Help! Water between hull and deck??

[Shaddad1]

I think I may have as much as 485 pounds of water between my hull and deck. Here are the specifics. I have an Alumacraft VB 1650 RSC. It is a modified V with a tunnel hull. I have an Evinrude E-tec 40hp jet on it. The motor is not providing enough power to get it on plane. I should be getting 20mph, but I am only getting 12-15 mph, depending on how many people are on board and what they weigh. I had it weighed at a certified weigh station: 2,460 pounds. After subtracting the motor (260#), trailer (423#), spare tire (43#), trolling motor (40#), 3 batteries (170#), 9 gal gas and gas cans (90#), 4 boat seats (48#), anchor (15#), 2 tackle bags (31#), and contents of storage compartments (135#), I get a total of 1,205#. According to the specs on the Alumacraft website, this boat should weigh 720#. Thus, I have an unaccounted for extra weight of 485#!!!

So, my questions are: 1) What is included in boat weight of 720#? Side console? Storage compartment under seats? Seats? Sponsons? 2) How much is the extra weight for the high 27” transom? 3) Is there foam under the deck? What kind? 2-part poured in? Sprayed in? Foam sheets? Is there foam in the strakes? 4) This boat was partially flooded when I launched without putting in the plugs. Is there provision for water to flow out from between the deck and the hull or will it get trapped there? 5) How do I determine if there is water between the deck and the hull? If so, how would I remove it? 6) How would I take up the deck?

I spoke to Alumacraft Customer Service on July 26 and layed out the problem. The following day I got the following email: "Good Afternoon: It was nice to speak with yesterday. I have reached out to Tech Support regarding what we discussed. Once I have more information, I will follow back up. Thanks – Krystl, Alumacraft Customer Service." She never got back to me.

I have been trying to get back in touch with Alumacraft all month about this issue. Their customer service number (844-345-4277) is “disconnected or out-of-service”. They are not answering their main phone number (507-931-1050). They have not returned my email nor has BRP (their parent company) returned my email.

I know there is a lot of expertise among the posters on this board and I am looking for some suggestions of what I might do to resolve this issue. The motor has been checked out by a certified mechanic and he could find nothing wrong with it.

 

[briangcc]

Usually the published weight is a dry, rigged boat unless otherwise noted. So things like seats, windows, carpet, etc are included BUT no gas, batts, safety gear. Usually a motor is included in that weight but you'd have to look for an "*" after the weight to see if there are any exclusions.

Very good chance there is foam under your deck for floatation/structure purposes. Depending on age of boat, storage, etc it could be water logged.

Doubtful the water from an inadvertent launch without drain plug in has trapped that much water but you could be on to something. Generally it should drain back out but that's again dependent on condition of boat/structure.

As for pulling the deck up....got a drill? Because you're drilling out rivets to pull it to get to the foam. Depending on layout of the boat this may require structure to go too... back to back seats, rear benches, side panels, etc. Without being there and no pictures, hard to guess as to what exactly goes.

 

[Scott Danforth]

your boat has 2-part flotation foam if it is still from the factory

your floor should be held in place with blind rivets

published weight is dry weight of boat, seats, etc, usually without motor. No gear or fuel or oil.

 

[racerone]

Get a couple of those round inspection ports.-----Remove seats on either side.-------Cut a holes in the floor.----Inspect foam core right down to the hull.------Install inspection ports.----Install the seats.

 

[jbcurt00]

Jets are notorious for underperforming expectations for a given HP.

40hp IMO would be just below or just about what would be a normal minimum 70-75% of Max HP, add inefficient jet and it'd be underpowered.

Water weight would only compound problem.

Running well and reaching peak RPMs underway are 2 different aspects. Mechanic test it in open water w a tech to confirm peak RPS?

 

[roscoe]

i believe this boat is all welded, floor too, so access is going to mean cutting it open.

Drilling a few holes and probing the foam would make more sense,

Can't imagine how that much water would have gotten in there.

That hull is rated for 60 hp, right?
And your 40 jet only puts out 30 on a good day.

 

[Beagleville]

I think it's unlikely--not impossible, but unlikely--that you have over 400 lbs of trapped water in an aluminum boat. My seat-of-the-pants feeling is that your problem may be much more simple: Not enough motor for the job. It's a 16 1/2' boat with a modified V hull with a 40 hp jet. This could be difficult to plane no matter how light the load. Now, if it were flat-bottomed it would be a different story...it would pop up on the plane, but the deeper the V the more power is required. Having the helm located midships or perhaps even further aft exacerbates the problem. Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure, sorry.

 

[Shaddad1]

I think I may have as much as 485 pounds of water between my hull and deck. Here are the specifics. I have an Alumacraft VB 1650 RSC. It is a modified V with a tunnel hull. I have an Evinrude E-tec 40hp jet on it. The motor is not providing enough power to get it on plane. I should be getting 20mph, but I am only getting 12-15 mph, depending on how many people are on board and what they weigh. I had it weighed at a certified weigh station: 2,460 pounds. After subtracting the motor (260#), trailer (423#), spare tire (43#), trolling motor (40#), 3 batteries (170#), 9 gal gas and gas cans (90#), 4 boat seats (48#), anchor (15#), 2 tackle bags (31#), and contents of storage compartments (135#), I get a total of 1,205#. According to the specs on the Alumacraft website, this boat should weigh 720#. Thus, I have an unaccounted for extra weight of 485#!!!

So, my questions are: 1) What is included in boat weight of 720#? Side console? Storage compartment under seats? Seats? Sponsons? 2) How much is the extra weight for the high 27” transom? 3) Is there foam under the deck? What kind? 2-part poured in? Sprayed in? Foam sheets? Is there foam in the strakes? 4) This boat was partially flooded when I launched without putting in the plugs. Is there provision for water to flow out from between the deck and the hull or will it get trapped there? 5) How do I determine if there is water between the deck and the hull? If so, how would I remove it? 6) How would I take up the deck?

I spoke to Alumacraft Customer Service on July 26 and layed out the problem. The following day I got the following email: "Good Afternoon: It was nice to speak with yesterday. I have reached out to Tech Support regarding what we discussed. Once I have more information, I will follow back up. Thanks – Krystl, Alumacraft Customer Service." She never got back to me.

I have been trying to get back in touch with Alumacraft all month about this issue. Their customer service number (844-345-4277) is “disconnected or out-of-service”. They are not answering their main phone number (507-931-1050). They have not returned my email nor has BRP (their parent company) returned my email.

I know there is a lot of expertise among the posters on this board and I am looking for some suggestions of what I might do to resolve this issue. The motor has been checked out by a certified mechanic and he could find nothing wrong with it.

 

[Shaddad1]

First, thanks to all those who responded to my post. Your suggestions were very helpful. Now some answers to some of your questions.
I did try to join the Alumacraft owners forum. I applied for membership but have not yet heard back. I can only assume that the site was hacked along with the rest of Alumacraft and its parent company BRP.

The boat is an all-weld, so I can’t just drill out the rivets to remove the deck (rivets were used only to attach the side console).

There are small gaps where the deck is welded to the hull, so water can get in there. I have used the boat in saltwater for 2 months every winter for three years. After every day on the water, I hosed out the deck thinking it was a good idea to wash off the salt water. I suspect much of the water got in that way.

The boat is a 2018 model, bought new in 2019. When I first got it, it ran great: 20-22mph depending on passengers. Over time, it slowed down to 12mph and would not get up on plane if I had 400# worth of passengers and gear. That is what lead me to weigh the boat. The motor is a 60/40 so it should be putting out 40hp. In addition, the boat is a modified V, which, in this case, just means the hull in the bow is pointed. What is in the water is essentially a flat-bottom.

I had the motor checked out by a certified mechanic and the only thing he found wrong was the fact that the plugs were not “indexed”. After he indexed the plugs, I got 2mph better, but still could not get on plane with 400# of passengers. With just me (180#), I got on plane and got 20mph.

Now for what I have done: I took up the side console by drilling out the rivets. I then attempted to take out the deck. A skill saw with a metal blade worked best in cutting through the deck. I used a jig saw for the corners where I couldn’t use the skill saw. I tried an angle grinder with a cutting blade, but it was too hard to control. I cut around the entire deck about 3 inches from the gunwale and the platforms in the bow and stern. The deck would not come up because it was spot welded to the cross supports. Therefore, I had to cut a rectangle out between each pair of cross supports. Once that was done, with a lot of help from my energetic wife, we removed the foam. At a few places, the foam was soaked through, but mostly the water was in the lower half-inch layer of foam and between the foam and the aluminum hull and supports. I was not able to remove all the foam. Nooks and crannies under the supports still have some foam. Some of the foam was acting like a sponge and was soaked through, but I'm not sure there was 485# of water in the boat. I still don't know where the extra weight came from.

I bought a 77” x 48” piece of diamond plate aluminum, 0.063 thick ($500) to put over the holes I created in the deck. It will be painted with primer/etcher, then paint, and sealed before I pop-rivet it down. I have marine grade caulk to seal the edge of this plate, the gaps in the welds I noted above, and the pop-rivets. I was unable to get 0.10 aluminum plate. Supply-chain issues!

What to do about the foam in the 2 stern side compartments? I drilled a hole in the port side compartment. I then used a flexible drill bit extension and a wood drill bit to drill down through the foam to the hull and assess the condition of the foam. The foam was wet on the bottom 1/2 inch, but dry above that. I decided to leave that foam in place. I have ordered a 54" flexible drill bit extension which I will use to drill channels in the foam from the center of the boat to the stern, under the rear fishing platform. Hopefully, this will allow any water that gets in the boat in the future to drain to the bilge.

I plan to use a combination of blue polystyrene construction foam and foam pool noodles to replace the flotation foam before I cover the holes in the deck with the aluminum plate. To ensure that there is a channel for water and air to flow under the foam, I plan to cover the hull with plastic yard signs with plastic nuts under them for spacers to keep the signs off the hull. The foam will go on top of the yard signs.

So that’s the plan. You can check out the pic below to see the current status of the boat.

 

[jbcurt00]

Skip the pool noodles waste of money & space definitely no longer recommended

 

[airshot]

I have to ask...what is indexing the plugs ??

 

[airshot]

I have to ask...what is indexing the plugs ??

Just looked it up, at first thought it was a joke...guess it is a real thing.....learning something new everyday !!!!

 

[briangcc]

While you have the floor up and some of the foam out, I'd be tempted to launch it to see if I can find where the water is coming in. As a 4 year old boat probably shouldn't have waterlogged foam just yet.

I know its a bit late as we didn't have the year the boat was made but what is the Alumacraft warranty? I would think it'd still be under warranty and should have been covered by taking it to an authorized marina. Most are 5-10 year hull warranties. I might be looking into that if you haven't already.

 

[briangcc]

Answered my own question here...

Warranty Information - Alumacraft

Alumacraft stands behind all of its products. That‘s why we provide a wide-ranging Aluminum boat warranty will serve you well for years to come.

www.alumacraft.com

Now what tearing into the floor during the warranty period is going to do I cannot say.