Rocketvapor

A little update on my 10E and a new motor. I've posted pics of the transom reinforcement and the small forward deck previously. The "new" motor is a 5HP 4 stroke Mercury, about 16 pounds heavier than the 3.5HP. I really like the real reverse on the new motor. It came with a 7.8"X8" prop and got me and the wife up to 6.6mph but WOT was only 4520rpm, calculated 58.5% slip. Recommended max rpm is 4500 to 5500rpm. Bought a 7" pitch prop and wednesday got these numbers; (7.8X7 Solas Aluminum 3 blade) 7.2mph@5370rpm=55.9% slip (WOT) 7.0mph@5220rpm=55.9% slip 6.0mph@4565rpm=56.7% slip 4.0mph@3030rpm=56.6% slip. A 6" and 9" pitch prop are offered but looks like the 7" pitch is the best for the load we normally go with. Video with the 8" pitch, didn't take one with the Faster 7"

I like the ice chest mounts. Got a close up of the PVC? Looks good.

I was hoping for your video with a 4HP and a 55 TM on a Canoe.

Got a link to your youtube video?

All sealed up. and strip reinstalled. Added a little more bracing for the 'New' motor. Got one with a Real Reverse. Took the Bass Raider out for a run down the river this past Wednesday, total trip of about 15 miles. After a couple nights of rain and 3 hours flying on the water NO WATER in the pontoons. It's so easy to check and drain if necessary. Pull the little plugs, stick the tube in and blow. No gurgle, no water. Now I need to remount the stern light as the tiller sweeps the entire stern area.

It appears the mount blocks some of the Nav light. Probably not original.

To everyone with waterlogged foam in a Bass Raider: Are you sure it's water logged and not just water in the pontoons? Try to drain the pontoons just to be sure. Let it sit and drain again. If there is no water inside the pontoons, foam or no foam will not help it float higher or carry more weight (it would be a few pounds lighter without foam). The buoyancy is provided by water displaced by the hull exterior. Now, if water does get inside and fills up the pontoons, foam will keep it from sinking. Any air leak in the upper hull, like the electrical ports, and the entire boat hull could fill with water if there was damage below the water line that let water in. Knock a small hole or a cut in the lower shell and recovery could be difficult. Remove the foam and it will go to the bottom with a small leak below the water line. Just like the foam filled seats on a Jon boat. The foam only works if the space around it is filled with water.

Spit balling here, If you are handy, A 3/4" ply shelf, pop rivet to some tubing along the sides to hold in place and a pedestal. If the tubes are a little shorter than the factory ones (cut to about 22.5") you can rotate the frame 90 and set it on the bottom for a low position and a high position. I cut down the tubes on the wife's seat (front) for less wind resistance at speed and so I could see over her shoulders. Just lift and turn 90 degrees and it's in the rails again.

Decided to change motors. Getting one with a REAL reverse. Flipping the tiller requires me to be way in the back. To recap, the shelf is two layers of 3/4" ground contact ply, bolted to an angle bracket at the bottom of the transom plate with 3 through bolts through the ply and 3 through the transom. Aluminum stock is bolted to the inside of the upper shell with slotted capture nuts (loaded in shear, not tension). Raised the mount about an inch and added an aluminum angle to stop the mount from creeping upwards. Mount clamps are at the top of the original transom. Added two more diagonal braces. The wife and I usually run pretty loaded down and the prop gets lots of water even raised an inch or so. Little black arrows show the loading direction (in forward gear).

What is the clear inside diameter of your scupper? Hitch pin lock through a plate and the scupper and a piece of stainless bolted to the dock. Could be designed for minimal access.

Go slow and you'll get a fairly round hole. I used a 3/4 inch 'Spade' bit for the pontoon drain plugs.

Just about any size drain would work. 3/4" or 1". I used a hole saw and a battery drill. Note that there is about 3/4" gap between the upper and lower at the drain plug location. I cut a short length of PVC pipe, slotted it, curled it in to fit in the hole then expanded it so the plug would fit. Thin gasket top and bottom then tighten against the insert. Otherwise you will be pulling on the top and bottom. Posted this in another thread: Draining the pontoons. Carbon arrow shaft and CLEAR hose.

Still haven't put the seal strip back on. Installed a pair of drain plugs (from Academy) in the rear. Depending where I parked there was no DOWN in the front. Easier to tilt up on a block and drain from the rear. An old carbon arrow shaft straight down and a length of hose dang near gets it DRY in there. You can feel for a low spot and the clear hose prevents any 'Surprises'.

On my 10E the lower shell serial is at the rear, up near the seal strip on the right pontoon. The serial for the upper shell is under the seal strip at the same location.

The black strip on mine acts like a trough to collect water. Several days of rain and I end up with a few gallons of water in the pontoons. It's easy to route a CLEAR hose to a low spot and siphon it out. I thought about installing permanent tubes but my fix in work might work. I now have the strip off and in the process of sealing the joint between the upper and lower. The strip will go on and I will caulk the edge. Will still have to drain water, but less often (I hope). I would recommend NOT taking out the staples. The upper and lower halves have been stressed and might not go back together properly. I'll take a pic and post tomorrow.

I have a 10 foot Bass Raider with a 3.5HP 4 cycle. Loaded with two people and some gear the transom would flex to the point that oil would move into the cylinder and the motor would lug and smoke. Usually into a little head wind. Would have to slow and wait for the smoking to let up. I adjusted the angle up and it still flexed and smoked. I think the transom has a wood filler made from a 2X8 tapered at each end. As far as physics go a longer lever arm to share torque between the 2X8 inside the rear transom and plastic along the sides should reduce flex. Worked for me. Sort of the same as using a breaker bar for lug nuts. The longer the lever the less torque felt at the end. Added about 7 pounds to the boat. Used 1/4x20 Slotted Body Rivet Nuts and stainless machine screws. Performed a pull test (rope from prop centerline through tunnel to winch and digital scale. Video of 30,60,90,120, and 150 pound pull, much more than 3.5HP thrust, showed very little flex. I would like to move up to the 4/5/6 HP, just because it has a real reverse :).

You sure that will fix his problem??

A boat like this one? https://boats-from-usa.com/baja/baja-23-outlaw-30968 I'm gonna need bigger lights

I can see your point. But, more and more small boats are putting around where they don't belong, at night, with TMs or small outboards. I thought adding red/green strips lights was a good idea if mounted properly, But, have changed my mind. Going with "Approved" lights on my gas powered small boat, even if it makes me look like a 20 foot speed boat. Being slow it's MY responsibility to get out of the way. One day soon I'll probably be ready for a night run

Since a lot of boaters don't SEE Kayaks or other SMALL boats during the day time thinking these guys would see one in time to avoid it at night is probably expecting too much. At least the fast ones usually make a lot of noise and you can hear them coming. Where I'm at with many rivers dumping into Lake Pontchartrain you will find everything from a Party Barge to Jon Boats with Mud motors running the marsh line in 2 feet of water at speed. Probably one of the best safety features I use is I don't go out on the weekends or holidays. @J Francho Yes, that is a turtle on the bow of La Tortuga It's slow and small. Wakes get interesting @Dirtyeggroll, shop around, I'm sure you can find a solution that fits your boat. There is even a thread where members show their ride, maybe one of those is like yours and has a set of lights you might like.

Maybe someone here could offer a suggestion based on a picture of your bow. I thought about the tape lights and mounted a set on my Bass Raider 10E. When I get the Trolling motor mount for the deck (where Tortuga is now) it would block the Red/Green overlap. Good plan, right? But, I'm going to get 'approved' LED lights to mount horizontal, on the deck, on each side. Not all that cheap, but it will avoid questions. This little plastic boat keeps costing more and more I like LEDs over incandescent. Do a Google for USCG approved LED Nav lights. So far I've found these that would be easy for me to mount to the little deck; https://store.marinebeam.com/led-navigation-side-lights-pair-12v-24v-horizontal-mount/ Still shopping.

I doubt you will find an 'Approved' strip light. Performance would be very installation specific. The intensity from zero degrees ahead to 112.5 degrees to the port and starboard can change due to the curvature of the bow. How straight or curved the section of the rub rail you mount the strip light matters. There seems to be a small angular and intensity allowance over the first or last 5 degrees or so. The first and last LED in the string light would likely need a black stop to control angles. The curve would need to follow a smooth semicircle to project an even light in the horizontal.

Seeing NAV lights doesn't really give you an indication of vessel size. Direction yes, closure if you wait, size if you have to look UP to see GREEN. ? See Red at a mile and it might be a TM powered Kayak or a gas powered Bass Raider If under way, powered, at night or inclement weather you need the lights. Regs or not, you NEED the lights. I've seen many small powered boats with (probably approved) lights improperly installed or installed around other deck accessories or TM mounts that block a large part of the required angle or light installations with Red/Green overlap dead ahead. Whether these boats can travel 50-60mph or 2-5mph, angles and distance matter. I'll ask a question of the experts here. With respect to an unpowered vessel propelled by oars, paddles, or peddles; Which is correct: May or May not, Should or Should not, Shall or Shall not, have Red/Green side lights and a White stern light?

Sorry, thought I had mentioned that this Tach always seems to revert to 1P1R mode. Why? 10,000 displayed = 5000rpm, I think. The small prop before re-pitch would rev to the limiter, display 12000, but only get to 4.8mph. The factory prop got to 96xx displayed, about 48xxrpm and took us up/down river at an average of 5.4mph. Now, the re-pitch is faster and the motor doesn't over rev. I'll dry out the tach and try to get rpm reading from the 7.25X6, re-pitched to 6.5 to 6.7. Being plastic it will probably relax a little.

Got a chance to take the Bass Raider out in the river and test the re-pitch. Ran up and down river with an average of 5.6mph (two people). Swapped to the factory prop and 5.4mph again. The tachometer was all fogged up and I could not make out the rpms other than the smaller diameter stayed at 4 digits. Did not go over 10000 (5000x2) so it loaded up the motor better. Raised the motor just a little more with a thicker wood shim.