quick question about wieght distribution

O

Orlando

Member
its a 76 cuddy with a 78 175 johnson and 2 20gal saddlebag tanks, it seems like it rolls side to side a bit more then i was expacting and was wondering if there was anything i could do as far as weight distribution to make it more stable. i have a two year old son that lives and breathes fishing and was wanting to take him out in the bay some next summer. let him catch a few spot or croakers. but i want to make the boat as stable as possible because children are not the most coordinated people. on a side note i pulled the drivers seat and checked in the hole, didnt see any foam, was wondering if there was any in this boat.
 
Orlando said:
its a 76 cuddy with a 78 175 johnson and 2 20gal saddlebag tanks, it seems like it rolls side to side a bit more then i was expacting and was wondering if there was anything i could do as far as weight distribution to make it more stable. i have a two year old son that lives and breathes fishing and was wanting to take him out in the bay some next summer. let him catch a few spot or croakers. but i want to make the boat as stable as possible because children are not the most coordinated people. on a side note i pulled the drivers seat and checked in the hole, didnt see any foam, was wondering if there was any in this boat.
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Depends on how far you want to take the project. The best way to redistribute the weight would be to take the 2 tanks out and put in a center floor tank. The closer you move the weight to the center of a hull the more stable it is. If that's not an option, then the next best thing would be to draw down the fuel in both tanks equally so that the weight is equal on both sides of the centerline of the hull.
As far as foam goes, they didn't start foaming the hulls till a few years after your hull, so unless the PO put some foam in you won't find any. :head:
 
Orlando...not sure what you're accustomed to, but keep in mind you're talking about a 20' boat w/a sharp V entry and 19* deadrise at the stern...they are not known to be "tippy" butif you and the toddler are hangin' over the port gunwale workin' a fish, she gonna dip some...

And don't worry about junior so much...raised my two girls on the '74 pictured here and never had a fall or anything due to the boat...they get their sea legs pretty quickly was my experience...just SHOW 'em what it does; don't let it be a surprise...he'll be OK, Dad...
 
appreciate the answers guys, i just want to make sure everything is as safe as possible, kinda funny what happens when you have a kid, gonna have gray hairs by the time i reach 30. i love the way the boat rides under power, can handle really rough water. probably just bieng overly concerned with it at anchor.
 
Orlando said:
appreciate the answers guys, i just want to make sure everything is as safe as possible, kinda funny what happens when you have a kid, gonna have gray hairs by the time i reach 30. i love the way the boat rides under power, can handle really rough water. probably just bieng overly concerned with it at anchor.
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And this is the old man of the forums delivering his usual safety message... With all the concern about being tippy or not, just always, always remember to make sure that your son has a PROPER fitting infant/child life vest on at all times when he's on the boat. It's the law, as well as just being plain good sense.
 
X 2...w/an addition...water safety doesn't start & stop on the boat...kids can fall off docks & seawalls as easily as from a boat...for really small kids, put the jacket on 'em soon as they get out of the car...from seat belt to life jacket ain't a bad way to look at it...and even w/a life jacket, currents can have a toddler away from a dock in nothing flat...while readying the boat, one parent should be APPOINTED to be the kid watcher...have a conversation about it w/whatever adult is w/you...I would suggest until a child reaches a level of competence around the water, TWO adults should be present w/one appointed as above...I know some want to take their kids fishin' & boatin' at a very young age when their spouse is at work, etc...but it is risky...
 
it will be me and my wife taking him, dont plan on taking him out by myself for another couple years. i took him to west marine a couple weeks ago and bought a vest type life jacket for him that fits him now at its smallest adjustment and can adjust to quite a bit larger. but what you said reel makes sense so i think i will be putting him and the wife in the boat right before it goes in the water that way theres no transistion between dock and boat.
 
we started taking our kids out at about 3-4 months. i took an old car seat and fastened it into the passenger seat. my wife would get in the boat with the child put them in a life vest and strap them in the car seat. i would launch and handle all the lines the main concern about taking infant in a boat is stabilizing the head. both grew up to be water rats.
 
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