Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share you ideas and experiences.
I have a 15'1" fiberglass RiverHawk w/9.9hp4cycleHonda outboard and I am looking for design ideas to make it into a long range river cruiser with enough floatation to guarantee it never sinks. (I turned it over once, thanks to too much hydrofoil on the anti-cavitation plate...it bobbed up and down with 2 feet of the bow sticking out of the water.)Anyone with new ideas or tried and true methods please respond. My current plans are to raise and flatten the floor with foam underneath and to bolt in an air-tank, just ahead of the motor. All serious suggestions will be appreciated.
Follow Ups:
I just purchast a "RiverHawk 60" It's Green and ordered it for stick steering. I have also ordered a Honda 9.9, electric start, remote steering, & tilt & trim. You mentioned in you data that you turned yours over. Can you tell me more about the problem you had. The new boats are made with flotation in the back, middle, and the front.I was told that the boat will never sink, even if it's full of water and 750 lbs of people and gear! Looking forwared to hearing from you.
I’ve never been a fan of flotation below the ‘floor’ of a small boat. It’s better than none at all but tends to force the boat to ‘float’ upside down after a calamity. Air tanks or water tight bulkheads in the bow and stern are a good way to go providing they float the boat with enough gunnel above water that you -- inside the boat -- can then bail the water back to where it belongs. How about a set of hard shaped foam sponsons just below the outside of the gunnels, laying fore and aft on the port and starboard side of the hull and shaped to accentuate the boats sheer, providing flotation. Wasn’t there some sort of ‘sport canoe’ that had this feature? Seems with a bit of effort this flotation system would retain the space inside a small boat, and, provide a level upright position with the boat swamped that one could bail to dry...
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