How to "lighten" the load?
 

I'm done fiddling with the motors! I'd like to see what I could gain by lightening the weight of the boat.

Me losing weight is not an option!:D

These are the 1st things I am thinking about:

1. Replacing fiberglass hatch with aluminum
2. Replacing rear fiberglass bench seat base with aluminum.
3. Removing slide-out center piece in cabin.

Any other tips for a 30' Sonic? Would this be worth it? I have a friend that can do the fabricating cheap.

Ken this is my understanding...

it takes roughly 8-15 hp to gain 1mph, and it takes 7-10 lbs to loose 1hp, so if you average those numbers, you would have to loose roughly 75 lbs to gain 1mph, give or take,,, depending on hull efficiency and power.

Ken,

Just make sure your buddies take all their empty's out after each day on the water...that ought to give you a mile an hour or two :D :D !!!

Throw the Wife overboard!!!!!!

Wes,

I save those empties and cash them in at the end of the season to help pay for gas!

Chris, useful info! Thanks

That would certainly solve the problem. Just ask Bob Russell (Can You Hear Me Now-Outer Limits top speed V-bottom champ)

Ken,
In all seriousness, I don't think you will gain too much if anything. You're at 90 plus now, how much faster do you want to go:):) We have to hook up this summer, no excuses:)

Aluminum anchor.

OOPS, I didn't realize I posted in the "Moron" section.:rolleyes:

Gary, I'm ready for a full season this yr!!!

Here are a few serious ideas used by some race boats:

Use one sea strainer to feed both engines. (not only do you save the weight of the strainer, but also the water inside)
Don't need to trim your drives (or tabs) independently?: use only one pump for the drives and one for the tabs.
Change to lighter batteries.

Also: no stereo, speakers, etc.
No cushy pads on the engine hatch
Bare cabin area, except for lightweight carpet.

RE: aluminum. The hatch on my ex race boat is aluminum and it's relatively heavy. We're going to make a lighter one using core material and carbon fiber.

But removing a 1,000# is a lofty goal. The first 250# is easy; it's tough after that.

IMHO
Due