Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

[ddywz]

Hello. I'm new to this forum and new to boating too. By April of this year I decided to buy a new Zodiac Futura MKIII from defender store in CT. I had a hard time locating a Honda Outboard 50hp for it. No one would sell a Honda outboard over 20Hp. I guess this is the limit for portability. If you want engine over 20Hp you have to take the boat to the shop so they can install it for you. At least this is Honda's policy. Anyway, got my brand new BF50D Honda 20inch shaft engine and will be installing it this weekend. Had a question regarding the rear of this boat. I noticed that when I inflate the keel and the two damping buoyancy mechanism the end of them by the transom really pull hard on the plastic lock pin. If I release this lock pin and remove the flap then these inflate properly and look nice. My question is for normal operation of the boat should the flaps be closed and the lock pin inserted or should they stay open? The manual says to open these only when you do cleaning. I really feel bad looking at the end of tube as it inflates and pulls so hard on locking pin. Anyone has an opinion or recommendation for this?

Thanks!

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

Welcome to Iboats,

You should go by owners manual recommendations or ask dealer boating department about your worries, how much pressure are you pumping into lower speed tubes ? Are those rated to 3.0-3.5 PSI as main tubes or higher ? Are you using a pressure gauge to monitor tubes & speed tubes proper PSI inflation ?

Don't know much about speed tubes on this model sib, is inflation done in same speed tubes or it's done through alum deck inflation valves ? For your peace of mind and being 100% shure lower speed tubes won't pop out at speed, you can unlock them.

Happy Boating

 

[ddywz]

Re: Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

Welcome to Iboats,

You should go by owners manual recommendations or ask dealer boating department about your worries, how much pressure are you pumping into lower speed tubes ? Are those rated to 3.0-3.5 PSI as main tubes or higher ? Are you using a pressure gauge to monitor tubes & speed tubes proper PSI inflation ?

Don't know much about speed tubes on this model sib, is inflation done in same speed tubes or it's done through alum deck inflation valves ? For your peace of mind and being 100% shure lower speed tubes won't pop out at speed, you can unlock them.

Happy Boating

Thanks for your reply.
The manual does not say much. Yes the psi is the same 3.48 PSI as the main tubes but separate chambers. The valves for these damping buoyancy are on back side of the transom. There are separate valves to inflate these. Yes, the boat came with a gauge monitor. In addition I purchased the BTP12 12 Volt Inflation 2 stage Pump with Gauge. This is very good as you can set the PSI to where you want it and the pump will stop when the pressure is reached. Using the foot pump is a joke for this size boat.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

Which is your main worry, the lock pin will break or speed tubes will be punctured in some way, can you post pics of rear speed tubes, inflation valves, lock pin ? Standard delivered pumps usuall are smaller in size, just for basic time demanding inflation...

Happy Boating

 

[zwapp420]

Re: Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

Hello. I'm new to this forum and new to boating too. By April of this year I decided to buy a new Zodiac Futura MKIII from defender store in CT. I had a hard time locating a Honda Outboard 50hp for it. No one would sell a Honda outboard over 20Hp. I guess this is the limit for portability. If you want engine over 20Hp you have to take the boat to the shop so they can install it for you. At least this is Honda's policy. Anyway, got my brand new BF50D Honda 20inch shaft engine and will be installing it this weekend. Had a question regarding the rear of this boat. I noticed that when I inflate the keel and the two damping buoyancy mechanism the end of them by the transom really pull hard on the plastic lock pin. If I release this lock pin and remove the flap then these inflate properly and look nice. My question is for normal operation of the boat should the flaps be closed and the lock pin inserted or should they stay open? The manual says to open these only when you do cleaning. I really feel bad looking at the end of tube as it inflates and pulls so hard on locking pin. Anyone has an opinion or recommendation for this?

Thanks!

Those 'locking pins' as you refer to are actually called Barbells which have multiple uses in the Zodiac line. These are meant to stay closed I guess you could say when you are using the boat. You can take them off to remove the speed tube and clean the inside of the chamber however, that may be done only once a year. These barbells are very strong and I have never seen one break or snap in half. the MK III Futura is an awesome boat !!! Do you have the centre console and bench seat to go along with it, or is your Honda a tiller ?

 

[ddywz]

Re: Question on damping buoyancy mechanism on Zodiac Futura MKIII with aluminum floor

Those 'locking pins' as you refer to are actually called Barbells which have multiple uses in the Zodiac line. These are meant to stay closed I guess you could say when you are using the boat. You can take them off to remove the speed tube and clean the inside of the chamber however, that may be done only once a year. These barbells are very strong and I have never seen one break or snap in half. the MK III Futura is an awesome boat !!! Do you have the centre console and bench seat to go along with it, or is your Honda a tiller ?

They look ok now. Initially they seemed to not fit right but after using the boat several times all looks good. Yes, I got the center console for it and 2 of aluminum benches but could not get the red covers. The seats are grey but that is ok. I also got the all aluminum trailer for it from trailex. I really love it and is very light. The engine works great and just reached its first 10 hours after 2 months using it on weekends on some lakes I have around. Will do its first oil change after Labor's day weekend.

Here are some pics of it on first day launched at Blue Marsh Lake.