Avon Searider 540

john4tee · 25 June 2012, 17:16

I have recently purchased an Avon Searider 540. An old'un but a good'un! I am using it for a bit of sightseeing, fishing, cruising. It's the one with the flooding hull. When I bought it the previous owner had sealed the two bungs forward as well as the water exit on the transom under the engine. It was still admitting water to the hull however.
I have unsealed these to allow the hull to flood, as per design. But now I find myself eating petrol to move 200 yds to another fishing spot because I'm dragging half a ton of water in my outer hull!
I thought about sealing it up again, but if some water is admitted, I have no way of getting it back out again without breaking the seals. I do not like to think of the consequences of leaving residual water in there.
I have had a few suggestions:
Do the sealing and put a flange and sock on the transom where the original hole used to be.
Do the sealing and put a bilge pump and /or inspection hatch through the deck.
Don't do the sealing and carry on as per design...drinking gallons of petrol!

I keep Katie Rose on a mooring when I am close by to her, and she does get some water up through old holes in the deck, which endangers my battery, slightly. However, this is not a big issue.
I would really welcome other Searider owners opinions on this, please.

HUMBER P4VWL · 25 June 2012, 18:42

Seal em all with with fibreglass over a blanking plate. Then just put a screw bung in the rear one so you can just empty any water out once in a while that's found it's way in.

Nick Hearne · 25 June 2012, 20:37

I put a perspex plate over mine with a screw in bung to let out any water & I can see if any water has got in at a glance.

willk · 25 June 2012, 20:52

Hi John,

There was someone on here that fitted a screw in inspection hatch type thingy over the big transom drain hole. Neat job and could be open to drain the hull. Obviously they sealed the two forward holes.

SR4 · 25 June 2012, 21:01

Sorry to butt in, but as I am new to Searider, could someone tell me the benefits of plugging the holes for the flooding hull, mine takes off like a rocket, its a 4mtr with a 50hp, I can't imagine mine not flooding or I would probably do a back flip

Nos4r2 · 25 June 2012, 21:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR4

Sorry to butt in, but as I am new to Searider, could someone tell me the benefits of plugging the holes for the flooding hull, mine takes off like a rocket, its a 4mtr with a 50hp, I can't imagine mine not flooding or I would probably do a back flip

It means in the rough stuff you don't have to wait for the water to drain out, so if you lose speed you can whack the throttle open and it responds immediately. You also don't get the bow rise you get while the hull drains, so you just take off at full throttle trimmed in and it GOES...

My 5.4 has a perspex plate on the hole with a bung in as well, but I've got a pressure equalising tube coming out of the middle of the bung and over the transom so when I put it in the water, the sudden cooling doesn't make the pressure in the hull drop and suck water in.

Nick Hearne · 25 June 2012, 21:17

For me it was a pain trying to keep a steddy speed in harbours you have to keep throttling back as the water floods out then forward as the hull fills & for beach hopping it now has less of a draft & pushing back off the beach is lighter with out any water in the hull, works for me

Down side it bobs around when at rest feels a lot lighter not so planted as when it was flooding!

Nos4r2 · 25 June 2012, 21:52

I had that problem with the SR4 as well. It either did 6 knots or 15 depending on how much water was in the hull.

it used to take ages to try and get out of Poole without breaking the speed limit.

SR4 · 25 June 2012, 22:44

Goodness, I never knew that, the weather has been so crap since I bought it I have just been blasting through it, I need some calm waters to feel the difference. I must say the first couple of times I went on it I crapped myself, I can't imagine it going any faster, its a loonatic already, bit like a wild rodeo

Maybe I will plug her up for a play one day

Rogue Wave · 25 June 2012, 22:49

2 of these in the bow

Boat Screw Drain Bung Dinghy Inflatable Plastic Rib Wh | eBay

1 of these up the chuff
5/ 125Mm Drain Bung X 1/2 - HOROBIN | Lee Brothers

SR4 · 25 June 2012, 22:54

I like the back one but my hull is immaculate so don't fancy screwing anything into it like I would need to on the front, is there any other option for blocking the front with drilling?

Rogue Wave · 25 June 2012, 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR4

I like the back one but my hull is immaculate so don't fancy screwing anything into it like I would need to on the front, is there any other option for blocking the front with drilling?

sika will get the bung in

http://www.rib.net/forum/attachment....7&d=1323282431

This links to a very superior stern solution Bushrider supplied for his Searider a screw in bung fits the stainless ring mmmm nice

Nos4r2 · 26 June 2012, 00:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR4

Goodness, I never knew that, the weather has been so crap since I bought it I have just been blasting through it, I need some calm waters to feel the difference. I must say the first couple of times I went on it I crapped myself, I can't imagine it going any faster, its a loonatic already, bit like a wild rodeo

Maybe I will plug her up for a play one day

It won't go any faster, just pick up quicker from rest and get on the plane faster.

Bushrider · 26 June 2012, 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

This links to a very superior stern solution Bushrider supplied for his Searider a screw in bung fits the stainless ring mmmm nice

Will post tonight a better picture . need to go to the mine site now .
Cheers

john4tee · 26 June 2012, 16:40

Thank you all for your sensible and enlightening advice. the perspex plate with the bung sounds like a good solution for me, with the possibility of the equalising tube. However, I am completely new to all this and I need to know if these components are available as standard or to I have to 'manufacture' them.
Does the perspex have to be particularly thick in order to retain the bung?
Thank you all again

john4tee · 26 June 2012, 16:46

Oh yeah, and did you screw on the perspex plate or just seal it on with Sika flex?

Max... · 26 June 2012, 16:56

You can usually find suitable bungs or very easily modifiable parts at a decent trade plumbers merchant. Some more 'bunging up a SR' info/links here:

http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/sr4-bung...les-42170.html

http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/flooding...der-31098.html

Bushrider · 26 June 2012, 18:57

Hi ,
Here the promised picture . I found a SS bung which fit almost perfectly into the opening of the flooding hull .
It can be easily closed with a sealed SS cover . Now I have in a simple way both options available - to go with open / or closed hull .
Just do not have currently a picture of the cover - but can do tomorrow when I am back in Germany .
Cheers Jürgen

Nos4r2 · 26 June 2012, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by john4tee

Oh yeah, and did you screw on the perspex plate or just seal it on with Sika flex?

Mine's just Sikaflexed on, and the bung is Sika'd in. 5 or 6mm perspex, and I made the bung with equalising tube with silicone washer tube. I drilled a hole through the centre of the bung and sealed the tube in with Sika.
Make sure you rough up the perspex where the Sika goes or it'll peel off.

HUMBER P4VWL · 27 June 2012, 08:24

Just do not buy the Avon blanking kit, it's crap, and expensive. We did and binned it eventually.

Though the front plugs that are like bottle stops or drain plugs are ok.