I am now a 7M owner.

[zip]

Willard 730.

Took delivery on Friday, but had friends in town over the weekend, and couldn't go out on it.
Had yesterday off, and just took it to the local boat ramp to get my trailer dialed in. Where does your boat sit on the trailer? I am around 5 inches off the back bunk. Should I move it forward? I was trying to avoid this, because I have to back the trailer further in to the water.

I'm presently keeping it on a trailer in a ghetto parking lot, so I remove the propeller, which is pretty easy. I went to West Marine to purchase another retaining clip for the nut on the prop, and they never heard of a Konrad outdrive. Thought I could possibly use a Bravo II, but they had none in stock.

I'm towing with a van that has a turbo 7.3 diesel, which handles the load just fine.

A little surprised that my tubes lost air over two days that it was parked, so it looks like I have my first project.

Hope to go out next weekend, and post up some good pics.

[Chris]

I hope that trailers got good brakes... !

[zip]

Chris,

Yep, I had all new brakes, master cylinder and bearings installed prior to purchase of my new boat.

[office888]

Originally Posted by zip

A little surprised that my tubes lost air over two days that it was parked, so it looks like I have my first project.

Do you have a pressure gauge?

[zip]

Yes, I do have a gauge, but never use it.
This is my fourth boat with tubes, so I think I have a pretty good idea on where o need to be for air pressure.

[office888]

Originally Posted by zip

Yes, I do have a gauge, but never use it.
This is my fourth boat with tubes, so I think I have a pretty good idea on where o need to be for air pressure.

Famous last words before someone brings me a boat with the rear underside seam ripped open due to underinflation...

Use the pressure gauge. Monitor the air leakage in each chamber. A 10% loss in 24 hr with an old hypalon boat is normal (or 20% sometimes!). For welded PVC / PU, then I'd say a 5% / 24 hr loss is acceptable.

[Bigtalljv]

Yeah, zip finally got a 7m!!!!

I'd check the balance on the trailer and tongue weight. I'm still working on mine but I have the OB on the back so it's really screwing things up. I think I need to move my axles back but I'm not sure how much. Generally I think it's a good idea to have the transom on the bunks although there isn't as much hanging off the back of yours.

Jason

[Andre]

Well done with your new purchase and I am sure you will have great fun. I am not too thrilled about the console but that is me. Will you be replacing it in the future?

[ncp]

If the boat hadn't been out in a couple of weeks, the tubes always required some air. If I was taking the boat out early in the morning and I had been out recently, they usually just needed a top off. If the boat had been out recently and I was later in the morning, they tubes were usually pretty full and tough to top off with the foot pump I had.

[jyasaki]

Congrats, Zip.

Are you saying the transom is 5 inches behind the bunks? If so, I'd say ideally, it needs to go forward (the "ideally" part due to the heavier construction may be able to handle that - most boats wouldn't. Also, not sure what the inboard does to stresses; would expect that it reduces the mass hung off the back by a good amount.)

As far as how deep you need to go to launch, maybe rollers on the front third of the support area? As the back of the boat floats, the rollers come into play. Something I've thought about for my trailer, but I'm not sure I could control it when launching/recovering solo, so haven't pursued it.

Anyway, get that thing out on the water and get us a report with pics.

jky

[ncp]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

As far as how deep you need to go to launch, maybe rollers on the front third of the support area? , get that thing out on the water and get us a report with pics.

Or, on the front half of the bunks, HDPE sheets screwed down (with countersunk stainless screws).

[Bigtalljv]

I have a trailer I hate that sits the boat up a good 6-8" higher than normal bunk trailers and I need to get my f250 rear tires just to the water. How deep are you getting?

[zip]

Richard,
My first boat was a SIB, and I had a gauge that was real cheap. I couldn't find anything better. I finally stopped using it, and just pumped up and hit the tube until it sounded like a drum. I guess I have just been lucky? I don't remember what my tubes are made of on my new boat, but I don't believe they are Hypalon or PVC. The are made by Wing. Any suggestions on a gauge?

Andre,
Hadn't really planned on doing anything with the console. What would I replace it with, tiller steering?

Tom,
So maybe they are just low, and may not have a hole somewhere?

Jason, JKY,
I concur that ideally I would like to have all of the boat on the trailer. When I took delivery it was hanging out even further. I could lift it off the hitch with one hand.

Jason,
I have only launched/retrieved it once, but my E350 tires were in the water, but not up to the wheel.

I am going to take a day off this week and get the DMV work done and work on the trailer a little more too. I hope to be able to take it out this upcoming weekend.
Thanks for everyone's input.

[Andre]

Originally Posted by zip

Richard,

Andre,
Hadn't really planned on doing anything with the console. What would I replace it with, tiller steering?

Thanks for everyone's input.

"Tiller steering" good joke

I am yet to see a nice and practical US made console. so far the ones on the Willard's are typical US military consoles cos most Willard ribs in private hands if not all are ex-military. A nice wide beam rib but a narrow console with little space for the navigation equipment

[zip]

aahh, got it.
The previous owner seemed to do a pretty good job with it.
It has a vhf, stereo, navigation screen, switches, and gauges.
Since I have only owned it a few days, no plans to change anything at this time.

[Andre]

Originally Posted by zip

aahh, got it.
The previous owner seemed to do a pretty good job with it.
It has a vhf, stereo, navigation screen, switches, and gauges.
Since I have only owned it a few days, no plans to change anything at this time.

Excellent, but keep the pictures coming

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by ncp

Or, on the front half of the bunks, HDPE sheets screwed down (with countersunk stainless screws).

Yup. That'll work as well.

The main problem with that (and my other suggestion) is getting friction to hold the boat in place when recovering. If you crank the boat forward into position, no problem; if you power load and tow forward to get the boat to stay, you may have problems (I do this occasionally, especially on busy slips with water movement and limited/no help.)

jky

[office888]

Originally Posted by zip

Richard,
My first boat was a SIB, and I had a gauge that was real cheap. I couldn't find anything better. I finally stopped using it, and just pumped up and hit the tube until it sounded like a drum. I guess I have just been lucky? I don't remember what my tubes are made of on my new boat, but I don't believe they are Hypalon or PVC. The are made by Wing. Any suggestions on a gauge?

If the boat is equipped with overpressure valves for each chamber, you can utilize those instead. However, you will need to use a pull-spring type weight gauge to ensure all of your OPVs pop at the correct pressure... kinda like portable luggage scales?

Then simply just inflate the boat until the OPV leaks and you'll be at the correct pressure.

If your tubes are Wing, they are welded polyurethane. Air retention should be quite good with less than 5% leakdown over 24 hours. Be sure to correct for barometer and pressure (-4 mb per -1c temp , -1 mb per -1 mb barometer). Spray the tubes with soapy water if you suspect a leak. Focus on seams first, high wear areas second.

[zip]

Jky,
Just loaded it once solo, and I cranked it all the way up, and drove up the ramp, and it stayed in place.

[zip]

Richard,
All chambers have the OPVs.
Aren't they supposed to release at 7-9, but recommended is around 3-3.5?