Hammer66]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 15ft Inflatable

Great posting!
I have a similar issue but only at wot. It feels like my seat gets lower or the floor gets higher not sure which. floor seems tight but when I roll off the throttle just a tad it goes away. Trim setting perhaps? May be porpousing perhaps??Boat planes easily with 4 adults on board (12.5 foot with an 18 hp evinrude)
Thanks all!

 

[Justintoboats]

Re: Floor buckles under power on Saturn 15ft Inflatable

Great posting!
I have a similar issue but only at wot. It feels like my seat gets lower or the floor gets higher not sure which. floor seems tight but when I roll off the throttle just a tad it goes away. Trim setting perhaps? May be porpousing perhaps??Boat planes easily with 4 adults on board (12.5 foot with an 18 hp evinrude)
Thanks all!

Hey Hammer66 ! Hope the reaches you. For the first time this exact same issue happens only at WOT 4 people in my 16 ft Saturn seat gets lower and floor rises. I have a brand new 2020 20 HP 15in shaft outbaord. It never once did that with my girlfriend and I on board. The two friends we brought out , one is 240LBS and other is 150Lbs any ideas?

 

[GA_Boater]

Hey Hammer66 ! Hope the reaches you. For the first time this exact same issue happens only at WOT 4 people in my 16 ft Saturn seat gets lower and floor rises. I have a brand new 2020 20 HP 15in shaft outbaord. It never once did that with my girlfriend and I on board. The two friends we brought out , one is 240LBS and other is 150Lbs any ideas?

How can you expect an answer from a guy who has not been here since 2014? Dream on!

Closed.