Glastron SSV151 Ride height issue

[pyro225]

Hi All,

Random question, but i'll tell you something tell me what you think...

so i have 2x glastron sv151's, one is a roger clark made in england (50hp merc) the other is straight from the USA (80hp Merc).

So i often take out the ssv151 50hp on the river fully loaded, 2x tanks of fuel plus all seats taken - 7.

I wouldn't take that many people if we went fast but this is about an 8 mile no wake trip so <10mph.

on the 50 i have never had any problems at all or had any reason to doubt the boat, it always felt very safe even with all that cargo!

So now the weird bit, the sun was out today but my 50 was out of action as the impeller needs its annual change and didn't want a break down! So we all decided to give the 80 a go, after all its the same boat just made in the usa (or so we believed!).

It was not that cool - we did the same speeds as before, however, when slowing from say 10 to 5mph bad things happened, water came gushing over the bow... not cool! so i stopped and put the trim peg on max trim and it still happened but nowhere near the same quantity.

When we got home i double checked the trim peg on the 50 - it was on the same original hole as the 80. So the outboard was on the same hole and the weight shouldn't be too different as they are both 4cyl.

I then looked at them side by side and the 50hp looks like it floats about 2 or 3 inches higher than the 80hp - front and back.. how is that possible?

Annoyingly the 80 is in a lot better condition as well :/ help me find an answer to my conundrum

 

[jbcurt00]

The boat is probably overloaded, w/ more motor then it's rated for. The max capacity of the boat, people or gear, is the max capacity regardless of the speed of the boat. At 150lbs each, 7 people weigh 1050lbs, add a motor, a couple gas tanks and I'd bet you are way over max weight. FYI: if the boat's capacity is 5 people, it doesn't matter if they all weigh less then 100lbs, 6people is overloaded.

Have either had the deck (floor) redone? If they stay in the water, how do you make sure the bilge is fully drained?

 

[pyro225]

Hi jbcurt00

I assumed as other were 7 seats it was ok as i have done it for a good few trips - they have bilge pumps which i turn on before each trip to empty the bilge.

The lower one has hade the floor redone i think or its original and still looks original as there is no roth at all and still fibreglassed. the higher one is still in good condition but not as good so maybe not on that one...

Out of curiosity what would it take to sink one of these?

When we took water on it filled the bilge hatch about 1/6 to the top so i pumped it out for about 4mins and it was dry again

 

[southkogs]

Out of curiosity what would it take to sink one of these?

More than making a mistake ... less than you'd like to think.

Too many factors in sinking a boat to what it would take. I don't know that the Glastrons were ever foam filled (like a Boston Whaler, for example), but they have some floatation foam in them. So, bring a buncha' water over the gunwale and you might "swamp" it as opposed to sink it. Start venting water into the air cavities on the boat hull though ... and she'll sink.

You were definitely overloaded ... maybe you had your weight distributed wrong too?

 

[smokeonthewater]

The boat that sits lower in the water likely has waterlogged foam

 

[phiny1134]

My bet would also be water logged foam. A friend of mine restored a 22' 1976 MFG. After he removed all the water logged foam and replaced it with new foam it sat at least 3 inches higher in the water.

 

[Frank Acampora]

I can't say for later Glastrons but earlier models did not have foamed in hulls. They had several blocks of rigid foam carved to fit between the stringers near the stern but that was it. Even waterlogged, they would certainly not add more than 20 or so pounds to overall weight.

 

[Blind Date]

Two kinds of old classic Glastron Boats. Ones that have been rebuilt and ones that will need to be rebuilt shortly. Waterlogged foam would be my guess as to why one sits lower. I had plenty of that with my CVX18 and one of the stringers in the cockpit was literally wood mulch.

The boxes that Glastron/Carlson put at the stern in each corner of the hull are notorious for absorbing water. They built them out of plywood and fiberglass then filled with spray foam. If these get waterlogged they can add a LOT of weight to your hull. I haven't cut the ones out of my CVX18 yet but will need to to fix the floor properly.

 

[pyro225]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all this - very useful so on the sinking point how full would the hatch have to be to sink it it got about a 6th it high then i pumped it out...

And for the low point (main issue) the flooring is mint on the boat very solid and still covered in rising all around dent look like its been too wet for a while either. Could it still be waterlogged foam inside?

Is there anyway to 'dry it' ? how hard is it to refoam?

 

[pyro225]

another stage point the floor is ok in the higher one but not anywhere near as good as this one - weird?

 

[smokeonthewater]

There is no specific water level to sink it.... At the point that water starts pouring in faster than you can pump it out you're in BIG trouble.

If the boat is loaded properly it might take a few hundred gallons....

Overloaded it might take just a splash.

 

[pyro225]

Hi guys (again) this guy has done a full pictorial rebuild on a boat identical to my one thats floating low (to the colour even)
In the teardown i can't see any foam? am i missing something?

Cheers

http://home.ptd.net/~thrust/Glastron2/index.html

 

[smokeonthewater]

Maybe it never had foam..... Maybe he just didn't show it..... Maybe that wasn't the first time it was torn down.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Only a couple options.... Either there is something in the boat that weighs more than it should or there isn't and it is sitting where it should..... There isn't any other scenario that would make it sit lower in the water than it should.

 

[mr 88]

Do both of the motors have the same shaft length? The 80's ventilation plate should sit at the same spot as the 50,even with the bottom of the hull. The 80 is going to weigh quite a bit more than the 50.

 

[jetboater]

One suggestion is to weigh both boats and see if there is a difference beyond the difference in the weight of the motors---if there is a truck scale nearby they should do it for a few bucks (you can call a few local moving companies--they routinely weigh their loads and know where truck scales are)

If the one with the 80 weighs more than the motor difference, you may have waterlogged foam or some other problem.

 

[Blind Date]

"Hi guys (again) this guy has done a full pictorial rebuild on a boat identical to my one thats floating low (to the colour even)
In the teardown i can't see any foam? am i missing something?"

That boat looks like it was re-done once before and very poorly. Glastron put a layer of glass matt/resin on top of the floor and I don't see any indication of that. Looks like they painted the bare wood floor and then glued carpet to it. And unless it was missed at the factory, that boat had flotation foam between the floor and hull. And so does yours.

 

[pyro225]

so to check for this foam do i have to pull up my immaculate flooring?

 

[pyro225]

and how does it get waterlogged? from water coming in over the top? or from outside water?

 

[smokeonthewater]

To "check" you generally weigh the boat.... The next step is a gut job and total rebuild....

Aside from that is a survey w moisture readings...


GENERALLY the foam gets soaked and the wood gets soaked and rotten from rainwater and poor care over years of neglect.