This is my boat maintenance thread

Poor Richard · 06-04-2019, 12:17 PM

Trailer's spec'd for 7500 and it's not enough, even considering the sagging

SeaRay's numbers are not correct. I do a lot of towing and this boat is certainly heavier than 6500. I've had 6k of stone behind my Tundra and the truck is working much harder with the boat in tow.

DaveR's response is much closer to what I believe is the true weight

And my sarcastic response....just having a little fun. There wasn't much to go by from your post so I responded in an equally "helpful" manner.

Woodsy · 06-04-2019, 01:03 PM

If you "think" your boat weighs more.... then take it to a commercial scale and get a true weight....

IMHO there is no way in hell that boat weighs ANYTHING close to 9000lbs!

Woodsy

Poor Richard · 06-04-2019, 07:23 PM

Woodsy, my love, no one is saying my boat weighs 9k.

I am springing for 9k because the boat is certainly heavier than Sea Ray's advertised dry weight with full provisions considered. Engines are missing from the math and those options came in the form of a single 454, single 350 or twin 350's. I'll leave you to surmise which engine was equipped for Sea Ray's dry weight calculation.

The capacity of the hot water and gray water holding tanks, respectively, were not calculated in your post.

I also carry full toolbox in the midship storage plus oils, fluids, cleaners, spare parts, etc, a couple anchors, some lengths of chain, plus the items for "surviving" on the water with my wife and kiddo.

There will be a slight increase to weight once the 7.4 MPI and B3 are installed.

If someone like DaveR is packing 1700lbs over dry weight of his Regal in full cruise mode that would still put me at 7125lbs even if 5425 is the calculated weight. I would certainly not spring for 7500 lbs even if these numbers were true because it would be far too close to the max capacity of the springs.

Having 2k lbs in suspension headroom with a 7000 pound vehicle will be just fine. Heck, my tractor is just about 4k and that thing runs around on a trailer rated for 7500 lbs and all is well!

I ask for you to trust that the person who is typing this has done the homework, has sought several opinions and inputs from a few sources and is moving forward with 9k springs. If it ends up being oversprung then, take confidence I'll be posting about it in this thread and I'll gladly eat crow.

VitaBene · 06-04-2019, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poor Richard

Woodsy, my love, no one is saying my boat weighs 9k.

I am springing for 9k because the boat is certainly heavier than Sea Ray's advertised dry weight with full provisions considered. Engines are missing from the math and those options came in the form of a single 454, single 350 or twin 350's. I'll leave you to surmise which engine was equipped for Sea Ray's dry weight calculation.

The capacity of the hot water and gray water holding tanks, respectively, were not calculated in your post.

I also carry full toolbox in the midship storage plus oils, fluids, cleaners, spare parts, etc, a couple anchors, some lengths of chain, plus the items for "surviving" on the water with my wife and kiddo.

There will be a slight increase to weight once the 7.4 MPI and B3 are installed.

If someone like DaveR is packing 1700lbs over dry weight of his Regal in full cruise mode that would still put me at 7125lbs even if 6500 is the calculated weight. I would certainly not spring for 7500 lbs even if these numbers were true because it would be far too close to the max capacity of the springs.

Having 2k lbs in suspension headroom with a 7000 pound vehicle will be just fine. Heck, my tractor is just about 4k and that thing runs around on a trailer rated for 7500 lbs and all is well!

I ask for you to trust that the person who is typing this has done the homework, has sought several opinions and inputs from a few sources and is moving forward with 9k springs. If it ends up being oversprung then, take confidence I'll be posting about it in this thread and I'll gladly eat crow.

If you think k the boat feels like it weighs more than it sounds like it should, it may be waterlogged.

CooperS7777 · 06-04-2019, 10:23 PM

I agree with Woodsy in that it would be most valuable to get an accurate weight on the boat itself before proceeding with re-springing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poor Richard

SeaRay's numbers are not correct. I do a lot of towing and this boat is certainly heavier than 6500. I've had 6k of stone behind my Tundra and the truck is working much harder with the boat in tow.

It sounds as though you've done quite a bit of research, but to be able to truly feel a noticeable difference between a ~6000 lb boat and a ~7500 lb boat behind your truck would lead me to believe there may be some other contributing factors; problems with the truck, perhaps, or from the sounds of the condition of the trailer, possibly an issue with the hubs and or trailer brakes.

Bud63 · 06-05-2019, 05:18 AM

Make sure your axles are rated for 9,000 lbs or they will be the next thing to fail

Poor Richard · 01-07-2020, 10:21 PM

Winter update because never say die!

So it took a while but the trailer was eventually sorted out. What it took to get there is nothing short of amazing.

Upon removing suspension bits and the axles, I quickly discovered that installing new bushings was going to be a chore since ShoreLand'r used (what appeared to be) bronze bushings way back when. Instead of dealing with pressing then having to make up for the OD of the bushing, I sourced a drill bit set with the specific size I needed in order to open up the existing bushings...11/16" (Pics 1 and 2)

The really unfortunate thing will all this is discovering that one of the greaseable bolts welded itself to the bushing but also broke off the shackle it was attached to (Pic 3). This essentially meant that it was a miracle the suspension didn't unwind itself at some point on the road.

I broke out my oxy/ ace torches and proceeded to get exactly nowhere for 2 days. Up to this point I had 100% success rate of hardware removal with the torches and this bolt marks the first time I could not get hardware to budge.

In another stroke of luck, the way in which the bolt broke off the original shackle, I noticed there was already a known center point due to the fact the bolt is drilled down the center for the purpose of greasing. So I started drilling and oiling. Rinse and repeat while I put my new Ryobi drill to the test. In Pic 4 you can see the result. After drilling perfectly down the center of the bolt, I broke out the torches once again and brought my friend the pipe wrench into the mix. Success at last! And I was ready to install all my new hardware and springs.......sort of.

The off-the-shelf springs that I purchased on recommendation ended up being too long for the existing spring perches. The folks at Donovan did their best to get me a shackle setup that would compensate for this however, the shackles did not work as intended and they ended up sitting flat against the trailer frame once everything was on the ground.

Donovan asked for me to bring the springs in so they could shorten them. Of course, that meant I was dropping both axles once again.

Once all that was addressed, everything went back together as expected and a road trip was finally in order!

I am happy to report the trailer was stone silent during the trip and the action in the suspension appeared to be perfectly fine.

Next order of business will be sorting out and cleaning up the engine followed by servicing the transom assy and outdrive.

I'm really starting to get excited now!

Dave R · 01-09-2020, 02:14 PM

We are so fortunate to have Donovan Spring nearby, that's a class operation and their prices are incredible.

Best of luck with your project, cannot wait to find out how it comes out. I hope that 454MAG EFI (MPI) blows you away.

Poor Richard · 01-10-2020, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave R

I hope that 454MAG EFI (MPI) blows you away.

I'm sure it will because it can't be any worse than what the other two engines have done!

Patofnaud · 01-16-2020, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave R

We are so fortunate to have Donovan Spring nearby, that's a class operation and their prices are incredible.

Best of luck with your project, I cannot wait to find out how it comes out. I hope that 454MAG EFI (MPI) blows you away.

I can second that. Anytime I need suspension parts or major plow work done, I head to Londonderry.

06-04-2019, 01:03 PM	#2
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,965 Thanks: 80 Thanked 980 Times in 440 Posts	If you "think" your boat weighs more.... then take it to a commercial scale and get a true weight.... IMHO there is no way in hell that boat weighs ANYTHING close to 9000lbs! Woodsy __________________ The only way to eliminate ignorant behavior is through education. You can't fix stupid.

06-04-2019, 07:23 PM	#3
Poor Richard Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: The humbling river Posts: 304 Thanks: 42 Thanked 80 Times in 57 Posts	Woodsy, my love, no one is saying my boat weighs 9k. I am springing for 9k because the boat is certainly heavier than Sea Ray's advertised dry weight with full provisions considered. Engines are missing from the math and those options came in the form of a single 454, single 350 or twin 350's. I'll leave you to surmise which engine was equipped for Sea Ray's dry weight calculation. The capacity of the hot water and gray water holding tanks, respectively, were not calculated in your post. I also carry full toolbox in the midship storage plus oils, fluids, cleaners, spare parts, etc, a couple anchors, some lengths of chain, plus the items for "surviving" on the water with my wife and kiddo. There will be a slight increase to weight once the 7.4 MPI and B3 are installed. If someone like DaveR is packing 1700lbs over dry weight of his Regal in full cruise mode that would still put me at 7125lbs even if 5425 is the calculated weight. I would certainly not spring for 7500 lbs even if these numbers were true because it would be far too close to the max capacity of the springs. Having 2k lbs in suspension headroom with a 7000 pound vehicle will be just fine. Heck, my tractor is just about 4k and that thing runs around on a trailer rated for 7500 lbs and all is well! I ask for you to trust that the person who is typing this has done the homework, has sought several opinions and inputs from a few sources and is moving forward with 9k springs. If it ends up being oversprung then, take confidence I'll be posting about it in this thread and I'll gladly eat crow. Last edited by Poor Richard; 06-05-2019 at 07:21 AM. Reason: 5425 not 6500

01-07-2020, 10:21 PM	#7
Poor Richard Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: The humbling river Posts: 304 Thanks: 42 Thanked 80 Times in 57 Posts	Winter update because never say die! So it took a while but the trailer was eventually sorted out. What it took to get there is nothing short of amazing. Upon removing suspension bits and the axles, I quickly discovered that installing new bushings was going to be a chore since ShoreLand'r used (what appeared to be) bronze bushings way back when. Instead of dealing with pressing then having to make up for the OD of the bushing, I sourced a drill bit set with the specific size I needed in order to open up the existing bushings...11/16" (Pics 1 and 2) The really unfortunate thing will all this is discovering that one of the greaseable bolts welded itself to the bushing but also broke off the shackle it was attached to (Pic 3). This essentially meant that it was a miracle the suspension didn't unwind itself at some point on the road. I broke out my oxy/ ace torches and proceeded to get exactly nowhere for 2 days. Up to this point I had 100% success rate of hardware removal with the torches and this bolt marks the first time I could not get hardware to budge. In another stroke of luck, the way in which the bolt broke off the original shackle, I noticed there was already a known center point due to the fact the bolt is drilled down the center for the purpose of greasing. So I started drilling and oiling. Rinse and repeat while I put my new Ryobi drill to the test. In Pic 4 you can see the result. After drilling perfectly down the center of the bolt, I broke out the torches once again and brought my friend the pipe wrench into the mix. Success at last! And I was ready to install all my new hardware and springs.......sort of. The off-the-shelf springs that I purchased on recommendation ended up being too long for the existing spring perches. The folks at Donovan did their best to get me a shackle setup that would compensate for this however, the shackles did not work as intended and they ended up sitting flat against the trailer frame once everything was on the ground. Donovan asked for me to bring the springs in so they could shorten them. Of course, that meant I was dropping both axles once again. Once all that was addressed, everything went back together as expected and a road trip was finally in order! I am happy to report the trailer was stone silent during the trip and the action in the suspension appeared to be perfectly fine. Next order of business will be sorting out and cleaning up the engine followed by servicing the transom assy and outdrive. I'm really starting to get excited now! Attached Images

06-04-2019, 12:17 PM	#1
Poor Richard Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: The humbling river Posts: 304 Thanks: 42 Thanked 80 Times in 57 Posts	Trailer's spec'd for 7500 and it's not enough, even considering the sagging SeaRay's numbers are not correct. I do a lot of towing and this boat is certainly heavier than 6500. I've had 6k of stone behind my Tundra and the truck is working much harder with the boat in tow. DaveR's response is much closer to what I believe is the true weight And my sarcastic response....just having a little fun. There wasn't much to go by from your post so I responded in an equally "helpful" manner.

06-05-2019, 05:18 AM	#6
Bud63 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 18 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	Make sure your axles are rated for 9,000 lbs or they will be the next thing to fail

01-09-2020, 02:14 PM	#8
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,984 Thanks: 246 Thanked 743 Times in 443 Posts	We are so fortunate to have Donovan Spring nearby, that's a class operation and their prices are incredible. Best of luck with your project, cannot wait to find out how it comes out. I hope that 454MAG EFI (MPI) blows you away.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Dave R For This Useful Post:
ishoot308 (01-16-2020), Poor Richard (01-10-2020)