Boat weight question

[CP]

Here an informative video on where RH puts the foam in their boats and some issues with water drainage.  Not the same model but I'd bet they use the same techniques in all their models.

 

[Fishstiq]

My boat, new and totally empty, was 5580lbs with trailer. Add fuel and all the gear for fishing (downriggers, tackle, safety gear, coolers with ice that I never need cause I don't catch anything, lunches, snacks, water.....) And I was up to 6380lbs, an 800lb gain. 504 of that was fuel. So, roughly 300lbs of gear.

600+ pounds you can't account for, man that's a lot of weight. Water is what, a little over 8lbs/gallon?  I'd have to echo what others have said and look into water under the floor and possibly in any foam. Let us know when you get it sorted, I'd love to hear where it's all coming from.

Also +1 for Six Roblees, never used them for boat stuff but I've done plenty with them for truck stuff and they've always been square with me.

[Ridgeratt]

Id guess you could contact Ez-Loader in Spokane and get a torsion axle set up for it. Their web site has all the parts. appears most of it is bolt up.   

If you use your "friend" Google it shows the link.

[Stein]

Here an informative video on where RH puts the foam in their boats and some issues with water drainage.  Not the same model but I'd bet they use the same techniques in all their models.

Thanks CP, it gives me a target to look at.  The bow of mine is completely different, no foam on the hull but the back is probably similar with the exception of the huge gas tank down the middle.  I would say most of the foam is above deck, they foam out the gunnels on both sides and then two huge chunks above the deck under the back.  There is barely room for the battery back there and a tiny opening to the bilge.

I know the boat doesn't leak, zero water is ever in the bilge unless I'm washing the deck down or bringing water in by crabbing or swimming.

It will be interesting to see what the manufacturer says about their dry weight number.  They give a single number for that model but there are multiple configurations.  I have big stainless fish box up front and a couple of other options so that is probably some of the weight.

Boats that size are very weight sensitive and I know I haven't lost any mpg or top end speed as the engine syncs to the Mercury app which gives me all the data.  I'm still getting 6.5 mpg at cruising speed loaded, just like when it was new so I don't think there is an extra 300-600 pounds under the deck or I would certainly see it in performance and economy.

Regarding the other post about Six Roblees, I had a spring issue last year, drove it down there and they guy was even reluctant to come out and look.  He looked for about two seconds and walked back in the store and said "I can't help you."  OK, I get it, they don't sell the spring I need.  I followed him in and said what if we pull all that stuff off down to the bare frame, what would it cost for you guys to weld on new hangers and put new springs and a new axle on there.  He said "no, can't be done."  The current suspension is all bolted on to the frame, so I could have a clean frame in 20 minutes and they obviously had zero interest in even selling the stuff or doing the work, so I'm not sure what their problem was.

I'll pull some deck out today and see for sure one way or another.  My current guess is the factory dry weight number isn't accurate for my model year with my options.

[Stein]

Well, me wishing for dry foam was not effective.  The good news is the design is pretty cool, there is a channel running on both sides to divert water from the deck to the bilge.  You can see it on the left.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stein]

The bad news is there is nothing in the front to keep water out of the foam channel.  Every time I hosed the boat out, it ran straight into the foam channel.  The piece you see that stops in the middle there is the front of the channel that runs the length of the boat I mentioned last post.

Not the best design.




Good news is the boat is aluminum so I just need to rip it out, fix the front to prevent the problem and pour new foam in.

I also pulled 100.1 pounds of gear out and there is plenty still in the boat so those numbers were off.  The extra seats were heavier and I forgot about the fabric top as well.  Looks to be a combination of extra options, more gear and water.

I’ll weigh the foam I pull out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chiwawadan]

Interesting thread to a boat noob such as myself. Appreciate threads like this.

Best of luck cleaning that all up, Stein.

[fishngamereaper]

I'm sure your plywood floor weighs twice as much as it's supposed to..

That foam to aluminum contact creates hidden corrosion so look for pitting. I wouldn't put similar foam back in..some sort of closed cell product works best..even the pink foundation insulation works better.

[Stein]

I'm sure your plywood floor weighs twice as much as it's supposed to..

That foam to aluminum contact creates hidden corrosion so look for pitting. I wouldn't put similar foam back in..some sort of closed cell product works best..even the pink foundation insulation works better.

Yeah, I did some quick googling and found people using the sheet foam from Home Depot, pool noodles and even ping pong balls.  My thoughts now are that it's going to be hard to keep those two foam channels completely dry with a three piece floor.  There are the two joints running across the floor as well as the floor to channel seal.  Over engineering would be to seal the foam channel, pour foam and then fiberglass over the top and then the floor on top of that but I don't think fiberglass will bond to aluminum well, not to mention problems with flexing.

I wish I could replicate crab floats, those things absorb nothing even when in the water for a long, long time.  I think they might have some type of cover over the foam to protect them or I could just cut up a bunch and jam them in there.

A final crazy thought is a bunch of yoga blocks, but they are pretty expensive in quantity.

Anyway, cheaper than a new trailer and will keep me out of trouble the next few days that are supposed to be windy and rainy.

[CP]

Now I want to pull the floor boards from my RH and peak underneath.  I've been wanting to change the foam in my Arima for years but there is no easy way to get in there.

[Stein]

Total foam weight was only 65.8 pounds, maybe 10% saturated, 60% wet and 30% dry.

The hull design is such that water sits in there when it’s on the trailer.  Here is how far I had to lift it to drain it all out the back.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stein]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stein]

Some weight will come out, but mostly this fixed the problem before it was real bad.  The floor boards are pretty heavy, I will probably replace with new ones varnished don’t they don’t absorb water.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stein]

I’ll finally get to address this mess as well, I didn’t have room when I put it in to do it right.  It wasn’t that bad, I had to disconnect everything to get the floor out.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[huntnphool]

 Glad you got it figured out, nothing like "while you're in there" projects!