Re-powering my seacraft

Bushwacker · #27 06-06-2013, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infanterene

Very cool stuff. Moesly looks like a nice guy.

We pulled the console because Im having some the floor replaced and raised. We noticed that the tank is all the way back, I want to move it all the forward about 18" . I plan on moving the battery from the rear of the console to the front of the console and the oil tank from the transom to the front of the console.

Does anyone have any idea how moving all that weight forward will affect the ride of the boat? Will it affect prop selection? Planing speeds? MPG?

Both Carl and wife Jeanne are indeed very nice, modest and down to earth folks. When you first meet him, you'd have no clue that Carl has 13,000 flight hours in virtually everything the USAF flew in WWII, or about his many other adventures, until he starts relating some of his stories, that is! He's really an amazingly talented guy who has done just about everything, truly a Renaissance man! His "Pilot's Story" book is a great read!

Moving weight forward is nearly always a good idea, especially on a CC. When it gets rough, I move my 70 qt cooler up into the step down aft of the cabin door to improve the ride. It should reduce your min planing speed, but I wouldn't think it would affect your prop choice if you don't change the total amount of weight. In flat water, it might reduce top end a bit because you might not be able to get as much of the hull out of the water.

Speaking of flat water, Carla told a story about one of the offshore races her dad entered with a 21, where the race was actually postponed for a day or so because the seas were absolutely flat! They normally raced in very rough conditions and the boats were balanced for that, but Carl concluded it would still be flat on race day, so the night before the race he moved gas tanks, batteries, etc. further aft to re-balance for flat seas. He also replaced Frank Brown, his 250 lb mechanic/crew with his wife Jeanne! He did very well in the race, not only winning the outboard class, but also beating a lot of the bigger 1000 hp inboards in the process!