Speed

[Roflhat]

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Thundercat, race tuned 50 tohatsu 2-stroke, 2 up....53mph....woooo i win!

Thundercat, 50hp tohatsu, 57mph
and theres a bit more in it too!

[zurk]

15hp merc with 2.3m / 10.5 ft SIB w/alum floor and 16 inch wheels.
22.6 mph / 36.37 kph at full throttle with 2 people + 2 6 gal full gas tanks on board.
20.2 mph at 3/4 throttle
17.8 mph at 1/2 throttle
will not plane below half throttle.
all measured by GPS in straight line runs.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by zurk

16 inch wheels.

Please tell me more about your wheel setup? I have never seen a set that large. Brand? Picture? Link? I had to build a set in order to get the right load rating for sand travel.

My setup with 19" wheels.

[zurk]

pic :

brand is aqumarine off fleabay :
Inflatable skiff fishing Boat Launching Transom Wheels Set w Tires 16" x 4" | eBay

they are generic chinese junk. holding up well tho. inflated to 24psi/max is 30psi. i also have kayak launch wheels for the front. 6 inch duals at 30psi which come off in the water. used marine goop to fix rear wheel brackets permanently to transom.

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Please tell me more about your wheel setup? I have never seen a set that large. Brand? Picture? Link? I had to build a set in order to get the right load rating for sand travel.

My setup with 19" wheels.

Very nice, Peter C! Have you posted a DIY launching wheels thread? If not, you should. Are those the Wheeleez brand wheels? How much weight do you have to support at the bow when using these wheels? Would it be worthwhile to have a 3rd beach wheel under the bow that clips onto the D handle?



I have to admit, it took me a while to notice that there was a nice big pair of launching wheels in the picture.

[Peter_C]

Thanks Zurk! I have seen those before but didn't figure they would hold up well to my 500lb boat. Plus I figured it would just sink into the soft sand we have here. Love the picture of your boat going into that beautiful lake

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

Very nice, Peter C! Have you posted a DIY launching wheels thread? If not, you should.

Most every add on you see is DIY on the boat. Everyone would laugh at my getup for pulling the super floaty wheels back under the boat LOL Nope don't really want to have my work criticized by show casing my mistakes, or poor welding skills

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

Are those the Wheeleez brand wheels? How much weight do you have to support at the bow when using these wheels? Would it be worthwhile to have a 3rd beach wheel under the bow that clips onto the D handle?

Yes they are the Wheeleez 19" wheels rated for 265#'s each. I keep them at about 3 psi so they float over the soft sandy beaches. The boat went on a diet (IE: Went from a 12 gallon fuel tank to a 6 gallon fuel tank) and we are able to remove 80 lbs in a few seconds. Hence why everything is bungeed, strapped, or slide mounted like the electronics tower, and the save-a-boat-dive kit. Yet in case of flipping everything will stay with the boat. I can move it around myself on solid ground no problem I just put the anchor and chain hanging over the stern, to get it out of the bow. That means I can move it on and off the trailer by myself. Two of us can easily walk it into the water, and I could probably do it myself, but might be hard while wearing all my scuba gear. The more the better getting it out of the water. I did build an elephant trunk and installed a bilge to get the water out, again to keep it lighter. I couldn't find hardly any info on SIB's with bilge pumps (If I remember correctly only one on this board), so I just sewed up and glued in a PVC sock with velcro to hold it in place. At this point I don't see a need for a bow wheel.

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

I have to admit, it took me a while to notice that there was a nice big pair of launching wheels in the picture.

Men

We seem to have a revolving door of beautiful French women. I don't complain. Although I don't get to see 1/8 the amount of bikini's as I did owning a wakeboard boat.

[zurk]

ive found the bow wheels really help. lifting up the boat from the front is a pain with the fuel tanks.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by zurk

ive found the bow wheels really help. lifting up the boat from the front is a pain with the fuel tanks.

Are your fuel tank(s) kept in the bow? How many gallons of gas do you carry? Can you temporarily move them to the stern? That is what I do for my anchor and chain, as my fuel tank is against the transom already. I run a 6 gallon for beach launching as we are always scuba diving and tend not to go very far. If needed I have two more 6 gallon tanks too, along with a 12 gallon, although most of the time I only carry a small 2.5 gallon extra gas can.

My thoughts are the bow launching wheels would just add drag, and my guess would be the bow only takes about 50 lbs or so to pick up, so no big deal. I have photographed a nice setup as the one below to make a set, but held off. I still have ebay setup to send me auctions for more Wheeleeze wheels at a low price.

[zurk]

my bow launching wheels are dumped in the bow once launched so no drag. they get fixed with the simple strap.
I have 2 6 gallon tanks, an air pump and the wheels in the bow area as shown. i go around 30-40 miles so i generally use 1 tank and keep 1 in reserve. at full throttle i burn 1.5 gph but i usually go 1/2 to 3/4 throttle at 4500 rpm or so.

this is the pacific ocean just off indian arm. decent area for sibbing.

[lightning]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Please tell me more about your wheel setup? I have never seen a set that large. Brand? Picture? Link? I had to build a set in order to get the right load rating for sand travel.

My setup with 19" wheels.

Those wheels look huge! Did you get them from an old Boeing 747?