My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Thank you DRat I will make sure that when the fuel tank guy comes over we really look at extra tank securement I did think of that and was going to pose the question to him about using a 3/4 chunk of wood under the tank attached to the exsisting piece to help .I will see what he says but I think your right I have to take super extra precaution here.

Do you think I should get those smart Tabs for my boat?

I will pick up one of those Transom savers for sure.



Cheers azlakes,

Unfortunately I live in Hinton alberta Canada so no big ocean water close only heaven sent fishing and some smaller skiing lakes.

But not to worry once this boat is built tested and true I will be making a trip down south to hit some some big ocean waves most likely next summer.

I really want to go to BC and explore the kettle river also the elk river in Fernie BC. Then further south around Vancouver and Tofino maybe do some whale watching and some wave Riding

I am so pumped how would the "Yak" stand up to Killer whales swimming all around it.That would be a Rush.

Well if they get aggressive I will just out run em.LOL

Regards David

 

[azlakes]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Cheers azlakes,

Unfortunately I live in Hinton alberta Canada so no big ocean water close only heaven sent fishing and some smaller skiing lakes.

LOL, by "sea trial" I just meant get the vessel water bound and breaking the wake when your O/B gets in! Sounds awesome where your at, look forward to pics when your reeling them in! Congrats again...

AZ

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Sounds like you have a good start on getting your zodiac set up. I only had a 12 gallon tank attached to the second wood section, but it was not a problem and I have launched off more than one large wave (when the surf is overhead even a cautious line is exciting). You will find that the front section of the boat is fine for riders when it's relatively calm. If it gets choppy or there are waves the ride up forward is not great. The bow, even with smart tabs and weight forward can be pretty rough. You will see how the deal goes when you get the boat on the water. If it gets too rough I make my crew sit on the tubes in the back. Sort of messes with the weight distribution, but it is much more stable than the bow. Just watch the conditions and adjust accordingly. On the bay I usually don't have any problem. I'm not sure how heavy the aluminum checker plate is. You don't want to add too much weight to your overall load (forward yes, extra heavy no). My thinwall tank would not make a good load bearing surface. Maybe adding an internal wall section with openings for flow would support the weight better. Remember, aluminum has good strength, but does not like to be flexed excessively or it will crack. Your plan may work fine, but I would never stand or sit on my aluminum tank. Personally, If I was going to do the mod you propose I would go with a regular aluminum 10 to twelve gallon tank fastened to the floor board. Then I would put a bench over it. I bought a scrap piece of aluminum c section from my local industrial metal supply. Makes great bench supports. Could be used as is for the wood section. I had to cut and bolt two pieces together (with the top cut off each c) to make an s shape support for bolting to my aluminum floor board. That put the edges of the support under the original bench on the top and wide enough to attach to my backing plates in the floor that key into my side rails. My current bench is wider than stock to take advantage of the extra clearance since it has been raised. Probably wouldn't need an s section support now. I made the bench out of marine plywood sealed with polyurethane topside paint. Here is an image of the stock c section and a photo of the installed s shaped support. I stand on my bench frequently so it had to be rock solid.

I ended up building supports to raise my bench because I wanted it to be high enough to comfortably steer when standing in addition to accomadating the tank and battery. If you just need a little extra height for your battery it is easy to put an aluminum spacer on the bench bottom between the wood and the slanted supports. Easy to gain a couple of inches if necessary.

The transom saver is just to support your engine when towing. I carry my engine tilted up to maximize ground clearance when traveling offroad. The tilted outboard exerts quite a bit of torque on the transom when it bounces up and down (lot's of leverage). The transom saver doesn't eliminate all of that dynamic loading, but sure reduces the effect. I'm not trying to promote West Marine, but their website is a great place to look at boating hardware that you need a picture and description of. Here is a shot of my transom saver.

Don't stress too much about getting everything perfect right off. You will be stoked to get out on the water and experience will guide you. I've changed my set up more than once. A lot of what I've done is dictated by my wakeboarding needs. Try a hole shot with your new outboard, no smart tabs, weight aft and be sure to hold on! I was disappointed in my Zodiac until I took the steps to get it right. Bow rise is now minimal. I was moving to Seattle and looked forward to hitting Vancouver island, but Washington Mutual folded and now I'm staying in San Diego (rough life). Barkley Sound sure looks like fun and might be worth a road trip when my wife finds a new job. Otherwise it's cheap camping in Mex for us. Be prepared when hitting open waters and watch out for boomers. Conditions change fast on the coast and the cold water is unforgiving.

Drowned Rat, I am definitely considering a 10 micron fuel water separator. The advice I got was to avoid the 2 micron filters because they pulled out every little bit of water and particulates. I understand that this can lead to filter issues very quickly. Your scheduled maintenance replacement is the norm. Still, if you fuel someplace suspect a funnel filter can keep the water and junk from even entering your system. An absolute must have item in Mex that experienced fishermen I know use even with a permanent filter installed.

Hope everyone is having fun! I'm going to check the surf report and tides. Might be a good day to hit the Point. see ya!

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Nobrainsd

Is it that important that I ground the aluminum tank to the battery?

Update so far is that the welder has my rear double seat and has made a very sharp looking aluminum tank that fits under seat perfectly that has the sliding legs welded to it he has made a small compartment in the front corner for my battery storage with a nice little support bracket. The fuel capacity should be 12+ Gallons when finished.

I really like what he has done because the tank is welded lke a factory piece it can be removed and repostioned anytime with the factory slides. This will be very handy in the life of the boat for different applications.

He has also cut a 2 inch hole from the fiberglass between the seats and has a very nice fuel cap so to fuel I just remove the breather cap and fuel no mess or fuss.

As soon as tank is finished I will post the pics so far it looks fantastic.


Cheers David

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Thought you might like a heads up on an issue I have found. I was inspecting my boat and found significant wear on the support and track for my heavier suspension seat/bench combination. After two years of abuse I see that this is going to need some attention. Clearly the heavier weight of the seats, plus the two individual passenger weights along with the dynamic loading running over waves has worn the two components. Since there is some play in the track/support edge bearing surfaces I get some twist in the assembly under load. Whether the added seat weight, the rough use or the single fastening bolt on the bench bottom are the main contributors to this twist in the seat assembly I can't say. But you might want to be aware of the issue and keep an eye out for wear. With your tank fitted low and welded between the two supports you may have a more rigid structure and less leverage. I do like the adaptability of the track system and use it a lot for strapping things down, but will consider a backing plate mount for my surf seats. I intend to maintain it's easy removal by having the backing plates bolted into place so I can remove the fixed supports and just reinstall the smooth headed bolts into the floor to fill the holes. This might not be necessary for your use Trout Enemy, but I wanted to post these pics so you can be informed. Sorry for the mildly out of focus images, my camera doesn't have macro. I am sure there are other options to make the track support interface more snug, but I'm just starting to contemplate the issue. The play in the assembly always concerned me, so I wasn't totally surprised to see wear.

The left edge of the support track edge is worn down.

The track is clearly worn by the support twisting under load.

Yes, You really should ground your aluminum tank to your batteries negative terminal. Without a proper ground you can get sparks from contact with other metal or charged objects. This is particularly an issue when refueling. Gas stations have incorporated a ground wire into their pump nozzles, so sparking is not as prevalent as in the past, but basic precautions are prudent. Ungrounded tanks (including plastic tanks) should be removed from the vessel and placed on the ground to refill. This is actually a law in CA. Have a small tab welded onto your tank and it's easy to connect your ground wire.

 

[thegreatpiscator]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

I would advise you against using a "ski-post, or eye." Your boat is already going to be high-powered, and when you punch the throttle, there are going to be be tremendous forces exerted on the transom. I would recommend rigging a bridle of some sort, placing your line of pull as close to the waters surface as possible. Understand that your lower unit, in essence, is trying to climb up and under your transom, as a result of the thrust from the prop. I would recommend placing some weight forward when pulling a skier, and also figuring out a way of "beefing up" your transom. A pair of rods attached to the top edge of the transom and fixed somewhere in the vicinity of the seats base might be satisfactory. I have observed stress-wear on the tubes on several inflatables, just forward of the transom, both above and below the water-line. I witnessed this first-hand when I was serving in the Navy, on a 16 foot inflatable with a 50 horse tiller Merc.

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Ha, ha ha... everything I do puts stress on the transom! Placing your tow eyes at water level will just stress the heck out of your body when trying to launch. Certainly there is an issue of leverage when using any pole or extension. But the whole glued on transom design concept is going to be problematic in the long run even if you do nothing but hang an outboard off it and putt around in flat water. My boats original owner just fished with it on lakes and bays. The transom delaminated over time regardless. The safest course is to just leave the inflatable stored in the garage...

Might help if I had skinnier friends...

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

That is an awesome picture Nobrainsd.

I am going to start with the same set up as DRat has and if that doesnt work I will look at the tower option that you have.

It snowed a foot here last night so I am just drooling when I see pics like that . Summer is still 2 months away.

Thanks for posting gets the blood pumping.

You are very lucky to have such awesome weather.

Thanks for the post on slide wear I will monitor closely all summer.

Can you post a close up of the bottom of the tower and how you mounted so I have an idea..


Cheers and I wish safe fun boating upon you..

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

I don't have a tall tower or a pylon on my boat. I just have a short pole that just raises the tow line enough to clear the outboard. Sure does make it easier to get up and out of the water, but doesn't require additional straps to the front or side of the boat which you will see on some hard bottom boat tall pylon installations. If you go with a bridal I would put your forged eye bolts near the top of the transom. It isn't that bad to launch. I looked at pole installations on other hard bottom boats and was surprised to see that many did not have extensive backing plates or any other reinforcement where they attach to the floor. The real key is to rake the pole forward a little in keeping with the instructions from the manufacturer. With the hollow aluminum floor on the futura I still wanted to avoid any flexing of the deck at that attachment point. So I installed an aluminum plate across the deck. It bolts into backing plates inside the hollow floor section. These plates extend to the edge of the floor section with the side caps on. This way they effectively key into the side rails that give the aluminum floor sections their rigidity and strength. I also used this method to fasten my modified bench/console and tank/battery combo. I have not found any evidence of flexing or cracking around my bench/console/battery/tank. Obviously, tight assemblies that don't rock or have any play are much less likely to cause problems. The original boat owner had a bait tank bolted directly to the floor and the attachment points deformed the floor and there were some small cracks where the holes were drilled. I don't consider the aluminum floor top sheet by itself an adequate place to fasten anything with much weight or leverage. Wish I had done something to make my bench/track attachment point more secure in the very beginning. I did consider adding a clamp to the the support... oh well. Here are some images of the floor attachment method I have used. The pole assembly attaches to plastic mounts with pins so it easy to remove. I walk around that space when the pole is removed and the mount/plate aren't a real problem for me. The bolts for the mount come up through the cross plate. The heads are counter sunk and there are no holes into the floor except where the backing plates are secured. While I have wear on my track I have not found any evidence of cracking or wear around any piece of equipment fastened with keyed backing plates.

Here is the floor section with the side caps removed and the cross plate positioned (the caps are easily removed with a leather mallet)

The backing plates fitted into the hollow floor sections.

The pole assembly in place. Note the forward rake.

It's also a great place for rod holders when fishing.

I considered tapping the backing plates, but chose to use stainless self locking nuts for strength. The trick was to use a plate that was not too thick. I drilled a shallow hole for the nut to fit into a little, leaving enough nut exposed to use a open wrench on. I put a piece of masking tape on the face of the wrench, pressed the nut into the jaws of the wrench where it was held in place by the tape. Slid the wrench/nut/tape combo into the narrow slot between the floor and the plate and inserted the bolt to capture the nut. Without the tape it was almost impossible to get the nut into position without losing it. Just a suggestion. Since I want to make my new bench support assembly removable and the plates don't stay in position when unbolted I am just going to add a bolt from the top that will hold the plate in position when the seat support is removed.

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Good Day Gents Long Time No Talk.

Well finally my fuel tank will be ready next week.And my motor is in and ready to be mounted to Transom.

I need some help or suggestions. The dealer wants to drill big *** holes in the transom and mount the motor permanently. Should I let him do this or should I seek an alternative way to mount the motor it is a 50HP Evinrude ETec DLS.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I will have some knarly pictures attached when complete it is gonna look sexy..


Summer is here very very soon.

Cheers David

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

I would definitely through bolt a 50 hp outboard. My 40 is through bolted and I can't imagine launching off waves with only the clamps holding it in place. Originally the bolts were only backed by large washers on the inside of the transom. The original holes were drilled at a little bit of an angle and the washers dented the transom after I got the boat and put it through some stress testing. I have added plates on the inside to keep the bolts from damaging the transom. I really look forward to seeing some pictures of your new boat set up and hope your futura is as much fun for you as mine is for me!

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Hello Nobrainsd,

Hope you have been boating and enjoying that zodiak.

Ok I will take it to the dealer and have him screw in a backing plate to the inside of transom and have it permanently mounted.

What do you recommend for a prop should I go Stainless and what model..

Just waiting for BRP gauges and wiring and she will all be done YEhawwwwwwww Finally....


Cheers David

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Ah, The classic prop question! The size of the prop should always match the original as far as diameter. The proper pitch is determined by running at WOT on your boat with the normal load onboard. Your WOT rpm should be within the range specified for the outboard. The standard prop on my Nissan 40D did not provide this with my boat. I purchased a ProPulse four bladed composite prop that has adjustable pitch. That way I didn't spend a bunch of time trying different props to get it right. This also works for me because I run in shallow estrero's in Mex and I would rather break off a prop blade (they are replaceable, I carry spares) and not damage my lower unit. The original prop had a rubber insert that should "spin" if the prop hit something solid, but that wasn't necessarily going to provide the level of protection that the break away prop would. Your outboard supplier may be able to give you guidance based on their experience or loan you a couple of props with different pitches to try out. There isn't some magic guide that I am aware of, it depends on the boat, it's hull type, the load and the outboard so the only way I was able to optimize my set up was to actually run WOT and check the rpm on my Tach. You absolutely don't want to run over the limit and the outboard will run more efficiently and cleaner if you aren't lugging along with the wrong pitch. If your load and set up change significantly you can adjust the prop pitch to compensate, but I have not found that to be necessary. There is some fluctuation of my WOT rpm with different loads, but it is within the range specified by the outboard manufacturer. Remember most dealers have experience with rigid hull boats and may not be able to guesstimate the performance on your soft bottom boat effectively. Empirical testing is required.

As far as the backing plates go, well I don't think you necessarily need a full on mounted plate, but that might not be a bad idea. I do have a plate mounted for the clamps, but I think that comes with your zodiac. I just added a couple of relatively small (but thick) aluminum squares (with a hole drilled through for the bolts) that had enough surface area to prevent damage to the transom (about 3"x3" each). Stainless steel (thinner) plates would work well too. Using just a fender washer didn't work for me, but that may have been partly due to the hole being drilled with a bit of an angle off perpendicular to the transom surface (by the original installer). The edges of the washers dug into the transom under stress. It probably depends on your level of vessel abuse too...

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Thank you nobrainsd for the info I really appreciate it.

I will have pictures very soon for ya.


Cheers David

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

You are going to have so much fun in your new boat! It may take a little while to get everything sorted out just right, but the zodiac is so light, easy to trailer and travels so well... it will definitely take you someplace you haven't been before.

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Good Day all,

Well Nobrainsd pics will be next week I promise.

It has been a learning adventure to say the least about getting my boat set up properly the way I want but finally all will be done and installed by next week.
We had issue's with safety on the first tank as the battery was a concern to the safety people so we changed design and I have put battery up front under steering console it fits perfect.
Fuel will still be under the rear double seat should be around 12 Gals.

I will post pics when done it is looking awesome.

Hope all is well with all.

I am sharing her maiden voyage with you all. A little eye candy for you.

T Minus 4 days until the big motor is hooked up.

This is the YAK fishing set up.


Cheers David

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Well Forum Members my pain is over and my boat is complete what a deal.

Alot of aches and pains getting her the way I wanted but finally done.

Nobrainsd as promised here are some pictures. Hope you are having a great summer so far.You were right this thing rocks Fuel tank is under rear seat which you can see in the pics it has a 47 L capacity.You do not even now it is there when in the boat

I need some more help Please
The prop I put on her is a 13-1/4x17 Stainless steel Turning Point Express it works like a hot dam.
The numbers it is getting are 5200RPM and 50Km/hr it is at full speed in under 2 seconds which has been timed.Stops almost just as fast when the throttle is cut.

The motor is recommended by evinrude that it runs at 5800RPM

So my question to you all is what do I do to get more top end and get the RPM up to 5800 I think I should be able to go way faster then 50KM/hr with this rig.


Do I get an aluminum and what picth should I get I am lost please help.

I feel the need for speed...

Thank you in advance for your input.


Cheers and safe boating all

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Holy Frijoles!! That thing looks like fun! Great looking boat TE.

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Great looking boat. Your custom tank sure looks like it frees up a lot of floor space. Sure wish my boat was so nice and clean! My mk2 futura with a three cylinder 40d and a full load runs at 29 to 30 mph on the gps. When I changed props to get the proper WOT rpm I didn't really pick up much speed at the top end. An inflatable, even with speed tubes, isn't exactly the smoothest bottom vessel on the water. The resistance builds up as speed increases and it will take more power to gain speed compared to a rib or hard hull boat. It is important for your outboard to run a prop that gives you a WOT rpm in the proper range. A lower pitch allows better acceleration and higher engine revs. If you can borrow props with a different pitch that is great. As I posted before I went with an adjustable four bladed composite prop. I had a hard time getting good advice regarding my prop pitch because most suppliers didn't have a lot of experience with inflatables like the mine. You might also try and adjust the tilt. My boat runs better at WOT with the outboard tilted up a little. Small changes in tilt can make a difference at WOT. Overall, I don't think you are going to get a lot more speed with your 50 on the larger boat, but running the right pitch to get the correct WOT rpm is a worthwhile.

my nephew and his friend call it flatboarding, since the inflatable doesn't put out much wake

 

[Trout Enemy#1]

Re: My new Mark lll Futura I am so ready for summer

Thanks Gents.

I think I will buy a Turning Point Aluminum Hustler 13-1/4x20 that should get my RPM to 5800 which is were I want to be.

And hopefully get a few more MPH.

Those seats sure look comfy.

Cheers David