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Hull questions

A

apg1387

Active member
Looking into a new boat. I am thinking a 14x8 full deck, either a hamant or a diamond back. I would really like to stick with an AC power if possible. What’s the biggest boat you guys have seen with a 540? My ideal boat would be 14 x 8 with seating for 5, one of the seats could be a removable jump seat. Is it do able or am I trying to squeeze to much out of a 540?
 
Keep it light and you will have a great boat. 540 on a 14 foot boat is a good combination. Know a guy with a couple 16 foot ride boats with 540s on them. He would haul 7 and himself with no problem.
 
I have always heard good thigs about Hamant hulls! Call Wade at Hamant and tell him what you want, motor, etc. :thumbleft:
 
Apg1837, are you planning to run this boat dry much with that amount of people and in what kind of terrain and in what area do you run? How big are the people and is it a AV OR SV? Gary that's a bunch of people in a boat that size, was the ride boats you speak of running any dry or just in water? Do you happen to remember how those boats were setup and if they were all adults? Those seem like beasts for a/c boats. I am curious on their setups because I may be building an a/c boat in the future and usually have multiple passengers myself. I also wonder with that much weight in the boat what the gas burn will be like compared to a cm boat. Thanks for your info and input.
 
Most of the time it’s just me, maybe my wife. Typically it’ll be 2-3 people. I’d just like the capability to seat up to 5 if I was running people out to camp or something. I ride mostly in the northern part of the Everglades, not much totally dry ground, not like up in central Florida.
 
Oh ok, that is no prob for sure for either 540 and that size hull. I envisioned you pushing that many people on dry ground all the time and was i thinking it was gonna wear that 540 out.
 
Straight valve 540, I don't know how big his passengers were as I wasn't there. I only know what he told me. I am sure he wasn't filling the boat up and looking for dry land to run. It's a boat not a swamp buggy. As far as fuel burn, ht burned 30 gallons a day on the busy days.
The areas he ran in was 3A and 3B. when he first built the boat I was with him and he drove it thru a island that I would not take mine thru. I figured I would be pushing this tub. He said he had to know what it could do.
 
I am not a AC guy but have had the same size boat you are looking at in the lighter build. I went back to a 15 x8 regular deck over to handle the extra people capacity. My 14 x 8 deck over was only a 2 seat boat. I felt the ultra light with extra weight would not keep the bottom from getting dented on submerged logs and rocks. I would talk to your builder to see what they feel. In a welded boat a lot or maybe all the weight saving comes out of the bottom. Using AC you also save weight by not having a gearbox
 
Blackcoffee said:
In a welded boat a lot or maybe all the weight saving comes out of the bottom.
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What material thickness is typical for Ultra Light vs. standard? 8'x16' sheet of 1/8" weighs 230 lbs, while 3/16" would be 345 lbs, a difference of only 115 lbs, or one very skinny rider.

Nothing about a boat with 5 people says lightweight to me.
 
Have you looked at build times. I would be curious to hear what build times they are telling you, maybe a year or better?
 
Mossy Cypress said:
Hows your LS boat coming along?
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Should have the long block all assembled in a couple of weeks. Otherwise, the hull is still collecting leaves, waiting for me to get motivated with the new sand blaster attachment for my pressure washer.
 
Awesome Slidin! I cant wait to see the videos of you bulldozing and terrorizing the marsh with a boat full of dogs and hogs with your new powerplant.
 
Ok I have a 14x8 with Vo540 gas guzzling high compression 300 plus hp and its ok. Not going to carry 5 people definitely go with an ultralight hull, I did not, not what I call a hill burner
 
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