Newbie Question

[jimmi]

I had to make the floor deck for my Suzumar out of ply wood as the ally deck got lost,
I have only had a couple of pics to use as reference so I am unsure if it is right. I have an inflatable keel which is under the deck.
When the boat and keel is inflated should the soft bottom be drum tight? because I have a 6hp two stroke which I have been told should be fast enough to get me on the plane, but I think the baggy bottom is slowing me down.

Please help as this is my first boat and I don't have a clue what I am doing!!

[RibinSpain]

yes a saggy bottom saps your energy!! It has to be really inflated or you won't be going anywhere fast. The inf keel lifts you onto the plane so any sagginess you just stick to the water.

[jyasaki]

Tighter the better, but there's only so much tightness you're going to get from the inflatable keel. I wouldn't say you'd get it "drum tight" as in feeling like a drumhead, but it shouldn't be loose. About like a taut bedsheet, as I recall.

The floorboards will sit between the tube bottom and the floor, so I can't see how you'd get the level too far wrong.


jky

[yoyo]

6 hp may be just to little power. I had a 9.8 on a Suzumar 290AL and it had plenty of power to plane.

[Locozodiac]

If your plywood has the exact same measurements of the original Suzumar including stringers and side joiners you wouldn't be experimenting cruise problems, the fabric floor tightness is given by the perfect fit well aligned tube/floor/top keel, not so much as having tubes correctly inflated, anyway won't know if a manometer is not used to check correct working inflated pressure on tubes and keel.

If you want sibbing perfection ,try to get help from sib mate that has exact sib model and takes the effort and willingness to help give exact measuremnts of plywood pannels, stringers and side joiners including pics. Will be much cheaper than to order original alum pannels that can cost as much as $ 500 depending on the model.

Happy Sibbing

[willk]

Ho! JSP will be along soonish, and half of this thread will be heading to the bilges .

[markg]

i had a similar problem, the causes were, the tubes were under inflated and the floor was sitting to high just forward of the transom letting the floor fabric balloon up just before planeing speed, if you look at the pic at the end of this thread you will see a timber batten running across the inside of the transom, i had to lower mine so that the floor fabric became taught when the air keel is inflated
http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32045