My Boat Layout

[SiggiJo]

Hi everyone, and although I have been reading this great Forum for a while and picked up a lot of good and useful stuff, this is my first post - so here goes:<br />I recently bought my first boat that I´m doing up from scratch. It´s a 14' Riamar - just a little old regular speed/skiboat. Hull and trailer are in good shape, which leaves me with an almost blank sheet on how to do it up. I have bought most everything I need in USA (Ebay came in handy) including a rebuilt 70 HP Evinrude and back-to-back seats, all gauges, Teleflex steering etc, etc. Lots of stuff on it´s way on the high seas.....<br />My main questions concern Battery and Fuel. I plan to use this boat for just pottering around, towing a tube or skis with my kids, a bit of fishing, etc. I will not be using troll motor, so when the outboard is not running, only electrical stuff on is likely to be the Fish Finder and the Stereo. Should I go for two batteries or just one big one? I plan to install both volt and amp gaugaes, although after reading about the hazzles installing the amp gauge, I´m having second thoughts.<br /><br />I plan to use two Tempo 6 gal fuel tanks, with a selector valve and dash mounted gauges for each tank. I am wandering if I put all this in the back of the boat - especially if I go for two batteries, it´s going to be real stern heavy - especially as the engine is on the big side for a 14-footer - at least that what the English think!<br />I have some space in the bow. Should I perhaps use that for the battery(ies)as it´s not big enough for the two fuel tanks - and just run very heavy gauge wires back to the motor? Or one fuel tank in bow, one in the stern, but that makes for a lot of fuel lines and I cannot position the selector in the dash that way. <br /><br />Any advice is greatly appreciated - will post pics later, but now it´s only blood, sweat and hopefully not too many tears if I only manage to plan this right. Thanks!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: My Boat Layout

You are likely to be a little heavy in the back on that 14-footer. You probably don't need two batteries, since you won't be using a trolling motor. Fish finders and stereos aren't big drains, so unless you're going to out for many hours, you should be OK with one battery. You can easily mount that in the bow space and run cables back. At 14', they won't have to be monster cables, either. Normal 12v battery cables will do quite adequately. You mention a voltmeter. That's fine, and will give you plenty of indication of charging state.<br /><br />12 gallons of fuel is going to weigh about 100 pounds, including the tanks. I carry the same amount in my 14.5' trihull, and it works OK, although my engine weighs considerably less than your 70hp will.<br /><br />You'll probably want to limit storage of other items near the stern. In reality, only time is going to answer your questions, I think. Until you get the boat on the water, fully laden, it's difficult to say how it will sit.

 

[gewf631]

Re: My Boat Layout

Originally posted by SiggiJo:<br /> I plan to use two Tempo 6 gal fuel tanks, with a selector valve and dash mounted gauges for each tank.

WOW - pretty nice setup for a 14-footer. If it were me, I'd just use the 2 portable tanks and be done with it. As it stands, you'd have extra stuff to hook-up for those guages, as well as the dash space those will take-up. That 70 on the back is going to use fuel pretty quick, especially lugging a tube. You might consider a larger primary tank - again, without the guages and such.<br /><br />As for the battery question, I'd just go with one. If you're worried about getting stranded, just pick-up one of those jumper packs. I've got one with a compressor and light that I always carry in my tow vehicle, and I just bring it along (in case). With back-to-back seats, it'll probably fit underneath.

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: My Boat Layout

Thanks guys - good idea with the battery booster so I can get away with just one big battery in the bow. What sort of battery would you reccommend - one of those deep-cycle leisure ones or just an ordinary lead-acid heavy duty car battery?<br />As for the gauges - I have already bought them all and I like to see what´s happening in the "engine room" - I will be installing water pressure and engine temp gauges as well, as trim/tilt, volt, tach and speedo - think I will just skip the amp. I only wanted a 14-footer so it would be easy to launch, but I would like to to have all the bells and whistles and outfitting it myself - with some help from you good people out there - should be both interesting and will help me maintain the boat - having put everyting into it myself - hopefully in the correct slot !<br />Again, thabnk you.

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: My Boat Layout

Hi SiggiJo, You probably want a marine cranking battery. It's a bit in between a deep cycle and a regular cranking battery. Your battery will be most in demand while starting the motor so you need the cranking amps. Marine cranking batteries do a lot better at being drained down from repeated startings, running accessories, and just sitting around than do car batteries.<br /><br />Sounds like a neat little boat. I have small boats too, they are a lot easier to handle for sure but watch out on windy days and busy days. I hope you bought cushy seats!

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: My Boat Layout

Well - got my goodies and have been having fun. Trying to keep center of gravity as far forward as possible with that heavy engine hanging at the back, so mounted battery in bow and found some really nice back-to-back lounge seats. I have also reinforced the transom and before I did that I had a real good poke around and could not find any rot, flex or cracks so after glassing in two layers of super-tough 8mm plastic-fiber-type plate (found it in hardware store in Belgium where I work, but don´t know exactly what it´s called in English), it should handle that 70 hp safely.<br />My boat has a solid, glassed-in floor that looks to be watertight from the hull cavity below - sort of like double skin hull. I put some water in the boat and not a drop leaked down into the hull, so I guess if the boat became holed below the floor line, it would probably still float ok.<br /><br />I have a question about the bilge pump. Should I put it down in the hull or up on the floor? Each location has it´s pros and cons, but perhaps I should just install two bilge pumps - one in each place? I don´t want to put drain holes in the floor, as it defeats the purpose of the watertight floor. <br /><br />The boat is made by a company called Riamar in Portugal, but that is about all I know about it. I bought it as a project boat and surprisingly, there have been no bad surprises so far! I plan to post some pics when I have the carpet, seats and dashboard in place. Just wait till you see all those gauges !!