Zodiac Futura MKII Sport shaft length?

mgalvez · 26 August 2010, 04:10

Hi, I just purchased a Zodiac Futura MKII Sport. Its a 2002 model year. I removed the transom and repaired it as it was separating badly. Now I am looking for an outboard. I measured the center of the transom to the keel, and it measured 14 inches. The bottom of the speed pontoons sits at about 17 inches. Am I looking for a long or short shaft motor? I am thinking a 2 stroke 25hp, should that suffice?

mgalvez · 26 August 2010, 18:38

So I guess my question is this, do I measure from the center/top of the transom to the keel, or from the center/top of the transom to the bottom of the speed tubes? Any help would be awesome since I'm trying to get an outboard ASAP. I've already looked up how to measure this, but I'm unclear since this isn't a standard keel type boat.

The wizard of OZ · 26 August 2010, 20:33

I have a Futura sport and it works well with a long Shaft (20in) which Zodiac recommends in their product catalogues for Futuras. That said there seems to be a lot of variations to the norm of a long shaft engine. But I think it is safe to say a 20in leg will work without modifying any part of the boat structure.
Cheers,

spartacus · 26 August 2010, 20:34

Pretty sure the older-style Futura MkII (2002) takes a standard shaft outboard. The top of the anti-cavitation plate of the outboard should be in-line with the bottom of the keel, not the bottom of the speed tubes.

25hp is a good engine choice. We used to use a Yamaha 25hp 2-stroke (tiller control) with a Zodiac MkIIC GT and it used to fly with two-up. Maximum horsepower for MkIIC is 40hp and the MkII will take 50hp.

The new Futura (oversized tubes) now requires a long-shaft engine. Link and pictures here: http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20935

The wizard of OZ · 26 August 2010, 20:46

My Futura Sport is a 1989 and in the manual it states a long shaft with (20in.) in brackets.
That said the transom can be cut down to lower the leg of a short shaft low enough it does not cavitate. Tried a short shaft 50hp johnson on mine worked great idleing but cavitated instantly at any faster speeds.
I asume the 1989 would be similar to the 2002 from what I have read they did not change the tube size till later to accommodate heavy four strokes?
Just purcahse a long shaft 20in 1994 Johnson 50hp to replace the short shaft 50.
Cant wait.
Cheers

mgalvez · 26 August 2010, 23:35

Wow, I'm hearing contradicting info. I got a line on a 25hp longshaft (20") for a great deal. From the center of the transom, top to keel, it is about 14". From the center of the transom, top to bottom of speed tubes it is about 17". Can anyone else give me measurements of what their Futura's measure? I am especially interested in what people are running on older sports. Should I just get the outboard and try it out? How much could I get an extension for the transom to make it work if it does not work correctly?

m chappelow · 27 August 2010, 09:31

The problem with using a short shaft on a boat that says its recomended for a longshaft especially a sib ,is when the boat gets up on the plane or in tight turns or lumpy water the prop my not go deep enough and you can have problems with airating ,a lot depends on the underwater profile of the aft end on the keel and how deeper it is ,even though the transom may measure up as a short its how much the inflatable keel is in the water when up on the plane ,

mgalvez · 27 August 2010, 13:43

I've taken a look at the vin plate. Is it coded in there on what it should take? I don't want to buy a motor that will not work on there well. Any advise would be awesome.

kelson · 27 August 2010, 14:18

I have a 1999 Zodiac MK2 Futura S. The tubes are the old style, smaller diameter, with the pointy end cones. The transom is 14.5 inches from the top to the bottom edge of the keel bump. I run a 50 hp Nissan three cylinder two stroke outboard. It is a short shaft outboard. The manual for my Zodiac shows that the mk1, mk2c, mk2 and mk3 models in 1999 took short shaft outboards. It sure sounds like you need a short shaft outboard. Can you post a picture of the transom?

Your vin plate will show the max horsepower and weight for an outboard, but it does not indicate longshaft or short.

When up on a plane the keel stays on the water surface, the speed tubes do not raise the boat out of the water like a cataraman style inflatable.

slance · 27 August 2010, 14:37

I just checked the Zodiac 2002 brochure. It states that the MK2 Sport takes a 20" shaft. The Price List from 2002 also states that the Zodiac product code Z12501 & Z12505 take up to a 50hp Long Shaft.

Stephan

kelson · 27 August 2010, 16:44

Stephan,

That is why I like this site so much. Here we get the actual data for the year model described in the post! That is so cool.

I heard from mgalvez that he actually has a 99 (it's in storage). So it looks like he may need a short shaft. I am curious whether or not all Futuras in 99 had the same speed tube location as mine or whether some have the newer speed tube placement on the tubes. Does this affect the recommended shaft length? I really don't know. Here is a copy of my response to Mike. I thought it would be good to share.

Mike,
I'm glad you were able to get the right information. I am inserting two pictures of my outboard installation. You might want to note that my speed tubes are glued to the floor rather than the tubes (later boats had the wider set up). I don't know if that change influenced the recommended shaft length? What speed tube arrangement do you have?

My Nissan owners manual recommends that the anti ventilation plate be .4 - 1.2" below the bottom of the boat. It also recommends that the anti ventilation plate be below the waters surface when running at WOT. My anti ventilation plate actually rides in the depression created by the keel bump, but is not fully submerged (the edges are under water). The outboard is not sucking air into the cooling system so I'm not concerned. It is possible, with a bunch of weight forward at low speeds while turning, to get the prop to ventilate if I accelerate. But under normal operating conditions it is not a problem (including hole shots with a rider).

What sort of outboard are you looking for? Still going for a 25? Would you prefer a tiller or a remote control model? Power tilt? There are a lot of used outboards on Craigs List. I guess with the tight economy a lot of people are selling their toys. If you give me some specifics I will keep an eye out for you, but I highly recommend cruising the different coast cities CG listings. If you are looking for portability the smaller outboard is the way to go, but the Futura rocks with a bigger outboard. I have a 40 hp Nissan three cylinder with remote control and power trim. It is heavy!

I reglued my transom myself too. I'm glad it was solid so I didn't have to replace it! I also reglued some edges on the speed tube case, a section of the floor to tube seams and my front ring patch. The whole thing has held up for something like 4 years so far and it gets abused! I hope you have as much fun with your boat as I do and feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

mgalvez · 27 August 2010, 21:11

Kelson, you are the man! Tomorrow I'm going to see the boat and I will post pictures of my set up. I plan on towing the boat to Baja, so I wanted to go as light as possible. I wish I could find a 30 or 35hp, especially since I plan to eventually dive from the boat. The boat has an aluminum floor, and will need to have a tiller setup.

These problems seem super common on these boats. My two front d rings need to be replaced as well. The floor is starting to separate in a couple of spots. The transom repair has come out very well so far and I should be done by Sunday. The boat will be like new when I am done.

I've been searching for a couple of weeks on Craigslist, but everything is too expensive or long shaft. I am located in Diamond Bar, Socal. If anyone hears about a motor for sale, please let me know. I don't want to miss this summer! I will post some pics tomorrow.

mgalvez · 30 August 2010, 04:32

Here are some images of the boat, sorry for the low quality.

Here is how I got it.

Here is what it looks like after I repaired it.

Here are some of the transom.

Here is the plate.

The boat is actually supposed to be a 99' Futura MKII Sport. I am now looking for an outboard. Cannot wait to get it on the water.

kelson · 30 August 2010, 14:49

Your repair job sure looks good! I sure wish mine came just unglued. I bought it with all sorts of nasty globbed on attempted and completed repairs. It does seem to be a common problem with PVC boats that the glued bonds will fail eventually particularly when stored in a really hot place. I made some initial repairs, but it was towing over dirt roads and running out through surf in Mexico that really found where my Zodiac needed more work. It was nice to have the security of an inflatable when my floor started leaking a couple of miles off Abreojos! After a couple of trips it seems that I have found all of the unreliable glue bonds. If your floor to tube seams are separating (not unusual) be sure to pull on the material and see if you can get more of the seam to open up. It was disheartening to see how far my floor came off when I worked on it. I pulled as hard as I could without damaging the PVC top coat (if you pull too hard on good seam bond you can tear the top coat off the fabric itself). Be sure to fill the boat with some water and look for leaks. The bottom floor wrap onto my transom seaped water on my boat. I didn't realize that until I did the bathtub test. I also had some small leaks where the floor, glued to the tubes, passed over a tube seam. The surrounding floor was well bonded and I had to wiggle a screw driver in to open up the leaking spot enough to seal it with glue. I had a lot of people tell me to trash the boat, but I just tested and addressed all of the weak bonds. I put a lot of work into my Futura, but as I said it has held up very well and none of my repaired seams has failed. No thermobonded tube seam has ever failed so I have always felt safe in the Zodiac.

Don't ignore your trailer! I have seen many boats on trailers on the side of the road in Mexico. Before I went south I replaced all of the u bolts holding my trailer together with stainless steel u bolts, I repacked my bearings and I added a reinforcing piece of galvanized angle iron to the tongue bar side rails junction. If you can see flex in your trailer joints when you apply a load you might want to address that before you go.

If I had the money I might have bought a new inflatable, but I got a good deal on the Zodiac with trailer and EPTO outboard and the effort was worthwhile for me! A smaller outboard will work great for you if you aren't in a huge hurry to get anywhere. I like my 40, but we wakeboard and hydrofoil behind the boat so it was necessary. I'll PM you if I see a good outboard deal.

Northern Pike · 30 August 2010, 15:58

Judging by the year and the notched out transom I would say you need a short shaft. Mine's a 2001 and it doesn't have that cut-out in the top of the transom. Its a long shaft. My previous older MKIIC had the cut-out and it was short shaft. I asked about that when I bought the new one. Reading spec.s and catalogues will confirm that they went to long shafts on several models around 2000/2001, that previously had short shafts.
I had 25 hp on my MKIIC and would do about 23 mph with two divers and cold water gear (heavy weight belts), about 25 max. It was a Classic: no speed tubes.
From 25 hp up might mean 1 more cylinder. More weight for lugging around, but more speed is always nice. A 25 is easily managed by one guy. I always lifted it on and off myself, but only once a year. I need a hoist to lift off my 40.
The last 2 digits of your serial number are the year.

mgalvez · 31 August 2010, 23:32

Thanks everyone for their input! I have been hot in the pursuit of some outboards, but no luck as of yet. Where exactly are the serial numbers on these boats? Im definitely am looking for a 30hp + motor now. I really want to be able to move when conditions allow. I finished the transom, and so far it looks real strong. I am tearing on the floor in the front now. Hopefully I can finish this week or next. Kelson, I just noticed that my trailer was kind of weak in a few spots. I'm going to add some reinforcements before I do any dirt roads for sure. For Baja, I feel that the weight of these boats is the biggest advantage. Less wear and tear on the tow vehicle!

Northern Pike · 01 September 2010, 02:13

Ser. # is on the rectangular plate on outside of the transom, starboard side.

captnjack · 01 September 2010, 02:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelson

Don't ignore your trailer! I have seen many boats on trailers on the side of the road in Mexico. Before I went south I replaced all of the u bolts holding my trailer together with stainless steel u bolts, I repacked my bearings and I added a reinforcing piece of galvanized angle iron to the tongue bar side rails junction. If you can see flex in your trailer joints when you apply a load you might want to address that before you go.

x2
Replace any remotely bent or undersized U bolts and get the largest size which will fit the bunk slots. I drilled out the backing plates to upsize mine. Also check the bearings. Up here I find that I don't need to repack them (ever) but I do inject fresh grease annually pushing out the iffy broken down grease in the process.

Northern Pike · 01 September 2010, 02:58

Bearings don't take up much room. Carry some spares. When on a longer trip, I carry 2 complete spare hub assemblies. Haven't had to use them yet, but easier to pop one on than to re/re bearing sets. Also covers you for cracked hub, broken stud, etc.

mgalvez · 08 September 2010, 03:49

Alright guys. I finally finished all the repairs. I just took a look at two motors. Which would you choose and why. One is a 1992 Yamaha 40hp short shaft, it is really extremely clean...only bummer is that its a pull start. Second is a Evinrude 40hp short shaft with electric start. The case on this motor looks like crap, but under the cowl, it looks brand new and has just been serviced. Both of these have no rust and have been tested. Which would you buy?