88 Martinique B/R balance problem

Regarding hanging off the lifting rings for weight, I was lucky enough to have a scale I could borrow. I was rebuilding the TeeNee trailer and needed the weight for my coil spring calc's. The nice thing about using the lifting rings is it eliminates the trailer weight guess work.

In theory, the secondary stringer that youre proposing to drill into does have some structural purpose. The floor would be a better choice. Are you just trying to avoid pulling up some carpet? Either way, I wouldnt be trying to fill a significant void with any sort of sealant... thats not meant to bridge large gaps.

Honestly, there are easier ways to figure out if weight is the problem. HW mentioned hanging the boat by the lifting rings- I think thats an excellent suggestion.

I would also be doing the easier things first. Have you checked your hull for hook?

You may want to start looking at some v-hull stringer rebuild threads (like Buffalo's, for instance). That will give you a good idea what your under-floor structure looks like... and will very clearly explain why drilling into the area you propose is a bad idea.

This area is where I am thinking. In the vicinity of my red arrow.

daddyo wrote: Maybe i'm too busy while underway herding cats that I haven't noticed.

Clarification please.

Here's the battery box area. Those dryer hoses on the left were past shot when I opened it up and guess where the water goes...

That's a pretty clean boat. Looks to be the twin of mine, but in much better shape. I've got a little soft spot on the floor just to the left of the motorbox, so I have a pretty good idea what lies underneath. Your running gear appears very straight--better than mine.

Something's making it list under power. I've thought about this and I think that the chines along each side of the hull(I think that's what they are called) may be masking the imbalance until your speed lifts them out of the water. Did any of the P/O's notice it? I haven't had mine out this year due to the low water in Texas unless I count the time I stuck it in the mud right off the ramp, but my recollection is that it tracks straight and level almost to a fault. I'm now second guessing myself after seeing your pictures. Maybe i'm too busy while underway herding cats that I haven't noticed.

I think Gregg's (BuffaloBFN) telling you to find a nice concealed spot and drill a hole in the floor.   

And thanks for the update on the prop. Looks like a 912 is in my future once we get a little rain. I do think either that speedo or tach might be reading low. I read on a supra forum someone using a 913(lh version)on a sunsport and was seeing 35mph at 4200.

Maybe the solution to all this is for you to take up wakesurfing and not worry about it

Hang the boat.

BuffaloBFN wrote: I thought about this a little more. Why not drill a 3/8" hole in the glass and push a sharpened wooden rod in to the bottom glass. Let it sit a while and see what the dipstick reads?

Genious.

BuffaloBFN wrote: You could peel back some carpet and use a 1" hole saw to investigate. A 2 or 3" might be better after I thought about it. Still easy to refoam and patch.

I thought about this a little more. Why not drill a 3/8" hole in the glass and push a sharpened wooden rod in to the bottom glass. Let it sit a while and see what the dipstick reads?

Tim, you're right about my once wet foam. It was all wet. Between the dry rotted vent hoses and the boss for the back deck, it never stood a chance. Water was also able to pass between compartments.

The ironic part of that story is that there are still a few 'kids' around here who learned on my boat when the P/O had it. Back then, it might not start every day, but it had "the most beautiful wake on Lanier". Several still bitch.

I have a 550 sac I've not wanted to use since the rebuild, but I'll lose that vote next year.    

Oh you can have that much wet foam in one of these boats... trust me! We took out every bit of 400 lbs out of our BFN. It may have been closer to 600. Our weight was concentrated towards the front, at the lowest point- but not all boats collect water in the same spot. If I remember correctly, Greg's BFN sat with the platform in the water prior to rebuilding- which would imply that his was soaked in back. The v-hulls are built with several ribs running perpendicular to the main stringers, so its possible that water could have found its way underneath, and does not have a path to the center of the boat.

Going down that path is not necessarily something you want to do just yet... I would rule out everything else first!

BuffaloBFN wrote: You could peel back some carpet and use a 1" hole saw to investigate. A 2 or 3" might be better after I thought about it. Still easy to refoam and patch.

I am going to look into getting each wheel on this thing on a separate scale to see if this may be the issue. If it is a waterlogged starboard side, do you guys know that it would be a very obvious difference in weight since most of the water would pool in the lowest part of the hull, concentrating the weight to the center?

And is pulling up the floor the only other way to find out if this is the problem?

BuffaloBFN wrote: What about a spring scale, a bottle jack, and a 4x4-of course with a folded towel for padding?

Greg,
Not a bad idea as long as you can find a scale to handle the load. I understand some state troupers do use portables that they use to weight each axle/dual tire. he needs to get real friendly with a trooper!!

jimsport93 wrote: Have we yet ruled out waterlogged foam on the starboard side?

No, it's one of the things Tim brought up and I confirmed worth looking into.

However, I don't really know how to do it. You'd need to weigh each side of the trailer separately. That may be done if you got "real friendly" with your local truck stop operator???

Measuring the spring compression from one side to the other may give you an indicator as well. However, that may be chancy due to old springs!!

bryanandmissy wrote: I can't imagine being the original owner and accepting such a thing.

The hook does not mean you have an imperfect boat...at least for that reason. As Tim said, they are there on purpose. They set the boat's attitude or you might call it the running angle.

I suspect they came along like a major suspension improvment on a sports car.