Avon 5.4 Searider Suzuki 70hp 4 Stroke Advice

[jakemarsden]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post here. What would you all suggest to get this Searider sitting better? The Suzuki is 156kg and the transom is of course quite low.
Would you suggest putting the fuel tank forward and adding a little lead inside the console

OR

Plugging up the flooding hull and gaining freeboard that way, as well as bringing the tank forward.

It runs lovely and sits good when under way, but the transom definitely need to come up a bit I think...

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[beamishken]

Looks like your engine is sat right down on the transom, lifting it will probably get you a bit more performance for free. I just rigged one with a 75 2 stroke Yamaha & fitted it on the top hole, that set the av plate about 30mm above the keel line & it runs fine without ventilating, you could probably lift yours a similar amount & get a 50mm+ block along the top of the transom giving you that much extra freeboard. Alternatively its prety easy to block the flooding hull temporarily with an expanding drain plug to see how it goes with the flooding hull blocked if it gives you what you want then you can look at more permanent options.
Moving the tank forward is a good plan but I'd avoid adding unnecessary extra weight

[Matt]

How does it run? Moving CG forward will likely lose top speed but who knows, could be a better all round balance for general use.

[paintman]

"It runs lovely and sits good when under way"

Other than shipping excessive amounts of water over the low part of the stern when stationary, if it comes up & runs perfectly when under way why worry about how it looks when it's sitting still?
beamishken's suggestion to raise the freeboard would help solve the water problem if you had one.

My own hardboat - 17' Dory - sits much the same way when stationary but once up on the plane it's fine.

[Matt]

I'd leave it pretty much alone then other than maybe sealing the flooding hull as ken suggests, and/or perhaps having some kind of false transom in front of the engine to catch any water that comes over, if it's excessive.

My own hardboat also sits very much like this too.