Tims test at 30 feet
I just got back from a little test cruise with TIMS at 30 feet LOA.
Worked like a charm, and was far more stable than at 22 feet. Cool!
With a 9.9 HP o/b, the 11 foot sharpie bow, an 8 foot centre unit and
Timmy the 11 foot towboat we took her for a spin. We added up to 30'.
Worked like a charm. To stiffen her I made a drilling template and
installed three 3/8" bolts between the units. One low on the centre
line and two high, just below the cleats. I wasn't able to get all
the bolts through, so we added some sliding and standard C-clamps
here and there, and this really stiffened her up. She pitched abit in
the powerboat wakes, but we quickly learned to take them on the beam,
rolling did not seam to put much stress (and no horrible cracking
noises were heard) on the unit joints.
Stability! You can actually step on the gunwale and pause there. She
might sink 2 sedate inches when you do that, but feel free to stroll
from one end to the other with your hands in your pockets.
Outstanding stability.
Speed: The 9.9 drove her far beyond hull speed. It felt and acted
like planing, easily over 10 knots, but once again, I have no GPS, so
its all a guesstimate.
Legality. We actually circled a Coast Guard boat, and although they
were gawking at us, they didn'y pull us over for a "courtesy
inspection". too bad, as we had all the required safety gear on
board, and at under 10 HP are exempy from licencing.
Tomorrow I add two more units and try her at 46 feet LOa. Reports and
photos to follow.
Bruce Hector
Worked like a charm, and was far more stable than at 22 feet. Cool!
With a 9.9 HP o/b, the 11 foot sharpie bow, an 8 foot centre unit and
Timmy the 11 foot towboat we took her for a spin. We added up to 30'.
Worked like a charm. To stiffen her I made a drilling template and
installed three 3/8" bolts between the units. One low on the centre
line and two high, just below the cleats. I wasn't able to get all
the bolts through, so we added some sliding and standard C-clamps
here and there, and this really stiffened her up. She pitched abit in
the powerboat wakes, but we quickly learned to take them on the beam,
rolling did not seam to put much stress (and no horrible cracking
noises were heard) on the unit joints.
Stability! You can actually step on the gunwale and pause there. She
might sink 2 sedate inches when you do that, but feel free to stroll
from one end to the other with your hands in your pockets.
Outstanding stability.
Speed: The 9.9 drove her far beyond hull speed. It felt and acted
like planing, easily over 10 knots, but once again, I have no GPS, so
its all a guesstimate.
Legality. We actually circled a Coast Guard boat, and although they
were gawking at us, they didn'y pull us over for a "courtesy
inspection". too bad, as we had all the required safety gear on
board, and at under 10 HP are exempy from licencing.
Tomorrow I add two more units and try her at 46 feet LOa. Reports and
photos to follow.
Bruce Hector