12' Saturn

[Guest]

Re: 12' Saturn

So today we were using the motor. Surprisingly, it ran with only 3 pulls or so after putting it on the transom. It ran pretty good but it died twice, once we went to a random dock and sat and it started right up. The next time I just paddled back to our bigger boat's slip. After dieing it starts right up. Anyway, the main issue was cavitation. Well that's what I think it's called. Every time I tried to get on plane I could just hear it rev real loud. I didn't get on plane for over 5 seconds all day from this. Also when I turned sharp it did that too. Don't know if it matters but my friend and I are about 130 lbs each. When he sat in the middle it did the best, but in on the floor of the bow it would do it instantly. It was verry annoying. Do I have to cut the transom lower? The wind was like 20 mph too. Pretty hard to control with just me in it especially when going onto plane.

Your very brave to go out in20mph winds. I was out with a friend and it was about 10mph winds and he had a hard time keeping his boat on a plane (running a 15hp). See if you ca bring it back to the dealer to fix it. My 97 mercury does not shut off and neither should your

 

[sharkbass]

Re: 12' Saturn

Ha we may need to start a central OH sib club. I live in Lewis center about a mile from alum creek marina. So I'm not far at all depending where in Columbus you live. I usually fish alum or oshay but need to start hitting Hoover more.

stilesp, I mostly fish Hoover and Alum, and sometimes Delaware. Here is my setup with 6hp outboard, 30lb electric, and fishfinder.

 

[ronaldj]

Re: 12' Saturn

So today we were using the motor. Surprisingly, it ran with only 3 pulls or so after putting it on the transom. It ran pretty good but it died twice, once we went to a random dock and sat and it started right up. The next time I just paddled back to our bigger boat's slip. After dieing it starts right up. Anyway, the main issue was cavitation. Well that's what I think it's called. Every time I tried to get on plane I could just hear it rev real loud. I didn't get on plane for over 5 seconds all day from this. Also when I turned sharp it did that too. Don't know if it matters but my friend and I are about 130 lbs each. When he sat in the middle it did the best, but in on the floor of the bow it would do it instantly. It was verry annoying. Do I have to cut the transom lower? The wind was like 20 mph too. Pretty hard to control with just me in it especially when going onto plane.

You have a couple of things going on.
1 it sounds like you have a long shaft engine on a short shaft boat.
2 you have a fuel and carb issue
3. 20mph winds are not safe

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

It's definitely a short shaft. I think it's a fuel problem too. I ran it for about and hour today in a trash can and nothing happened. Even when I let it rip it seemed fine, so it's trying to be difficult with me I guess. Now I'll go out five miles down wind and it will decide it doesn't want to work anymore. I guess that's just how boating works... And with the winds, they weren't a problem except when it was just me and the bow was out of the water because it slipped so much. I know it was dangerous but come on, I HAD to test the motor out, patience doesn't exist for me.

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

12 foot Saturn Inflatable With 8hp Johnson. - YouTube Just thought I'd share this. Not even close to full throttle.

 

[sciencePROBE]

Re: 12' Saturn

I own a 12' Stryker with an aluminum floor and would definitely go for the aluminum. I have heard of people fashioning their own plywood floor. I would worry about the sharp edges though??

 

[Elkhornsun]

Re: 12' Saturn

When I was looking for a new inflatable in 2012 I found many complaints by Saturn owners about delamination at the transom with fairly new boats. This is the weakest area for any inflatable and the more expensive ones will have extra reinforcement at this area and sometimes use a heavier gauge fabric as well. I ended up buying a AM330 that is made by Saturn for the Italian boat market and is tougher boat with heavier fabric and reinforcement at the transom as well as a fabric sunshade to minimize UV damage to the area where the tubes and the transom are joined.

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

So I'm going down today and bringing the motor obviously. If it doesn't work do you guys thing I should try to cut the transom down a bit?

 

[cpenrose]

Should I cut my transom down?

Should I cut my transom down?

Like I said before my inflatable wouldn't get on plane last time with out cavitation or ventilation happening and I'm finally getting back down today. Just when it almost gets on plane the prop loses grip I guess because of air being sucked down. Then it slows down and I have to try again. If it continues should I try to cut my transom an inch then epoxy over it and all that?

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

Ok so I figured it out. The motor problems were from a faulty fuel line, and the cavitation/ventilation problems I just have to back down a bit when it happens. But we fished for about 1.5 hrs and the ride was an hour out and about 30 mins on the way in when we figured the motor out. It was also white everywhere from fog on the way out. At some point I literally thought I was in the sky as everything morphed together lol. Just had to pull the phone gps and continue the through the channels from memory. Motor didn't stop once except when we ran out of gas and towboat came and got us...that's another story

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

12 foot Saturn inflatable with 8hp Johnson - YouTube

 

[cablebandit]

Re: 12' Saturn

Sweet!!!! how fast are you getting with the 8hp? my 12' achilles does 11-12mph on plane IF it gets there......otherwise 8.4mph

 

[fbpooler]

Re: 12' Saturn

Check out "ABC Sib-Rib---" thread before even thinking about cutting that transom. Be absolutely certain the boat is properly inflated before trying other things and that the weight is properly distributed while underway.

Alcohol in fuel destroys elastomers in engines and hoses. The first thing you should check is fuel flow from the tank to the reed valve if an engine is not operating properly.

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

I actually got 16 mph with just me and 250-300 lbs of gear. Got 13 with my friend and I with the same gear. And I'm not cutting the transom I believe it was weight distribution and my technique was wrong. The engine ran fine it was the fuel hose. When the tow boat brought my other tank and I hooked it up it kept dieing then I had to get towed back in. But has anyone ever been in fog where you can only see like 25 feet? It was the creepiest thing ever. If I hadn't been through the channels before it would have been bad. I thought I was flying for a bit lol. It just came from nowhere for about a half mile.

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

Oh and to get on plane we just floor it and someone goes and flops on the bow real quick. With one person it gets on plane

 

[FTB530]

Re: 12' Saturn

I have a Saturn sd 430.Honda 40 hp (to big), i have looked at the air floors before and i am wondering what is the advantage of it,does it keep the tubes more ridgid, do you still have to keep the keel tube in place?

 

[ronaldj]

Re: 12' Saturn

I have a Saturn sd 430.Honda 40 hp (to big), i have looked at the air floors before and i am wondering what is the advantage of it,does it keep the tubes more ridgid, do you still have to keep the keel tube in place?

For me the advantage is weight. The weight savings is about 75 to 100 pounds.
If your boat is on a trailer it doesn't matter.
For those of us who launch by ourselves and dont use trailors thar weight savings is huge.
It also allows for the use of smaller engines.
When you dont have or cant use a trailor, weight is everything

 

[FTB530]

Re: 12' Saturn

For me the advantage is weight. The weight savings is about 75 to 100 pounds.
If your boat is on a trailer it doesn't matter.
For those of us who launch by ourselves and dont use trailors thar weight savings is huge.
It also allows for the use of smaller engines.
When you dont have or cant use a trailor, weight is everything[/QUOTE I understand that ,i wont be doing any beach launches with my boat,we had/have a leak in the keel tube and i was wondering if the air floor would eliminate the need for the keel tube,(doesn't look like it would),but i found a website that sells the keel tube pretty cheap so ill just replace it if it comes to that .

 

[cpenrose]

Re: 12' Saturn

Are you asking if there are keel tubes in air floor boats? If so yes there definitely are. Don't know what the problem is. The only problem is the valve being hard to reach on the keel. That only happens if you don't set it up right. I like the air floor but I need something to mount stuff too and I keep my boat in the water for days and I just think hard floors are better if you aren't transporting it. I do hope I can still get on plane. But yeah I'm a very avid fisherman so I need something to mount stuff too. I want to add long pedestal jon boat seats to make it possible to walk around the boat without walking over seats. I also need rod holders and would like to find something to add a bow roller. It's hard to pull the anchor when the boat just goes down instead of the anchor going up. Already cut one off. I also will do quite a few ocean trips in the summer so I need some rigidity.

 

[fbpooler]

Re: 12' Saturn

As ronaldj said, the advantage of an air floor is weight. The disadvantage is it is not as rigid as a solid floor with stringers, especially in larger sizes of boats.