Is this boat going to kill me?

[barfly5432]

finally restored my johnson 15hp for my 13.5 fiberglass boat. Took it out and it is scary on this bought. i weigh 250 lbs. This boat has no problem getting me on plane but when it does it starts slamming up and down n the water I can actually feel the fiberglass flexing like a wave. is this normall. will it even out. should i reinforce my boat

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Porposing? Slamming up and down? The bow? If so tuck your motor under a bit more, and/or get some weight up front.

 

[bigfamlittleboat]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

View attachment 163083
finally restored my johnson 15hp for my 13.5 fiberglass boat. Took it out and it is scary on this bought. i weigh 250 lbs. This boat has no problem getting me on plane but when it does it starts slamming up and down n the water I can actually feel the fiberglass flexing like a wave. is this normall. will it even out. should i reinforce my boat

can you take a picture of back of boat (stern) dosnt sound like motor sitting deep enough.

 

[barfly5432]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

short shaft on 18" transom. I will take pic. be right back

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

any boat can kill you if you don;t know what you are doing.

Put some weight toward the bow (front) including your 250# self,since you don't have a battery or carry much gas with a 15.

 

[barfly5432]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

 

[southkogs]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

What HP is the boat rated for? Maybe you're overpowered.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Did someone remove a seat? It appears that the boat has allot of unsupported hull sides and yes that can kill you. You need to wear a PFD at all times and have the kill lanyard hooked to your vest.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Motor Shaft is correct length. Hp is prolly at the top of the range for a 13 footer. Like George says make sure you're running the motor with her tilted in all the way and locked down.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Kill switch bother, kill switch.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Did someone remove a seat? It appears that the boat has allot of unsupported hull sides and yes that can kill you. You need to wear a PFD at all times and have the kill lanyard hooked to your vest.

Ayuh,.... Agreed,.... It looks flimsy, 'n over-powered with that 6hp in the picture....

A 15hp on my Mirrocraft 12' tugboat would be a White-knuckle ride,.... with the 7.5hp, it's Very trim sensitive...
'n a White-knuckle ride,... if ya want it to be....

Have ya tried different trim settin's,..??

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

I have a 12' f/g like that too - rated for 6hp

put a 5 on it - will barely plane but controllable
put a 6hp -will barely plane, hard to control
put a 7.5 on it - death machine - cannot control it.

now it has oars

 

[barfly5432]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Thanks all. took wife on boat WOT pushed us along nice but the boat felt flimsy. you can actually see the slight v-hull push up and go completely flat on plane. going to beef up and move seat up to center with a pulley rope stick steer.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Agreed, there doesn't seem to be any support in the center of the boat. Is that how you bought it?

In any case, just because you've got all 15hp doesn't mean that you need to use it. It's only going to be scary if you push it to scary speeds.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Is that a homebuilt hull? It looks like some of the stitch and glue designs that use 1/4 plywood encased in FG.

You could also put a seat/support in the middle and use a tiller extension handle to bring the weight forward.

 

[barfly5432]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

yeah I bought it that way. It had seats and other things removed before I got it. I was looking for a hull I could build my way. Does anyone know any sites to help me beef this wimpy boat up?

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Are you sure it is FG? it may be plywood with an epoxy resin coating and FG and a resin paste on the seams. You could build a seat that sits in the middle to add rigidty using plywood supports that conform to the hull shape. You would attach this to the gunnels and bottom via FG strips, and a misture of wooddust and epoxy resin. then top the frames with a plywood or other seat base coated in the resin.

Search on stitch and glue boat building and you will find resources on this construction technique.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

Probably about the max hp, but it should be fine, assuming the hull is sound. If you're 250# and alone in the stern with the motor and gas, etc...that's way too much weight in the rear. You can use a tiller extender (mine is made of PVC) to move forward in the boat and/or add ballast to the bow to even things out a bit. The anti-vent plate on the motor should be level, or slightly higher than the keel of the boat. Trimming the motor in (towards the transom) will help keep the bow down, while trimming it out (away from the transom) will raise the bow. You'll just have to do lots of trial and error to find the best set up.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

yeah I bought it that way. It had seats and other things removed before I got it. I was looking for a hull I could build my way. Does anyone know any sites to help me beef this wimpy boat up?

Don't really need another site - add a seat in the middle - that should tighten it up. I would glass the seat supports to the side of the hull and fasten the seat to the supports securely.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Is this boat going to kill me?

yeah I bought it that way. It had seats and other things removed before I got it. I was looking for a hull I could build my way. Does anyone know any sites to help me beef this wimpy boat up?

Uhhh iboats!!! Boat Restoration, Building, and Hull Repair