New to boats but love it! I have a few questions though

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MarcusBrown

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Hi I was a complete boating novice until about 2months ago. A random purchase later and I have a marine ally 12ft v hull with a mercury 4hp.
1) I have detachable transport wheels fitted bit I'm worried about the stress on the ally around the mountings so was going to reinforce with steel chequer plate. My question is what kind of rivets should I use and do I need any tools other than a drill and rivet gun? Also how can I assure a leak free join?
2) I use it mainly on a busy stretch of the Thames and yesterday while out a big old tug passed me and the wash it created was scary, I was fine and steered directly in to the waves but me and my little boat was thrown around a bit. What am I suppose to do in these situations.
3) going against strong currents I felt Like was going no where fast, think about a bigger engine, the boat can take a max 15hp. What should I consider while think about motors.
And lastly I would appreciate any other tops and advice you can offer.
Thanks for your help


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Nice boat. Not sure about the rivets, Never ran a setup like that. As for the motor, Yes , the general consensus is near the max is best, but mine will take a 60, I a m running a 25 and love it. I enjoy freeboard and I fish a good bit at night so I don't want my boat so close to the water coming in that it make me nervous every time I hear a wave.

Just my 2 cents.

Nice boat though.
 
Nice little tinny! Unfortunately there is little you can do about the wake from big boats other than only using it on smaller waterbodies that don't see large vessels. It's a small boat, and while it has a lot of strengths, there are also some weaknesses.

For the wheels and reinforcement plates I would use some marine sealant under the plates.
 
Thanks for the response guys! And as I said I'm a rookie at this so any suggestions or ideas are very welcome.


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Bailey Boat said:
When you say "transport wheels" these are just used from the backyard to the river nearby?? Correct??
I put it on my van's roof to get to and from the water (boat alone only weighs 65kg) I use the wheels just to walking from my van to the slip way into the river and for moving it around in my shed. Believe me I wouldn't tow it on these!


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I share your concern about stressing the transom with the attached wheels. The last thing that I ever want to do is make new holes in the transom, or even enlarge the ones that are already there.

Steel, in contact with aluminum, is going to cause some corrosion (dis-similar metals). If you must brace the wheels that you already have, then I'd look for a stiff piece of aluminum in lieu of the steel that you are proposing.

Alternatively, look at making or buying something like the attached boat transporter. It is strapped onto the bottom and puts no strain on the transom. They are used to move kayaks all of the time.

A number of YouTube videos are available. I'd search under kayak transporter or something similar to that. I have one under my kayak right now. Some PVC, a couple of wheels ( I bought an old golf bag trolley and stole the wheels from it) and you can make one in an hour. richg99

https://www.rei.com/product/815324/paddleboy-designs-atc-boat-cart?cm_mmc=cse_PLA_GOOG-_-8153240001&CAWELAID=120217890000879370&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=16033111960&CATCI=aud-54816614184:pla-117702509080&lsft=cm_mmc:cse_PLA_GOOG&gclid=CjwKEAjwqdi7BRCL6Zmjk5-rsTwSJABmrVabaAkjQVAGWngyFbhNTRpIwkBUztIpFi-hlqiSQR5WPRoCs7Lw_wcB

32bd0b76-939e-459b-93bb-f00c38d68d56
 
Nice looking little boat, hope you have a great time in her.

I concur with richg99 on the use of steel; the steel in contact with the aluminum will create a galvanic cell and the steel will rust quickly. If you can get aluminum plate to reinforce it, that would be preferable. As a rule, don't put dissimilar metals together. I also concur in not liking putting new holes in a boat, but if you do put holes in the boat, just make sure they are above the waterline. As for the fasteners, appropriately sized pop-rivets (or blind rivets) should be fine, but be sure to get closed end rivets; most pop-rivets you buy in hardware store have open ends. Just apply some 5200 adhesive/sealant to the shaft of the rivet and it should be watertight.

With regard to large vessel traffic, the unwritten "rule of the road" is the Law of Gross Tonnage; basically the larger vessel has the right of way because it's more difficult to maneuver. This is not the law, technically the 900-ft container ship crossing from your port should give-way and take your stern, but he's not going to. Coming from someone that's been on the bridge of a ship, I would have pulled out what little hair I have remaining trying to avoid recreational boaters (I had speed boats do circles around me to get a good look at the ship on more than one occasion). We tended to just ignore them and assume that they would avoid us unless it became clear that they wouldn't. In short, all you can do is keep an eye out, be prudent about the situations you put yourself in with your boat, and be ready to react to large wake and other vessel traffic.

If it were me, I'd be running a 15-hp. The weight difference between a 15-hp and a 4-hp is negligible, both way far less than a person, and I've never been sorry to have extra horsepower to get me back to the dock when the storm clouds started to roll in.
 
richg99 said:
I share your concern about stressing the transom with the attached wheels. The last thing that I ever want to do is make new holes in the transom, or even enlarge the ones that are already there.

Steel, in contact with aluminum, is going to cause some corrosion (dis-similar metals). If you must brace the wheels that you already have, then I'd look for a stiff piece of aluminum in lieu of the steel that you are proposing.

Alternatively, look at making or buying something like the attached boat transporter. It is strapped onto the bottom and puts no strain on the transom. They are used to move kayaks all of the time.

A number of YouTube videos are available. I'd search under kayak transporter or something similar to that. I have one under my kayak right now. Some PVC, a couple of wheels ( I bought an old golf bag trolley and stole the wheels from it) and you can make one in an hour. richg99

https://www.rei.com/product/815324/paddleboy-designs-atc-boat-cart?cm_mmc=cse_PLA_GOOG-_-8153240001&CAWELAID=120217890000879370&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=16033111960&CATCI=aud-54816614184:pla-117702509080&lsft=cm_mmc:cse_PLA_GOOG&gclid=CjwKEAjwqdi7BRCL6Zmjk5-rsTwSJABmrVabaAkjQVAGWngyFbhNTRpIwkBUztIpFi-hlqiSQR5WPRoCs7Lw_wcB

32bd0b76-939e-459b-93bb-f00c38d68d56

Thanks for the suggestion. To be completely honest within a few hours of buying the boat I drilled 4 holes in the transom to fit these wheel. Now I have I think I'd prefer to use them and make them work for me also I have had people comment how practical which they are. Now thanks to your advice I have decided to bin the steal as the electro erosion would be a concern. Instead I'll find a 4mm ally plate and cut to fit snugly on the inside of the transom apply some marine sealant and use the holes Iv already made. Plus may need to add a few more rivets to sure thing up but as few as possible.

Does this sound like an appropriate plan to you?

Cheers


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enginerd said:
Nice looking little boat, hope you have a great time in her.

I concur with richg99 on the use of steel; the steel in contact with the aluminum will create a galvanic cell and the steel will rust quickly. If you can get aluminum plate to reinforce it, that would be preferable. As a rule, don't put dissimilar metals together. I also concur in not liking putting new holes in a boat, but if you do put holes in the boat, just make sure they are above the waterline. As for the fasteners, appropriately sized pop-rivets (or blind rivets) should be fine, but be sure to get closed end rivets; most pop-rivets you buy in hardware store have open ends. Just apply some 5200 adhesive/sealant to the shaft of the rivet and it should be watertight.

With regard to large vessel traffic, the unwritten "rule of the road" is the Law of Gross Tonnage; basically the larger vessel has the right of way because it's more difficult to maneuver. This is not the law, technically the 900-ft container ship crossing from your port should give-way and take your stern, but he's not going to. Coming from someone that's been on the bridge of a ship, I would have pulled out what little hair I have remaining trying to avoid recreational boaters (I had speed boats do circles around me to get a good look at the ship on more than one occasion). We tended to just ignore them and assume that they would avoid us unless it became clear that they wouldn't. In short, all you can do is keep an eye out, be prudent about the situations you put yourself in with your boat, and be ready to react to large wake and other vessel traffic.

If it were me, I'd be running a 15-hp. The weight difference between a 15-hp and a 4-hp is negligible, both way far less than a person, and I've never been sorry to have extra horsepower to get me back to the dock when the storm clouds started to roll in.

Thanks for the advice regarding the rivets and sealant, has been dually noted. I think I'm going to look for a 9.9hp Mercury or similar outboard as it's more than double the power of mine but still nice and light. Do you think my lack of experience would mean jumping straight to a 15hp could be a bit much or would it be fine? Also would you suggest keeping my 4 as a back up or trade it in against the newby?

Cheers


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I wouldn't expect that you'd have any issues with the higher horsepower engine; you'd just need to be judicious with the use of the throttle. If you are concerned about being a novice boater, there are plenty of boating courses available. Two great resources are the USCG Auxiliary's training classes or BoatUS online boating courses, but there are a lot of other options out there.

As for keeping the 4-hp as a backup, that's really personal preference. I would probably sell it or trade it in; most newer engines are very reliable.
 
richg99 said:
I may be wrong, but the Original Poster sounds like he is in Britain or Australia. No U S Coast Guard courses there.
richg99

My mistake, I was thinking of the Thames in Connecticut. I would assume there are equivalent beginning boating courses available anywhere.
 
Yes I'm in london, England. There a few courses available the most appropriate being the Royal yacht association power boat 2. It's a recognised two day introduction course and covers both in and out board vessels and with or without searing console. I'm planing on taking the course at some point but it's around £400 so not cheap and with work and home priorities on top of now wanting a bigger engine, it might have to wait a while. I have obviously been doing some reading on rules and safe use but I know there's no replacement for experience.


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KMixson said:
I was taught to approach waves at an angle and not head on if encountered if at all possible.
Oh really ok that's good too know! Haha. Would you say at roughly a 45degree angle and or is it more like just not completely straight on? Thanks


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MarcusBrown said:
KMixson said:
I was taught to approach waves at an angle and not head on if encountered if at all possible.
Oh really ok that's good too know! Haha. Would you say at roughly a 45degree angle and or is it more like just not completely straight on? Thanks


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I believe it really depends on your preference. You will have to get out there and learn from experience.
 
KMixson said:
MarcusBrown said:
KMixson said:
I was taught to approach waves at an angle and not head on if encountered if at all possible.
Oh really ok that's good too know! Haha. Would you say at roughly a 45degree angle and or is it more like just not completely straight on? Thanks


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I believe it really depends on your preference. You will have to get out there and learn from experience.

My favourite learning style! :)
 

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